Three College Football Players To Watch

Which possible Eagles targets should you keep an eye on?

Isaiah Ford. (Photo by USA TODAY Sports)

Isaiah Ford. (Photo by USA TODAY Sports)

With a new NFL season getting underway this weekend, the college football season is already in full swing. And with that comes a number of collegiate players to keep an eye on as potential draft picks for the Eagles. Let’s highlight three of them for today’s slate of games.

1. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech
This week’s opponent: vs. #17 Tennessee — 8 p.m. (ABC)

Ford, a first-team All-ACC selection last year, caught 11 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in last week’s season-opening win over Liberty. He was also named to Pro Football Focus’s All-ACC team. Ford is the team’s primary target and is able to make moves in the open field after the catch. Depending on how the team’s wide receivers perform this season, the Eagles should keep an eye out on this potential early round pick.

2. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
This week’s opponent: vs. Iowa State — 7:30 p.m. (BTN)

King was an All-American selection last year and was projected to be a first-round selection. He didn’t declare because he wanted to finish college. He can play in multiple types of coverage and can also make an impact on special teams. He’s also not afraid to be aggressive, which is something Jim Schwartz likes in his players. He made five total tackles in last week’s win over Miami (Ohio).

3. Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee
This week’s opponent: vs. Virginia Tech — 8 p.m. (ABC)

Hurd had a good opening game against Appalachian State last week, as he rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. A former five-star recruit and a preseason First Team All-SEC selection, Hurd has great acceleration and vision running through holes. At 6-4 and 240 pounds, he’s also a tough runner to tackle and is slightly bigger than Ryan Mathews. With Mathews injury prone and Darren Sproles being more of a receiver than a runner, Hurd could be an early-to-mid round pick in 2017.

Game Of The Week: Penn State @ Pittsburgh — Noon (ESPN)

Unlike last week’s phenomenal slate of games, this week doesn’t have any ranked teams taking on each other. Most of the bigger games are later in the evening, but the most exciting game for me is the return of the Penn State-Pittsburgh rivalry after a 16-year break. A once intense rivalry, Penn State leads the all-time series 50-42-4. It’s the first of two straight interstate opponents the Nittany Lions will play, as they’ll host Temple next weekend in State College.

Honorable Mentions: Arkansas @ #15 TCU (7 p.m., ESPN), BYU @ Utah, (7:30 p.m., FOX) Virginia Tech vs. #17 Tennessee (8 p.m., ABC)