This weekend of college football brought us the rare top ten matchup in week two of college football. #3 Texas visited #10 Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan with clear impacts on draft stocks of the players involved. The contest itself was no contest at all, Texas ran away with the game early while Michigan could never get their Offense going. 

Quinn Ewers

Junior Quarterback Quinn Ewers came to dominate the Michigan secondary and after a jittery first drive, Ewers did just that. Ewers went for 24 completions on 36 attempts with 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ewers looked the part of a number two prospect this weekend versus Michigan. Some timing misses early could have lead to at least one turnover with a deep miss late (up by 20 at the time) was the bad from Ewers this game. 

The good far outweighed the bad. Ewers had the habit of hitting targets all over the field with a multitude of different receivers. His stock is up. Ewers will enter week three of the college football season as my Quarterback two going into the NFL draft. I’m still putting Carson Beck ahead of Ewers with a lot of the season left for Ewers to take over the Quarterback one ranking with his improvising ability. His ability to improvise is what looks the NFL part. Effortless flicks of the wrist while stepping up in the pocket that (forgive me) look Mahomes or Rodgers esque. 

Jaydon Blue

Texas Junior running back Jaydon Blue had a hard time getting things going on the ground with translatable success in the passing game. Bottled up on most of his rushing attempts with 22 yards on 9 nine carries, Blue limped off in the first quarter before returning late in the second before halftime. His struggles on the ground did not match his role in the air attack. Blue reeled in 6 catches on seven targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a flat route where he beat the defense to the edge for the 7-yard score. 

Blue seems to be more Roschon Johnson than Bijan Robinson. There did not seem to be anything that set Jaydon apart from his fellow running backs. During his time in the blue tent, Blue's backup (Quintrevion Wisner) gave similar, too, if not higher, production with 30 yards on eight carries. Wisner didn’t sync with  Ewers well, going for two catches on six targets for 19 yards. I am firmly staying away from Blue, no matter the league format. Potentially, I see a role for him as a backup third down back in the league. Not moving the needle much. 

While Blue missed time, we got a look at the future of Texas running back. Jerrick Gibson. Gibson is going to be the next big Longhorns running back. We can not spend too much time on Gibson now since he can’t declare until the 2027 draft; he will be an interesting player to observe before he gets the running back one role in Texas. 

Gunnar Helm

I believe Gunnar Helm had his coming out party versus Michigan. A big body (6’5, 250 lbs) target who caught all nine targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. Gunnar’s stock should rise all season long as Texas makes its way through SEC play. Helm did not have a bad look; he got the job done underneath, finding soft spots in the zone and showing off his ability down the field on the 21-yard touchdown pass. Helm hasn’t gotten many looks over the last two years. With only 19 receptions in the last two years, the “true” junior looks to put scouts and dynasty fantasy managers on notice as Texas navigates what should be a dominating year offensively. 

Colston Loveland

Gunnar Helm was not supposed to be the best tight end in this game. Colston Loveland, along with the rest of the Michigan offense, will have a hard time moving the ball this year. While not being the best tight end on the field Saturday, Loveland was Michigan’s best target. Loveland snagged eight receptions on 11 targets for 70 yards. A brutal fumble with a minute before half down only two scores from Loveland did not help things in Ann Arbor. The fumble was close to a drop. Loveland eyes went upfield as he reeled the ball in, then off his knee and into a burnt orange jersey the ball went. 

My stock is still neutral on Loveland going into week three of the college football season. Loveland will have the monkey of bad quarterback play on his back all season; this may drop his stock. If the stock drops, I’m buying. I trust an NFL team to develop a pure receiver tight end before a Michigan team is in disarray.

Donovan Edwards

Donovan Edwards will run into the same Quarterback issues. Edwards will struggle to find running room against a stacked box all season long. While Donovan didn’t have a bad game, it didn’t ever look next level. I’ve seen what dominating backs like Marshon Lattimore or Leonard Fournette look like. This wasn’t it. Edwards had 41 yards on eight carries for a respectable 5.1 per carry. These numbers are a little inflated by a 12-yard rush that brought his yards per carry to that 5-yard territory. I also thought it was telling that Edwards did not “start” the second half. This shows a severe distrust in Edwards when the ball needs to go in the air. 

My stock is way down for Edwards. Nowhere to be found in the passing game while the team is down by 10 plus throughout the game. Speed issues. Donovan needs to develop and with the lack of development I expect from the Michigan offense, he seems doomed to bust potential. 

Bonus Look Ahead

Michigan may have an uphill battle to produce players with dynasty relevance, but they have potential on their bench. Quarterback Alex Orji is an athletic freak that I need to see more of. The junior  6’3” 235 lbs runs like a deer with a rocket arm. The Michigan Wolverines have a supreme athlete that they just use the wrong way. Everybody in the stadium knows they run the ball in a special package when he comes in. Orji should get his chance to start sooner rather than later as Michigan’s season slips further away throughout Big Ten play.