Film room: 3 draft-eligible players who stood out in Week 0
Georgia Tech RB Jamal Haynes was the headliner on Saturday, but a Yellow Jackets edge rusher popped against Florida State's offensive line.
Saturday’s slate of “Week 0” games featured several exciting games, from Georgia Tech taking down No. 10 Florida State, to epic fourth quarter comebacks from Montana State and SMU. The buzz coming into the weekend was abound for Patrick Payton and the Seminoles’ defensive line, who ended up being pushed around by Georgia Tech. Instead, there were other players who shined, including Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes, who finished with 91 total yards and two rushing touchdowns on the day.
But it was another teammate of Haynes on the defensive side of the ball who popped on Georgia Tech’s defense that’s worth monitoring moving forward throughout the season.
Every week here at the Two Gap substack, I’ll be taking a deeper look at who stood out on film from each week’s slate of games. This week’s standouts includes a deep threat tight end, a physical interior offensive lineman, and a long edge rusher.
Romello Height, EDGE, Georgia Tech
On his third college football program this season, Height, a redshirt junior, had just 22 games of experience before Saturday’s matchup with Florida State. After starting his career at Auburn, where he spent two seasons, Height played for USC, 14 games total (2 in 2022, 12 in 2023), and finished with six TFLs and four sacks last season.
Now, as a starter for Georgia Tech, his length his noticeable, especially when engaging at the point of attack at the line of scrimmage. Though his pad level needs to be a little lower, he has some fluidity changing direction to stick his foot in the ground and redirect towards the quarterback or ball carrier.
One area he will need to continue to grow: finding his go-to move as a pass rusher. He had a few quality rushes, including the one below where he beats the FSU right tackle on a euro step speed rush to pick up a sack, but was flagged for facemask. Using speed to power with his long levers would be advantageous for his body type and skill set.
Ultimately, he’s a guy to keep an eye on throughout the season. His teammate, Kevin Harris II, who finished with a sack, is their best draft prospect for the 2025 class, but if Height can stack more performances like Saturday, he’ll continue to grow on scouts’ radar.
Marcus Wehr, OG/OT, Montana State
Three years ago, Marcus Wehr was playing along Montana State’s defensive line. He made three tackles as a defensive tackle for the Bobcats before switching to left tackle, where he held down that spot over the last two years en route to back-to-back FCS national championships.
In 2024, Wehr got the start at right guard against New Mexico and excelled working in double teams up to linebackers. The Bobcats consistently reset the line of scrimmage and Wehr played a key part, driving New Mexico’s defensive line back and creating vertical displacement.
While his eyes need to process stunts and blitzes quicker now that he’s in the interior, Wehr had one rep in particular that showed how quickly he could make in-game adjustments.
New Mexico’s LB (#22) tried to get home on a timed up running blitz from about three yards away and Wehr recognized it, and knocked him off-balance in what looked like a slide protection call. It ended up being a big gain through the air as Montana State chipped away at their 17 point deficit.
Wehr’s NFL projection is definitely more solidified at guard than tackle, but having the tackle background will make him an appealing prospect for NFL teams.
RJ Maryland, TE, SMU
Everyone will rave about RJ Maryland’s two explosive plays, the first coming early in the fourth quarter to jumpstart a drive that brought SMU within one score, and the second coming on his game-winning 34 yard touchdown reception. His ability to win vertically and show his late hands allowed him to create natural vertical separation down the field.
I want to turn your attention to a few other catches in his 8-catch, 162 yard performance. Listed at 6-foot-4, 237 pounds, Maryland has the athleticism and a natural feel for the game that can’t be overlooked. He showed great body control on a back shoulder pass from a wheel route near the sideline, got both feet down to keep a drive moving that ended in a field goal.
The second, and probably most important catch of the game in a critical situation: he’s running mesh on third down late in the game, near midfield. He stops at the play side linebacker, lets the LB flow towards his QB Preston Stone, finds open grass and moves the chains. It would set up his TD reception later in the drive.
Plays like that show just how dependable he is in critical situations. There’s no mistake in why SMU kept feeding #82 late in the game.