Week 0 SCOUTING NOTEBOOK - RJ Maryland goes off, Seminoles defense disappoints and more

By Jack Brentnall

Welcome to the first of our weekly series of scouting notebooks, where we take a look at the past weekend of action and look at which NFL Draft prospects caught our eyes, for better or worse.

Saturday provided NFL scouts with their first major opportunity of the season to evaluate a group of prospects. Whether it is familiar faces, or transfers in new places, there were some noteworthy performances. Here are some players that caught my eye in Week 0.

RJ Maryland goes supernova

Maryland is a name that had perhaps been going under the radar during summer scouting. After his performance against Nevada in Week 0 I think we can safely say that will no longer be the case.

The true junior had a career game, racking up eight catches for 162 yards, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown to save the Mustangs from a shock defeat. His explosiveness and seam-stretching athleticism was on full display and the Nevada secondary were utterly unable to contain him.

Maryland has now tied Kylen Granson’s program record of 14 touchdown receptions by a tight end. With the connection he’s clearly forged with quarterback Preston Stone, he could shatter that record by the time the season is over. Maryland is definitely a player to keep a close eye on as the season progresses.

New-look Seminoles defensive line disappoints

With star defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske now in the NFL, Florida State kicked off their season with a new-look defensive line. Former five-star recruit Marvin Jones Jr. transferred over from Georgia in the offseason to replace Verse, with Fiske being replaced by last year’s depth piece, Darrell Jackson Jr.

Hopes were high coming into their season opener against Georgia Tech in Dublin. The hype surrounding this group even saw them heralded as the best defensive line in the ACC. It is safe to say that they didn’t come close to living up to that lofty praise.

The Seminoles front was completely outmatched by the Yellow Jackets’ offensive line who pushed them around at will in the run game, creating wide open rushing lanes for their backfield to exploit.

Just as concerning was the inability of the group to make any difference on passing downs. The highly-touted edge duo of Jones Jr. and Patrick Payton combined for a single pressure. The front as a whole managed just four, and didn’t have a single sack.

Was this an opening weekend blip? Maybe, but it is certainly a concerning start to the season for a number of notable draft prospects.

Jamal Haynes turns heads

On the other side of the matchup at Aviva Stadium was Georgia Tech’s jitterbug running back Jamal Haynes. Haynes was already a name firmly on NFL Draft radars before this weekend, but he will certainly have helped his stock with his 2024 debut.

Last year he led the Yellow Jackets with 1,061 yards, averaging an impressive 6.1 yards per carry. He continued in a similar vein against Florida State, chalking up 75 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries, whilst adding a further 16 yards on his two receptions.

Whilst Haynes isn’t the biggest (he stands at just 5’9” and 190 lbs) he showcases the quick twitch athleticism and burst to be an effective contributor in an NFL backfield. If he can keep up this level of performance in the coming weeks you can expect to hear his name mentioned much more often.

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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