We are now five weeks into the college football season and talks are already getting serious about what prospects will be in next year’s NFL Draft and which player might go where. While teams are focused on winning games and trying to move up in the BCS rankings many prospects have to be thinking about moving their self up the NFL Draft rankings. After another great week of college football action here are three players who did just that and three players who have seen their stock sink lick a rock this season.
Risers:
Jared Abbrederis Wide Receiver, Wisconsin Badgers
Big time players step up against the best competition and we saw just that when the Badgers battled with Ohio State. While Ohio State would go on to win the game and dominated offensively, it was a Wisconsin receiver that stood out the most on the field.
Abbrederis played about as great as you possibly can in a game and he did it against one of the best defensive prospects in the country. Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby has been seen by many as a top-15 talent and the best cornerback in the 2014 class but Abbrederis made him look like a DII corner last week. Abbrederis may have a small frame at 188 lbs. but he showed he has the size and speed to be a starter in the NFL. He showed he can stretch the field and beat Roby deep with his speed and size or he can work inside the slot and attack a defense with clean routes and speed to make the big play.
Even when Roby stayed tight on Abbrederis, he would just make a ridiculous catch look easy and turn it into a touchdown. He hauled in 10 receptions for 207 yards in the game with one touchdown, and kept the Badgers in the game against a great Ohio State team. Abbrederis was having a solid season before this past week but his performance on the national stage turned him from a little-known sleeper into one of the most recognized draft sleepers in the country. Roby did everything he could possibly try to stop Abbrederis but he just couldn’t stop the senior wide receiver. This game will certainly be one NFL scouts go back and watch often as a glimpse into how good Abbrederis can be in the NFL.
Zach Mettenberger Quarterback, LSU Tigers
In another great SEC battle we were able to see two great college quarterbacks go head-to-head as they tried to prove they had a shot to be a quality NFL prospect. While Murray had a very good game against the LSU defense, Mettenberger shined in this game.
Mettenberger’s 2013 season was already off to a hot start and there has been no quarterback prospect who has improved their draft stock better than the LSU quarterback. Thanks to the arrival of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Mettenberger has had the chance to really learn from a coach with a great NFL pedigree and someone who really can work with quarterbacks.
We have had a chance to see Mettenberger air the ball out more this season especially down the field and we saw that against Georgia. While this wasn’t your great Georgia defense of old times this was a shootout game and Mettenberger played as well as anyone could have asked for. He completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 372 yards and 10.1 yards per attempt. You saw the arm strength and accuracy NFL teams look for in a starting quarterback and he is only getting better as the season progresses. Mettenberger’s name is skyrocketing up rankings and games like this will only add to what has already been a great season.
Trent Murphy Defensive End, Stanford Cardinals
Stanford has long been a go-to spot for the scouting community as the program continues to turn out top prospects on a yearly basis no matter who is coaching there. It’s a roster built of tough, smart football players who may not be great athletes but are simply great football players. One player who has been one of the more controversial prospects is Murphy who has played defensive end and outside linebacker for them.
Murphy is a controversial player not for issues off the field but because opinions on him are so scattered and far apart. Some see him as a first-round prospect while other draftniks don’t even have him inside their top-50. While he is a versatile player who could play in the 34 or 43 defense, some still question if he can be a great starter in the NFL. But even the harshest of critics had to be impressed by Murphy last week against Washington State. Murphy showed his athleticism as a pass rusher bringing serious pressure on the quarterback and making one of the big plays of the game. He used a beautiful counter move to go inside of the left tackle and just drilled quarterback Connor Halliday and forced him to just throw the ball up.
The pass hovered in the air and was picked off by Murphy’s teammate Jordan Richards and returned 30 yards for a touchdown to give Stanford a 24-3 lead in the third quarter. But it didn’t end there, Murphy wanted a touchdown of his own and made another big play later in the third quarter. Murphy read the screen pass perfectly and jumped the pass right as it was being thrown. He bobbled the ball then tucked it away and ran into the end zone for a 30-yard interception return. While he may have been able to come free off the left side credit has to be given to recognizing the play immediately then picking off the pass and having the speed to find the end zone. Twice in this game Murphy contributed with two scores including one of his own. It was a big day for Murphy and one that should have helped him push his stock up for those who had him outside of their top 50.
Fallers:
Cody Hoffman Wide Receiver, BYU Cougars
The 2014 NFL Draft is already stacking up to be a very deep class, especially at wide receiver. While Sammy Watkins, Marqise Lee and Mike Adams reign atop the rankings there is still plenty of talent below them. Because it is such a deep class one slip up by a player can send them falling down the rankings and we see that happening with Hoffman.
Last week was supposed to be the game where Hoffman would step up on the national stage and establish himself as one of the better senior receivers in the class. Instead Hoffman was suspended by the university for violating team rules. While BYU has a stricter conduct policy than most programs and it wasn’t revealed what Hoffman did, being suspended for a game isn’t going to help your draft stock. Especially after you have already missed the season opener with a hamstring injury and struggled in your two games of action this season.
After posting a stellar 100 receptions for 1,284 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, Hoffman has been quiet to begin the 2013 season. In just two starts he has caught just 10 receptions for 171 yards and no touchdowns. Hoffman was eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft but came back to BYU with the hopes of improving his draft stock. Instead he has struggled to stay on the field and just isn’t producing like he did last year.
Cyrus Kouandjio Offensive Tackle, Alabama Crimson Tide
Before the college football season kicked off all draftniks would talk about is Alabama’s left tackle. While Kouandjio was considered to be the third best offensive line prospect behind Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan but he was a prospect on the rise and a name many believed could emerge as a top-10 selection.
Kouandjio got off to a rough start in the opener against Virginia Tech and his play also hurt Alabama’s offense. Kouandjio was called for multiple penalties including a false start and holding calls, and still got away with several other penalties. But there was hope this was just a bad game for Kouandjio and he would bounce back the rest of the season, but that still hasn’t happen through four games. Alabama has had a pretty soft schedule this year with games against Virginia Tech, Colorado State and Georgia State coming up this week.
Even after having an extra week to prepare for Texas A&M, Kouandjio struggled to protect A.J. McCarron. Even when he isn’t drawing a penalty for holding a pass rusher or putting his hands to their face, Kouandjio has struggled in pass protection. Kouandjio has looked slow against speed rushers and has no power when they go inside on him. We see the power he can bring in the running game but that same punch vanishes when protecting the quarterback. Kouandjio’s stock has fallen from a potential top-10 pick to a late first-round selection and if he doesn’t improve his stock could fall even further.
David Fales Quarterback, San Jose State Spartans
Prospects always face an uphill battle when coming out of small-school programs, and that battle is even tougher for quarterback prospects. Despite playing in the Mountain West Conference, Fales was overcoming the odds and drawing the interest of many scouts and draftniks.
Fales was praised for his accuracy last season, he completed nearly 73 percent of his 451 pass attempts and just over nine yards per completion. He was golden for the Spartans throwing for 4,193 yards and 33 touchdowns to just nine interceptions as he tore up his MAC opponents. But this season has been a far different story and we saw it once again against Utah State. In a quarterback battle against Chuckie Keeton, this was an opportunity for Fales to outduel another quarterback who is fighting to push his draft stock up. Fales looked awful against the Aggies defense, he caved when pressure came into the pocket and forced too many bad throws. He completed just 25 of his 48 pass attempts and many of his completions came on throws less than five yards. Fales has failed to prove he can make NFL throws deep down the field and along the sidelines and he hasn’t handled pressure well. There is no excuse for a lack of talent around him, Fales just seemed to lack NFL-caliber talent in this game.