Week 5 SCOUTING NOTEBOOK: Jeremiah Smith's record day, Sammy Brown's struggles and more

By Jack Brentnall

Week 5 served up a run of big-name matchups, and there was plenty to chew on from an NFL Draft perspective. Record-setting production at wide receiver, a quarterback whose stock keeps climbing, and some reputations that took a knock along the way.

Here is what caught my eye in Week 5.

Jeremiah Smith's record day at Kinnick

This is the first time Jeremiah Smith has appeared in one of my scouting notebooks, and I think that says something about how far we have gone in taking his talent for granted. If any other receiver in the country had put up more than 600 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through the first four weeks, we would all have jumped to attention. After another enormous afternoon in Ohio State’s win at Iowa, it felt like time to give him some.

Smith finished with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for 55.5% of all Ohio State targets in the game. He became the first player to post back-to-back games of 200 or more receiving yards with multiple scores since 2020, and in the process set Ohio State records for career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

The tape backed up the numbers. Smith won at all three levels and looked comfortable working underneath and attacking down the field. When Iowa was able to crowd the catch point he was able to make the catch anyway, showing excellent hands and body control to finish.

What makes this performance more impressive is that it felt like there was still some meat left on the bone. Watching it back, there were several reps where Julian Sayin either looked elsewhere or failed to put enough on the throw, and Smith was open on plenty of them. It seems odd to say off the back of a 206-yard performance, but the numbers could plausibly have been better.

This game was a reinforcement of what we already know about Smith. He has been regarded as a blue chip prospect since his freshman season, and games like this are the reason why. But it is worth remembering not to take this sort of talent for granted and give him the props that he deserves.

Austin Simmons keeps stacking performances as Missouri rout Florida

Missouri were excellent across the board in a comprehensive win over Florida. Their front seven shut down a run game that had been giving defenses real problems, and Jamal Roberts had a career day of his own with 211 yards and three touchdowns. From an NFL Draft perspective though, the biggest takeaway was the performance of quarterback Austin Simmons.

Simmons finished 23 of 30 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. His arm talent jumps off the screen, but what really stood out in this one was how quickly he makes up his mind. He worked through progressions efficiently and got off reads without hesitating, and he was happy to take the checkdown when needed.

He also showed some impressive calmness for a first year starter. His first touchdown came on a play that had no business working – the center snapped it early, and rather than panicking, Simmons stayed composed, kept his eyes downfield, and found Donovan Olugbode downfield for a score.

There is a confidence to his play at the moment that emboldens him to attempt the tougher, tighter throws, and so far it keeps paying off.

The caveats right now are more about circumstance than ability. This is Simmons’ first season as a starter, and we still haven’t seen him operate in difficult conditions. His 16.4% pressure rate is the second lowest in the Power Four, so the question of how he responds when the pocket is not clean remains almost unanswered.

That is also why I have doubts about whether he declares. With NIL money being what it is, and with NFL teams offering young quarterbacks less developmental runway than at almost any point in the modern era, there is a reasonable case for a one-year starter to stay put and keep building. On the evidence of the first five weeks, though, he has played as well as any quarterback in the country.

Santana Hopper gives Texas Tech's line a torrid night in Boulder

Colorado had no answer for Texas Tech at home, but Santana Hopper spent most of the evening making life difficult for the Red Raiders’ offensive line. He did not record a sack, but he finished with six pressures and nine stop tackles. His impact was felt from the opening drive, where he got home on Will Hammond and forced an incompletion on third down.

The refined hand usage is what stands out on tape. Hopper’s strikes are accurate and well timed, and he has a genuine plan rather than a single go-to move. There were several reps where he opened with the bull rush before transitioning into something else to finish, be that a club-swim or a push-pull. He was just as effective on stunts, where his quickness and fluidity as a looper caused problems.

His biggest impact, though, came against the run, where he was simply too quick and too technically refined. He refused to be reach blocked all night. On some reps he stayed playside and forced the run back inside to teammates, while on others he showed the flexibility and quickness to backdoor the block and arrive in the backfield. There were several reps where he was able to cross face off the snap and shoot straight through. The closing burst to finish those plays stood out repeatedly.

There is still work to do on the play strength side. He has definitely filled out his frame since his time at Tulane, but he is nevertheless undersized for a defensive tackle. He was excellent when allowed to pin his ears back and attack upfield, but the limitations showed when he had to hold the point and absorb rather than penetrate, and that is the part of his game that will determine how he is deployed at the next level.

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Xavier Atkins the bright spot in Auburn's loss at Neyland

Auburn came up short in Knoxville, but linebacker Xavier Atkins had one of his better games of the season. He finished with 11 tackles, three stops and an interception, and the tape was every bit as encouraging as the box score.

His feel for run defense was the standout. Tennessee do a lot with pullers and Atkins looked entirely comfortable sorting it out, with sharp eyes and a consistent knack for being in the right place at the right time. He was vocal with it too, communicating with teammates to keep the front seven gap sound, and when he had to take on a blocker he did so with good effort and leverage. You also saw his impressive pursuit speed on multiple occasions.

Coverage was another positive. He has the quickness to man up against tight ends and stay attached to them downfield, and his interception came as an underneath zone defender, where he read Faizon Brandon’s eyes the whole way, undercut the throw and had the coordination to keep his feet in near the sideline. 

The pick handed Auburn the ball deep in Tennessee territory and led to their only touchdown of the game. It also ended Brandon’s afternoon, with Josh Heupel turning to backup quarterback George MacIntyre before the half was out.

The questions with Atkins are always going to be about his size and play strength. At 210 lbs, he is a historical outlier by linebacker standards and the limitations showed up at times in this game too. There is a lot to like from an NFL perspective and a big game against a tough opponent will no doubt encourage scouts, but he feels likely to be one of the more polarising prospects in the 2027 class.

Sammy Brown's processing problems deepen against Miami

Miami dismantled Clemson this weekend, and linebacker Sammy Brown’s tape once again makes for difficult viewing. The issues that characterised his tape from last season are not only still there, they have been joined by the erosion of the one thing he could previously be relied upon – his tackling.

Miami’s opening touchdown to Cooper Barkate set the tone. Brown bit hard on the run action and took himself far out of position. His tendency to fly aggressively downhill and overflow run fits was all over the tape, and he is hopelessly reactive to pullers. His eyes are too often a mess at the moment, darting from key to key like a cat chasing a laser.

The tackling is the more worrying development. Brown’s eye discipline and run feel were a concern last year, but you could at least count on him to bring people down. That no longer holds. He was charted with four missed tackles against Miami and now has 11 across his last three games. The technique on several of his attempts was genuinely poor, with Brown throwing himself at the ball carrier rather than breaking down and wrapping.

There are still things to like. The explosiveness is obvious, and he had some good reps in coverage where the athletic tools let him close ground in a hurry. But that is the problem in a nutshell: the traits keep getting him somewhere fast, and too often it is the wrong place. At this stage he still feels more like an athlete than a football player.

JACK BRENTNALL

HEAD OF NFL DRAFT CONTENT

Previously the founder of The Jet Sweep, Jack joined The Touchdown as head of Draft Content in 2024. A Scouting Academy alumnus, Jack has been Covering the NFL Draft since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Brentnall.

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