2015 NFL Draft: College Football Game Recaps – Week 10

This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2015 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2015 NFL Draft Stock page (link coming soon).

By Charlie Campbell.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
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Florida 38, Georgia 20

Even though Georgia was without star running back Todd Gurley, Florida outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. was going to see a good test in his run defense with the Bulldogs� physical ground game. Freshman backup Nick Chubb is a huge power back as well, so this was opportunity for Fowler to show that he has the strength to hold up when runs come straight at him. However, with the Gators opening up a lead in the first half, Fowler got more pass-rushing opportunities.

Fowler was active in the first quarter with a pressure to force an incompletion on a third down and had a tackle for a loss after shedding a block in ground game. Fowler showed his pass rush later with a speed rush around the right side for a sack. Shortly afterward, he joined Jonathan Bulllard for a tackle for a loss coming unblocked around the left side to chase down Chubb. He came close to another sack with a spin move, but quarterback Huston Mason was able to step in the pocket and get to the line of scrimmage before Fowler hunted him down.

Overall, this was a good tape from Fowler that shows why he is a first-round prospect with speed, strength and athleticism. He looks like a potential play-making pass rusher in the NFL.

One blocker whom Fowler went against was John Theus. The Georgia left tackle had a mixed year while doing a good job as a run blocker and struggling with speed rushers. In the second quarter, Theus was beaten for a coverage sack by Bryan Cox Jr. As the speedy Cox bounced off Theus, the left guard and got to the quarterback. Theus had some quality reps in pass blocking, but also got away with some holds on Fowler and others. Theus looks like he should move to right tackle in the NFL, as he doesn�t have the quickness or feet to play on the left side.

The co-MVPs of the game in Florida�s shocking upset was junior running back Matt Jones and sophomore running back Kelvin Taylor. Jones came up with some huge runs that made the difference. Jones set up scores in the first half and exploded for a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was a great run that showed some speed to get downfield.

Jones powered through tacklers and picked up yards after contact all afternoon. He broke some big tackles to get first downs and maintain time of possession for Florida. Jones was a tough, physical, downhill runner who showed good balance and vision. The junior totaled 192 yards on 25 carries with two scores. Jones has talent, but has had issues staying healthy in college. This tape will help him to command attention from NFL draft evaluators.

Wisconsin 37, Rutgers 0

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has been enjoying an excellent season, and that continued against Rutgers. Late in the first quarter on a third-and-3 on the Rutgers’ 14, Gordon displayed excellent vision to make a cut back around a tackler and blocker to dart into the end zone for his 17th rushing touchdown of the season. Gordon then showed his strength as he ran through four tackles before he took a hard hit after a gain of 15 yards.

Gordon took a run up the middle after halftime, saw no hole open, and bounced the run to the right side. He completely ran away from the defense for a 51-yard touchdown. His speed was on display, as defenders had angles, but Gordon took them away with his burst.

Gordon finished with 128 yards on 19 carries with the two scores. He didn’t catch any passes, but almost made an impressive reception on a wheel route in the fourth quarter. A teammate landed on his legs as Gordon fell to the ground and the ball squirted out.

Gordon looked great as a runner. He had superb speed, strength, vision and balance. In pass protection, Gordon had a nice block on a defensive end, but Gordon needed to switch to the other side to pick up blitzers. Throughout the day, Gordon was helping his left tackle with chips on the end. He showed willingness as a blocker, but he needs to improve his technique and diagnosis skills. He also got open as a check down routinely, but passes weren’t thrown his direction.

While Gordon has room for improvement in pass blocking, this tape shows he has potential. It should only serve to confirm a first-round grade for Gordon.

Florida State 42, Louisville 31

My No. 1 rated prospect for the 2015 NFL Draft is Florida State redshirt sophomore Jameis Winston, and he was seeing a tough road test at Louisville. The Cardinals have a tough front seven, while the Seminoles have a leaky offensive line. Winston battled to lead Florida State to a win, but he didn’t have a great game and illustrated that even he can get rattled by a pass rush. Louisville’s pass rush forced Winston to making numerous mistakes, and he should have ended up throwing five or six interceptions.

Early in the game throwing from his own end zone, Winston stood tough in the pocket and showed great anticipation to throw to Rashad Greene before he made his break. Winston took a hard hit right after letting go of the ball and Greene had the ball hit him right after he turned around. It was a great read and throw that illustrated why Winston is a top pocket-passing prospect.

Winston was fortunate he didn’t throw a pick six on the next possession as he had a throw undercut. He also missed a deep ball for a touchdown down the deep middle as the ball was overthrown. It got worse for Winston later in the second quarter as a blitz up the middle forced a floater to a well covered Nick O’Leary for an interception. His next throw was forced on a corner post into triple coverage and the ball sailed into the safety for his second pick.

On the next drive, Winston rifled a few passes downfield before O’Leary was Johnny-on-the-spot when he recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Winston was fortunate he didn’t throw another interception as a pass bounced off the hands of a defender.

On his first pass of the third quarter, Winston had an overthrow in the middle of the field that was intercepted. He got lucky as the defender fumbled the ball back to Florida State on the return. Winston never saw the safety dropping into the throwing lane. He came back to throw a 68-yard touchdown with a perfect deep ball to a wide -pen receiver in Travis Rudolph, who ran through busted coverage. Winston made a brilliant throw while scrambling for a touchdown to O’Leary, but a holding call canceled the score out.

After having a deflected pass dropped for by a defender, Winston threw the ball into a tight window for a 47-yard touchdown to freshman Ermon Lane. Winston added another touchdown pass on a check-down pass. He finished completing 25-of-48 for 401 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. It was a career high for interceptions.

Overall, it wasn’t a good game as Winston had a number of inaccurate throws to go with the interceptions. He really should have thrown more than the three interceptions. That being said, Winston did make plays to lead his team to a win, but this won’t game won’t help his draft grade.

O’Leary had six receptions for 76 yards, but he had some clutch catches and picked up a lot of yards after contact. He also had a touchdown catch called back and recovered a fumble in the end zone. This was a nice tape for him to confirm a second-day grade.

Greene had six receptions for 62 yards, but had a few long passes batted away as the senior failed to win those 50-50 passes. It shows that his lack of size will hurt him when he has to make a contested reception. Some team might fall in love enough to take Greene in the second round, but he probably should go later.

The prospect who may have helped himself the most against Florida State was Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker. The senior missed the first seven games with a broken foot, but he’s been very productive in his two games since returning to the lineup.

On the first play from scrimmage, Parker streaked through busted coverage to get wide open. He was hit in stride and ran to the five-yard line before being tackled by junior safety Tyler Hunter. Parker didn’t quite have the breakaway speed to run away from the defense, and that proved costly as the Seminoles stopped the Cardinals on four downs to force a missed opportunity.

In the second quarter, Parker ran a great corner route to get open against P.J. Williams for a gain of about 20 yards. Parker had four receptions for 112 yards by halftime.

In the third quarter, Parker beat Williams’ jam and made a catch in tight coverage for a gain of 31 yards. Parker shoved away Darby for a 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter. That set up the Cardinals to retake the lead, but they couldn’t hold on to it.

Against Florida State, Parker finished with eight receptions for 214 yards. He showed the quickness to get open with the size and strength to make contested catches. Parker (6-3, 208) doesn’t have elite speed, but this tape showed that he is merits an early-round talent with the ability to make plays. This tape will help his draft grade.

Another player who helped himself was Williams. The junior cornerback was a big physical defender on the edge. Williams had a forced fumble not called his way, but it was a nice play that illustrated his strength. In the fourth quarter, Williams blanketed Parker to slap away a pass on a slant. Williams showed good skills to prevent receivers from getting separation. This was an impressive performance from him.

Another player who gave scouts an impressive performance was Louisville running back Michael Dyer. The former Auburn Tiger ran over the Florida State defense all night. In the second quarter, Dyer put together a great drive to move the ball down the field on some chunk runs, and he finished it with a short touchdown run in the second quarter. After a Winston interception, Dyer darted into the end zone a second time.

Dyer was stripped of the ball by Williams in the third quarter, but was ruled to have been on the ground. It easily could have been called the other way. Dyer had a few nice runs in the fourth quarter, including a short touchdown. He finished with 134 yards on 28 carries with three scores. Dyer has early-round talent, but his off-the-field history could cause him to fall late or go undrafted. However, this tape will help Dyer to get a chance in some team’s training camp.

Florida State junior defensive tackle Eddie Goldman continued his strong season. Louisville allowed Goldman to fire upfield and sent Dyer through the gap for a long run, but other than that play, Goldman was generally sound in gap integrity in run defense. In the third quarter, he shed a block and stuffed a run for no gain. Late in the fourth quarter, Goldman had a sack of the quarterback. Goldman could be an early-round pick if he enters the 2015 NFL Draft.

Louisville senior outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was held in check for three quarters. He helped the Cardinals to get pressure on Winston, but didn’t make the big plays himself. That changed in the fourth quarter when Mauldin came on a stunt down the middle to sack Winston and knock Florida State out of field goal range. Otherwise, Mauldin was unusually quiet against the Seminoles.

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