It’s funny how quickly things can change in college football. Ole Miss took down top-10 ranked LSU in Week 3, but got thumped by Florida and the Gators potential first-round running back Jaden Baugh in Week 4. LSU needed a win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, and they got it over Texas A&M. The Aggies, now with two losses in the conference, will need to be perfect and need a lot of teams to lose to even sniff the playoffs. Texas remains the top team in the country after a narrow
victory over Tennessee. Oregon keeps their playoff chances alive by handing USC their first loss of the season. Iowa and Mississippi State also moved up in the AP Top 25 by beating ranked teams Michigan and Missouri respectively.
Mississippi State, now ranked #16, will have a chance to keep moving up the rankings in Week 5 if they can beat #7 Alabama. #14 Iowa will look to do the same by taking down #5 Ohio State. #8 Florida will look to stay undefeated against #25 Missouri. Clemson has rebounded after getting blown out to start the season, but they will have possibly their toughest challenge against #4 Miami.
Here are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help the Commanders. Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to comment with players that stood out to you.
Aidan Chiles | QB | Senior | Northwestern
It was tough to see Jayden Daniels injure his elbow for a third time in the past year. While he has the talent of a top NFL QB, his health has to be a consideration with regards to his future in Washington. While I’m not at the point where the team should consider an early draft pick to replace him, it shows why it’s always important to continually look for talent at the position.
Aidan Chiles has played at Oregon State, Michigan State, and now Northwestern. He’s had an up and down career. Chiles was benched last season at Michigan State as he and the team struggled. He decided to transfer to Northwestern and, so far, it looks like a good decision. Chiles is 6’4”, 225 pounds, so plenty of size for the position. When Chiles has time, he has good mechanics and delivers accurate passes. When he has to get rid of the ball quickly, those mechanics change and his accuracy can dip. While Chiles can run, he is more of a pocket passer with a strong enough arm for NFL throws. Chiles went 17 of 22 for 241 yards and three touchdowns and added another two touchdowns on the ground.
Keyjuan Brown | RB | Senior | Louisville
David Blough might have felt pressure to pass with how effectively Dallas scored, but there were moments in the run game. Although more attention has been given to his teammate and backfield-mate Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown looks more like a complete NFL back. He’s densely built at 5’10”, 215 pounds, but he has superb burst and speed at that size. Those qualities along with his vision make him a productive back in a zone blocking scheme. While Brown can lower his shoulder and deliver punishment, he’d much rather use his quick feet to juke tacklers. Where he isn’t much of a contributor is in the pass game since he only has 18 receptions in his career. Louisville got the win over SMU behind Keyjuan Brown’s 163 yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts.
Jeremiah Smith | WR | Junior | Ohio State
Terry McLaurin had his best game of the season in order for the Commanders to upset the Seahawks. He is 31. The next leading receiver, Stefon Diggs, is 32. While the Commanders have seen promise from Antonio Williams, the team still needs impactful young players at their skill positions.
Jeremiah Smith could be the best player eligible for the NFL Draft in 2027. He’s only a true junior and Smith is the Buckeyes’ all-time leading receiver over Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, even Chris Carter. With elite size at 6’4”, 222 pounds, and elite athleticism, Smith has drawn comparisons to Julio Jones and Andre Johnson. Even at that size, Smith’s quickness and fluidity during his routes is like that of a smaller receiver. He’s savvy running his routes using head and shoulder fakes to get defenders off balance, then exploiting that weakness. Once the ball is in air, Smith uses every bit of that frame and his sure hands to secure the pass. After the catch, Smith can run away from you or run through you. There are very few weaknesses to his game. He put up career highs in Ohio State’s win over Illinois with 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
Luke Reynolds | TE | Junior | Virginia Tech
With Chig Okonkwo hurt the last two weeks, tight ends were not factors in the passing game. Luke Reynolds could change that. He followed James Franklin to Blacksburg from Penn State and has shined in an increased role this season. It is hard to believe a tight end this athletic and quick is 6’4”, 250 pounds. Quickness and agility allow him to create separation when running routes and eluding tacklers after the catch. Reynolds adjusts easily to passes thanks to above-average body control. The blocking needs work. He will try to block, but his technique needs improvement in order for him to sustain blocks. Reynolds made 12 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in the Hokies win over Maryland.
Kade Pieper | OG | RS Junior | Iowa
It looked like the interior offensive line struggled opening holes in the run game early, but improved as the game went on. Pass protection was better than last week, but there is still need for improvement. Enter Kade Pieper. Now 6’3”, 293 pounds is small for an offensive lineman, but he is an athlete. He’s got elite quickness, an attribute necessary to play center. It also helps him in the zone blocking game reaching his landmarks. While he might be a smaller offensive line, Piper is strong. He anchors well against power and drives his legs to get movement as a run blocker. Iowa put up 55 points and over 600 yards against Northern Iowa behind Pieper and the offensive line.
Myles Bradley | EDGE | Senior | Bowling Green
The Commanders’ front has been making it difficult on opposing teams’ rushing games. In the pass game they have generated pressure and even had a few hits on Darnold last week. Myles Bradley showed he might be able to help an NFL pass rush. He primarily rushes from a two-point stance off the edge and wins with speed around the edge. He shows good strength to maintain his path to the quarterback as blockers try to push him past the quarterback. He will have to do two things to find a role at the next level. One, develop more rush moves than speed around the edge. Two, add size as he is only 6’, 230 lbs. Bradley had five tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles with one recovery, and a PBU in a loss to South Florida.
Austin Romaine | LB | Senior | Texas Tech
The linebacker play was essential to Washington’s win over Seattle. Sonny Styles filled the stat sheet while Kain Medrano’s pick-six helped seal the deal. They’ll need more of that from Medrano after losing Leo Chenal to a serious neck injury. Austin Romaine was an All-Big 12 linebacker for Kansas State before transferring to Texas Tech. He’s got the size needed for the position at 6’2”, 240 pounds, and moves well in space. This helps him be effective dropping into zone coverage as well as moviing laterally to get to the ball. He does a good job of taking on blockers and disengaging, but I’d like to see him get a little lower to prevent players from getting under his pads. Romaine contributed to the Red Raiders win over Sam Houston State with eight tackles and two pick-sixes.
Ashton Hampton | CB | Junior | Clemson
Despite the win, the Commanders’ secondary gave up a lot of yardage to the Seahawks’ receivers. Outside of Amik Robertson, the secondary has struggled to perform well consistently. While Trey Amos should improve this unit when he returns from IR, injuries haven’t allowed him to see the field this season. Ashton Hampton is a cornerback in the mold of Amos. He’s big at 6’2”, 205 pounds, and he is physical. Hampton is disruptive playing press, throwing off the timing of a throw and barely letting receivers’ routes develop. Clemson does not play him often in zone, but he looks to have the tools to handle responsibilities in that coverage. In a win over California, Hampton had three tackles and three pass breakups.
Kingston Lopa | S | RS Sophomore | California
The Commanders need to improve their coverage in the middle of the field. While Jeremy Reaves is a fan favorite for good reason, he’s a tick slow to recognize the developing play or just a little too slow to make a play. Given he’s only a redshirt sophomore, Kingston Lopa may not declare for the draft this year. His stock, however, may not be higher. He has five interceptions on the season playing in the middle of the Golden Bears secondary. Lopa’s a tall safety at 6’5”, 210 pounds. You’d think it’d make it hard for him to change direction, but he flips his hips smoothly in coverage. He’s comfortable in both man and zone coverages with no problem making a play on the ball. One place where he could improve is his physicality around the line of scrimmage. Cal has been putting defensive backs into the league and Lopa looks to be next in line. He had five tackles, one for a loss, and an interception in a win over Wagner.
Which college players caught your eye in Week 4 and could help the Washington Commanders?
