This section breaks down many college football games each week and highlights how 2016 NFL Draft Prospects have performed. Or look at the 2016 NFL Draft Stock page (link coming soon).
By Charlie Campbell.
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Stanford 41, USC 22
On the first drive, Cravens made a few tackles, including a tackle for a loss on Kevin Hogan. After making some plays early, Cravens was pretty quiet against Stanford. However, USC was using him on the edge and a lot in pass coverage. He was playing some man coverage against tight end Austin Hooper, and the Cardinal ran away from him a fair amount.
There were a number of plays where Cravens was swallowed up by Stanford offensive linemen and he couldn’t get off blocks on the edge. In the NFL, getting off blocks could be a real issue for Cravens, as he is undersized and could lack the strength to shed blocks.
Cravens is an instinctive linebacker who projects well for the passing-driven NFL. However, in the early going of his pro career, he will need to be protected in the ground game with a scheme that lets him run free with defensive linemen occupying blockers. He could start out as a situational nickel linebacker if the scheme doesn’t help him.
Hogan showed his athleticism on a trick play when he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass. He ran in another score later. In the fourth quarter, Hogan had a really nice play to scramble in the pocket before hitting McCaffrey for a checkdown in space that turned into a 28-yard touchdown. Hogan was 9-of-12 for 144 yards with a touchdown against the Trojans. He looks like a day-three prospect.
As for Kessler, who is also a day-three talent, he was 22-of-37 for 187 yards with a score. He lacks the physical skill set of a NFL starter. His size and arm hold him back, but he could be backup signal-caller who is a game manager.
Michigan State 16, Iowa 13
To start the game, Cook had a few well-placed passes to move the chains inside the 20, and one attempt saw his receiver get a step on King coming over in zone coverage. Cook missed an open receiver in the end zone while throwing on the run, and the Spartans settled for a field goal. Shortly later, Cook tried to get rid of the ball rather than taking a sack, and a defensive lineman made a great play to tip the pass to himself for an interception. While he was a little careless, the majority of the credit goes more to the lineman for making a superb play.
In the second quarter, Cook had a nice throw to a check down to covert a third-and-3. However, to finish the drive, he took a coverage sack on third-and-10 at a bad time, as it pushed a field goal attempt over 50 yards, which was missed. He had a similar play in the third quarter where he missed an opportunity to throw away a pass to avoid a negative play, but ended up taking a sack.
In crunch time, Cook made a great throw into a tight window between two defenders to Burbridge to convert a critical third down. He also converted a fourth down with an option run inside the 5-yard line. A few plays, later Michigan State scored the decisive touchdown. That kept the game-winning drive alive for Michigan State. Cook ended up completing 16-of-32 for 191 yards with an interception and no touchdowns.
To close out the season, Cook has been playing with a shoulder injury, and perhaps that was hampering him, but he never got in a real rhythm against Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ tough defense seemed to rattle Cook, and he wasn’t trusting his eyes. There were a number of plays where he was locking onto his primary read and not scanning across the field. His timing and accuracy were off as well on a number of throws. Some passes sailed while others bounced short. In this performance, Cook didn’t look like a first-round franchise quarterback type, but his overall body of work will be the determining factor in that.
Calhoun later burned the left tackle with a speed rush around the corner to cream Beathard for a blindside strip-sack that was recovered by Iowa. Early in the third quarter, Calhoun once again used his speed and dipped underneath the left tackle to sack Beathard. He also made an impressive play to snuff out a screen. After his second sack, Calhoun was seeing some double-team attention from Iowa.
This was a good tape from Calhoun that will help him to be a Thursday night selection.
Alabama 29, Florida 15
This wasn’t a great game from Henry, but credit deservingly goes to a fantastic Florida defense. He totaled 189 yards on 44 carries with a score and a fumble. Henry has had a tremendous season, but these games of huge totals of attempts week after week are worrisome for NFL teams. He has sustained a lot of wear-and-tear entering his rookie season with one or two more games to go. Nick Saban has developed a reputation for running his players into the ground and sending them injured into the draft process. That could be the case with Henry and end up hurting his draft grade.
Just before half, Ridley beat Hargreaves running a deep post. The pass was thrown late, and that let Hargreaves come back in, but Ridley beat Hargreaves and safety Marcus Maye to make a leaping catch inside the 5-yard line.
In the third quarter, Hargreaves was out-jumped for another deep ball that went for 32-yard touchdown. ArDarius Stewart ran by Maye on a corner post and Hargreaves tried to run over to help his safety, but Stewart high-pointed the ball over Hargreaves to get between the defenders for the score.
Hargreaves made a good open field tackle on Ridley for a loss at the start of the fourth quarter near the goal line. On third-and-goal, Hargreaves was targeted, and this time beat Stewart to slap away a fade pass incomplete.
Overall, this tape won’t help Hargreaves in his draft grade. Sources have felt that Hargreaves can get bumped around and out physicaled. That was given further evidence. Hargreaves is still a first-rounder, but this wasn’t the performance of a top-five talent.
Bullard has had a tremendous senior season to help his draft grade. He has been a dynamite run defender with a strong pass rush. Bullard’s body type is a tweener defensive end and tackle for a 4-3 defense. That makes him more of a second-day pick rather than a first-rounder.
There were some highlight plays from the trio. On the second play from scrimmage, Ragland had a nice diving pass breakup. Ragland came close to a sack on a nice pass rush off the edge, but missed a tackle on tight end Jake McGee in the open field. In the first half, Reed stuffed a number of runs for no gain and got some pass pressure. Robinson and Allen then combined to sack Harris. Overall, they all had good tapes for their draft grades.
Texas 23, Baylor 17
Billings was a real force against the Longhorns. Late in the first quarter, Texas tried to move the pocket on a third down, but Billings showed his strength to shed a block from the center with the speed and agility to chase down the quarterback. Shortly later, Billings collapsed the pocket again and came close to another sack. Billings then stuffed a third-and-4 carry for no gain after getting off a block. He repeated that early in the third quarter on another third down and stuffed another run at the point of attack.
This was a tape that illustrated that Billings is a force at the point of attack. He stuffs runs, gets off blocks, and has the speed and agility to contribute in the pass rush. Billings looks like a future first-round pick as a nose tackle for a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. This tape will help him to achieve that draft grade.
Aside from that play, Oakman was struggling to get off single blocks and was a non-factor against Texas. This tape illustrates that Oakman is not a first-round-caliber player despite his imposing size. Sources also have a lot of off-the-field concerns with Oakman. He looks like a second-day or mid-round pick.
The Bears’ quarterback went out with an injury, and given that he was their third-stringer, Baylor had to play a backup wide receiver at quarterback with starter Seth Russell and reserve Jared Stidham already out with injuries. As a result, they struggled to pass the ball and had more success on the ground, Coleman had three receptions for 34 yards in what is probably his penultimate game for the Bears. Coleman looks like a second-day talent if he enters the draft.
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