Even though there weren’t any battles between ranked opponents, there was plenty to take away from Week 8 of the college football season. In this week’s scouting notebook, I dive into the development of Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, the challenging evaluation of USC wide receiver Drake London, and why there’s some hope for the lackluster 2022 running back class.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

A player that I had highlighted as one of my red dot prospects of the week, Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux may have pieced together the best six quarters of his career. After playing in only the second half against Cal, he finished that contest with 11 total pressures. Continuing on his hot streak, he showed plenty to get excited about against UCLA.

Even though the matchup against Bruins left tackle Sean Rhyan was the attention grabber, the two hardly ever faced off. What stood out to be the most in this game is the continued development of the Oregon star. A season ago, he was very reminiscent of the early phases that we saw from Chase Young prior to his monstrous junior season. Both had similar tendencies of wanting to attack down the middle of the body of blockers instead of picking certain parts of the body to attack.

Coming into the season, what scouts wanted to see from Thibodeaux was him transitioning from just being the best athlete on the field and winning mostly in that way into more of a technician with consistent plans of attack. Through only four games played this season, he’s seemed to unlock the next stage of his development in that he’s begun to grasp the concept of knowing how to target certain areas and take advantage.

Operating mostly from a stand-up position, the game against UCLA also provided us with some glimpses of him dropping in coverage, which remains a work in progress. He showed some comfort with doing so, but the raw aspect of being in that type of environment still seems foreign to him.

Kenny Pickett vs. Clemson

Last season's matchup against Clemson was arguably the worst performance of Pickett’s career at Pitt. In the middle of a rare breakout senior season, he continued to check boxes that evaluators wanted to see from him.

One of the more impressive aspects of Pickett’s game is his pocket manipulation and his ability to keep plays alive. While he has enough mobility, his escapability combined with keeping his eyes downfield to get the ball out to reappearing targets was a key note that I continued to write down while watching him on Saturday.

An underrated part of the fifth-year senior’s game is his ability to know the answers to all concepts being run. When in danger or not liking what he sees down the field, he’s quick to find his outlet underneath—a trait that’s considered to be a lost art among college QBs.

In a QB class that’s in flux with a bunch of different orders, Pickett has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2021 season. He has the game and intangibles that translate well to the all-star game circuit where it’s easy to see teams taking a liking to him.

Drake London’s Challenging Evaluation

One of the biggest breakout stars of the college football season so far has been USC wide receiver Drake London. Following another great performance in which he caught 15 passes for 171 yards, he’s recorded 10-plus catches in four of his past five games. The Trojans’ junior target has been a bright spot in what has been a challenging year for the program.

After playing mostly in the slot a season ago and with Amon-Ra St. Brown the unquestioned top option, he moved into a bigger role this year on the outside. Seeming to be more comfortable on the perimeter, London is a weekly highlight reel when placed there. He’s created a comfort zone for himself by leaping over defensive backs in all areas of the field. This has led to him carrying the ‘contested-catch wide receiver’ tag.

As accustomed during every draft cycle, evaluating separation with receivers and how well they uncover can make or break an evaluation for a player. The key factor to remember when evaluating receivers that have the key trait of being able to win consistently in contested situations is this: Is it their calling card or is it one of many characteristics in their catalog? If it’s more of the latter than the former then there's more evidence of success on the next level.

Prospects Mike Williams, A.J. Brown, and Mike Evans come to mind of some that were in a bit of a conundrum about their next-level production because of this factor. Williams and Evans went on to become top-10 picks and rightfully so, but Brown was one that suffered more than his counterparts. London could be faced with a similar situation, which makes his evaluation one to monitor this offseason if he does end up declaring for the 2022 draft.

2022 Running Back Class

A position group that is barely talked about, the 2022 crop of running backs is underwhelming because of the units that we have been exposed to over the past few draft cycles. While it’s highly unlikely that a rusher will be drafted in the first round, this group does contain a bunch of players that will go on to round out a committee.

Two of my favorites are Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams and Alabama’s Brian Robinson. The Irish rusher is a well-rounded and tough prospect that doesn’t back down from anyone with the ball in his hands and in pass protection. Williams has the makings of going on to have a productive career because of the value that he provides on third down alone as a more-than-reliable pass protector.

Robinson’s patience and growth in the Crimson Tide backfield are notable. It’s rare to see a player wait it out as long as he did in order to make his first collegiate start. It wasn’t until the 53rd game of his career where he trotted out as the first back in the backfield.

The increased workload has helped Robinson as he’s displayed much more versatility combined with already being a tough runner. The Crimson Tide redshirt senior runner is another player that could add value as a back-end option on a two or three-player committee on the next level. Georgia’s Zamir White is another prospect that falls into a similar category and projection on the next level.