NCAA Championship Game - Which College Players Are Future Vikings 2022

The NCAA Championship game is on Monday pitting the Georgia Bulldogs against the TCU Horned Frogs. The Bulldogs are a heavy favorite by 12.5 points. Will the game be competitive or is it going to be a blowout?

I would not bet on a blowout based on how TCU has played and battled this year but it is possible. Georgia had the 19th hardest ranked schedule and TCU and the 11th. Georgia was 2-0 vs top 10 teams and TCU was 3-1. Georgia was 5-0 vs top 30 teams and TCU was 6-1. Georgia ran for 201.9 yards per game and TCU ran for 204.5 ypg. Georgia passed for 293.0 yards per game and TCU passed for 269.6 ypg.

They seem to be fairly evenly matched and it could come down to lines of scrimmage as it often does. What players are worth checking out for the 2023 Draft?

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Jalen Carter DL Georgia

Kelee Ringo CB Georgia

Broderick Jones OT Georgia

Nolan Smith EDGE Georgia

Darnell Washington TE Georgia

Chris Smith II S Georgia

Sedrick Van Pran IOL Georgia

Tykee Smith S Georgia

Kenny McIntosh RB Georgia

Stetson Bennett IV QB Georgia

Robert Beal Jr. EDGE Georgia

Warren McClendon OT Georgia

Kendall Milton RB Georgia

Dominick Blaylock WR Georgia

Zion Logue DL Georgia

Kearis Jackson WR Georgia

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Quentin Johnston WR TCU

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson CB TCU

Steve Avila IOL TCU

Kendre Miller RB TCU

Josh Newton CB TCU

Dee Winters LB TCU

Noah Daniels CB TCU

Alan Ali IOL TCU

Marcel Brooks WR TCU

Max Duggan QB TCU

Dylan Horton DL TCU

Derius Davis WR TCU

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The matchups that could be intriguing are ...

TCU OG Steve Avila vs Georgia DT Jalen Carter

TCU WR Quentin Johnson vs Georgia CB Kelee Ringo

Georgia WR vs TCU CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson & John Newton

Georgia OT Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon vs TCU DE Dylan Horton

... I am hoping for a great game!

Yore mock

TRADES

Trade Partner: Houston Texans

Sent: Round 1 Pick 26, Round 4 Pick 17

Received: Round 2 Pick 1, Round 4 Pick 1, Round 5 Pick 1

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Trade Partner: Carolina Panthers

Sent: Round 2 Pick 1

Received: Round 2 Pick 9, Round 2 Pick 29

similar to the Packer trade last year

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Trade Partner: San Francisco 49ers

Sent: Round 3 Pick 27

Received: Round 3 Pick 37, Round 5 Pick 29

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Trade Partner: Las Vegas Raiders

Sent: Round 5 Pick 1

Received: Round 5 Pick 7, Round 7 Pick 4

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Trade Partner: Kansas City Chiefs

Sent: Round 7 Pick 4

Received: Round 7 Pick 31, Round 7 Pick 36

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40: R2 P9 DL Gervon Dexter Sr. - Florida 6-6 313

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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60: R2 P29 QB Tanner McKee - Stanford 6-6 230

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

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100: R3 P37 C Steve Avila - TCU 6-4 330

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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103: R4 P1 EDGE Byron Young - Tennessee 6-3 245

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

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142: R5 P7 DL Keeanu Benton - Wisconsin 6-4 315

Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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162: R5 P27 CB Tyrique Stevenson - Miami 6-0 214

Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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164: R5 P29 LB Ivan Pace Jr. - Cincinnati 6-0 236

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

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212: R6 P37 RB Kendre Miller - TCU 6-0 220

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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214: R6 P39 G McClendon Curtis - Chattanooga 6-6 328

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246: R7 P31 S Sydney Brown - Illinois 6-0 205

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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251: R7 P36 WR Derius Davis - TCU 5-10 175

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

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I was thinking that getting MOAR size (and hopefully talent) would help the team a lot.

Gervon Dexter is a workhorse having played 681 snaps this year and has started 24 games over the last three seasons. Keeanu Benton has started 33 games (24 at nose). Byron Young started 20 games for Tennessee after one season in junior college.

Steve Avila started 34 games (so far), 9 in 2020 (six at center, two at right tackle, one at right guard), 11 in 2021 (all at center), 14 in 2022 (all at left guard).

McClendon Curtis started 37 games with most at right guard but 7 at left tackle this year and 1 at left guard in 2019.

Tyrique Stevenson started 25 games (5 for Georgia and 25 for Miami), Sydney Brown started 50 games, and Ivan Pace Jr started 29 games.

Miller is a big back that has not had too much mileage (only 361 carries) and could be a nice find to replace Mattison.

Davis is a speedster who has five punt return touchdowns and an additional kick return touchdown in his career. Don’t know if he would last until the end of the seventh round but if you wanted to take a flyer on a return specialist, he is a good one.

McKee is probably the one pick that folks may not like that high but he really had a tough situation at Stanford this season. He did not have a particularly good offensive line or any weapons that people can easily name. Maybe Elijah Higgins gets drafted.

According to PFF, McKee led all 2023 quarterback prospects in the percentage of tight-window throws (52.7%) downfield. Putting that into context, more than half of his pass attempts traveling 10-plus yards came against NFL-like coverage, the second-closest quarterback was Will Levis (39.2).

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-draft-favorite-early-prospects

He played behind the 12th-lowest-graded pass-blocking offensive line in the Power Five in 2022. That included games against UCLA and Utah during which he was under pressure on more than 50% of his dropbacks.

Of his 144 passes targeted 10-plus yards downfield, only 38 were to receivers charted as open (26.3%). The Power Five average on such throws is 31.1%, with fellow draft prospects C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young coming in over 35%. That’s a completely different game McKee was asked to play.

I think McKee also may be a QB that KOC can relate to (almost the same size) and will like. But I am guessing still.

I think Sydney Brown goes earlier and Curtis probably gets snagged by the Ravens.

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An alternate Championship Team mock just for the heck of it.

TRADES

Trade Partner: Arizona Cardinals

Sent: Round 1 Pick 26

Received: Round 2 Pick 4, Round 3 Pick 33

...

Trade Partner: Las Vegas Raiders

Sent: Round 2 Pick 4

Received: Round 2 Pick 8, Round 5 Pick 7

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Trade Partner: Dallas Cowboys

Sent: Round 4 Pick 17

Received: Round 4 Pick 28, Round 6 Pick 34

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39: R2 P8 EDGE Nolan Smith - Georgia 6-3 235

90: R3 P27 S Tykee Smith - Georgia 5-10 198

96: R3 P33 C Steve Avila - TCU 6-4 330

130: R4 P28 CB Noah Daniels - TCU 6-0 210

142: R5 P7 QB Max Duggan - TCU 6-2 210

162: R5 P27 G Warren McClendon - Georgia 6-4 300

209: R6 P34 EDGE Dylan Horton - TCU 6-4 275

212: R6 P37 RB Kendre Miller - TCU 6-0 220

214: R6 P39 LB Dee Winters - TCU 6-1 230

Well, enjoy the game!