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NFL Draft 2018: Top 32 draft prospects entering Championship Weekend

By Charles Rahrig V

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions flips over Dicaprio Bootle #23 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in what was originally ruled a touchdown then reviewed and pulled back to the 1 yard line during the first quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions flips over Dicaprio Bootle #23 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in what was originally ruled a touchdown then reviewed and pulled back to the 1 yard line during the first quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 18: Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey (68) gets ready to make a block Navy Midshipmen defensive end Tyler Sayles (91) during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen on November 18, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 18: Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey (68) gets ready to make a block Navy Midshipmen defensive end Tyler Sayles (91) during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Navy Midshipmen on November 18, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Mike McGlinchey

OT, Notre Dame

While Quenton Nelson has remained nearly perfect this year, Mike McGlinchey has had some moments where he’s struggled. He’s been mostly dominant and a wrecking ball, but his size can work against him at times.

By virtue of being so incredibly tall, McGlinchey can have some struggles with a speed rush and if he doesn’t get a good bend, he can end up on his backside. That happened in the loss against Stanford, but it’s been mostly a great season overall for the tackle.

He’s going to have to adjust the faster, stronger pass rushers he’s going to face at the next level. With a strong draft class full of tackles, McGlinchey has separated himself as one of the classiest players in college football.

He is a leader and those traits show the drive that he has to be great. That being said, he’ll have to show that he can win the leverage battles and won’t get beat easily by any speed rushers looking to get to the quarterback.

15

Bryce Love

RB, Stanford

Don’t call him a power back, but Bryce Love showed off a little bit against Notre Dame. As Stanford thumped the Fighting Irish, Love showed brute force running over some defenders despite not being the biggest running back.

He might not have found the end zone in the victory for Stanford, but Love had a monumental impact in the victory. He finished the night with 20 carries for 125 yards, including a long of 31 yards.

Now, he’ll get a great chance at redemption this week. Stanford will be playing USC for the Pac-12 Championship. These two teams met earlier in the season and USC throttled the Cardinal in Los Angeles.

This time, the Cardinal will be closer to home and Love is in the middle of a stretch of games where he has been unstoppable. If the Trojans can’t stop him, the Cardinal will be hoisting a conference championship.

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