Conference Championship SCOUTING NOTEBOOK: Super Skattebo, Drew Allar and more

By Jack Brentnall

With the college football regular season over and a handful of noteworthy names already declaring for the NFL Draft, it is safe to say that draft season is upon us.

This weekend we saw nine games played as conference champions were decided. Here are my biggest NFL Draft scouting takeaways.

Cam Skattebo runs wild against Iowa State

Running back is one of the big strengths of the 2025 class and we had another vintage performance at the weekend. This one came from Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, who I first highlighted back in Week 6.

Skattebo made light work of a good Iowa State defense, racking up 170 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries. He also got involved in the passing game, with two catches for 38 yards.

What really stood out in this game was Skattebo’s contact balance. His ability to maintain good pad level and power through tackles allowed him to consistently maximise yardage and rip off some big gains. He forced 11 missed tackles in this game, and 68% of his yardage came after contact.

NFL scouts will have also been impressed with Skattebo’s vision and intelligence as a runner. There were numerous occasions where he was forced to improvise at the line of scrimmage and he showed great decisiveness and sound decision making.

His experience also showed in how he manipulated defenders to open up running lanes, pressing holes and forcing defenders to commit before getting north and punishing them in the open field.

There will be some concerns about Skattebo’s limitations as an athlete. He isn’t overly quick or fluid as a runner, and that really shows when he hits the second level. Nevertheless, his tenacious playstyle and ability to contribute on all three downs is encouraging – in that sense he reminds me a lot of former Patriots back Rex Burkhead. I’m excited to see what he can do during the college football playoffs.

Highs and lows for Drew Allar against Oregon

I was really looking forward to watching Penn State quarterback Drew Allar face off against Oregon. Seeing a quarterback tested against top competition always makes for interesting viewing.

For Allar, there were some really nice moments. He showed good awareness as a processor and looked comfortable working through his reads. He did an excellent job of avoiding sacks too, taking none on his 12 pressured dropbacks.

There were also a handful of truly spectacular throws where Allar showed that he has what it takes to create something out of nothing. This Penn State receiving corps does him no favours, so the fact that Allar is capable of conjuring up magic and keeping his team in a close game with the best team in the country has to count for something.

On the other hand, there was a lot of frustration. One of Allar’s biggest problems is his issues with accuracy and ball placement. That showed up way too often in this game.

It was poor ball placement that led to his first interception, throwing behind his receiver on a dig route and straight into the arms of the trailing corner. The game also finished on a frustrating pick that saw Allar force the ball to a go route, despite the cornerback sitting over the top the entire play.

What makes it more maddening is that for all of Allar’s magic, he just looks incapable of hitting the easy button far too often. There were a bunch of short throws in this game where he just completely missed his receiver. He finished the game with 20 throws of under 10 air yards. Just 70% of those were deemed catchable, per PFF.

All of this is why I think Allar needs to return to school for 2025. For as much as there’s things to like, he’s also got a long developmental runway ahead of him. There will be a temptation to declare in what looks to be a weaker quarterback class, but with the way the NFL is treating quarterback development these days, that’s not a decision I’d be making.

Tez Johnson shreds Penn State

If I’m looking for the biggest winner from conference championship weekend, it has to be Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson.

Johnson had his best game of the season against Penn State, finishing with 11 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown. He had no issues separating against a good defense and showed the ability to make the most of his opportunities with the ball in his hands.

He was incredibly elusive once he got into the open field, with over a third of his yardage coming after the catch. Johnson also managed to force five missed tackles, the most of any receiver in this game.

What stood out on tape was Johnson’s explosiveness and twitch. This has always been his trademark, but showing that he can do it against top competition is big for his draft stock. 

Johnson was particularly devastating on slants, where he showed the ability to manipulate defenders throughout the stem before quickly generating separation. That’s incredibly encouraging for a player who will likely play almost entirely from the slot in the NFL.

With fellow receiver Evan Stewart still struggling for consistency, it feels like the Ducks’ offense is going to be running through Johnson in the playoffs. He’s definitely a name to keep a close eye on.

DJ Campbell looks good against Georgia

The trench battle between Georgia and Texas always looked like it should be a fun one, and that’s exactly what it proved to be. There was a tonne of NFL talent on either side, but the player I came away most impressed by was Texas’ right guard DJ Campbell.

At 6’3” and 330 lbs, Campbell has good size to translate to the NFL and pairs this with some really nice play strength. That was on full display against Georgia as he managed to have his way with the Bulldogs’ front.

Campbell was particularly effective as a run blocker. The Longhorns leant on their gap scheme run game, with Campbell having a handful of excellent reps as a puller. He was largely solid in pass protection too, doing a nice job of handling a defensive line that throws a lot at their opponents.

Campbell may not have the athletic upside of fellow Longhorns Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams, but this game showed that he has the traits to be a useful player at the next level.

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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