Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

The first weekend of college football is typically a tough one to judge for talent evaluators. Most teams with NFL prospects play easy games in Week 1, so this week's prospect preview will be shorter than usual.

Welcome back college football. We missed you.

Although cornerbacks Charles Brown and Kendric Burney, ends Michael McAdoo and Robert Quinn and defensive tackle Marvin Austin won't be playing, the North Carolina defense won't be totally devoid of talent today.

Against LSU, senior linebackers Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant can show their ability to make plays all over the field. The draft stock of the ineligible players might take a hit, but for Carter and Sturdivant, it could be a boon.

However, LSU will still have the best player on the field in junior cornerback Patrick Peterson. He'll most likely line up against wide receiver Erik Highsmith. The sophomore has good size at 6-foot-3 and is fast. It's a matchup that Peterson should control, but it will stretch his athleticism and deep coverage.

Te athletic ability of TCU middle linebacker Tank Carder will be put to the test against the speedy Oregon State offense. There have been questions about Carder's change of direction skills. He can quiet those doubts by looking good against the Beavers' Jacquizz Rodgers.

Some buzz has been building around Connecticut running back Jordan Todman leading up to the season. The Huskies face the 3-3-5 defense of Michigan and Todman's outside running will be tested against an athletic secondary.

There are mounting concerns about Syracuse running back Delone Carter. He's had a broken hip and was arrested for misdemeanor assault. Carter can push it all aside with an excellent senior season. He gets to start in his hometown playing at Akron. The Zips are transitioning to a 4-3 defense with sophomore middle linebacker Brian Wagner being the point man to take Carter down.