2014 NFL DRAFT - RISERS and FALLERS,
NOTES and OBSERVATIONS AFTER WEEK 6
Week 6 was Tailgate Saturday but there was even more action on the field.
RISERS
1. Keith Price - QB 6-1 202 Sr. - Washington
Almost pulling off the upset of top five Stanford, Price put on quite a show with his passing and running. His ability to evade the rush, reset his feet and make good throws was impressive as well as his ability to scramble for positive yardage when chased out of the pocket. Under constant pressure the whole game from Stanford's vaunted defense, Price completed all types of throws and he has to be considered a Riser in a really deep QB class. His teammate, RB Bishop Sankey, 5-10, 200 junior, ran well against as strong a defense as you will find in college football, which is just as he has run all year and is easily in the top ten RBs in the land and even in the top five by some accounts.
2. Brett Hundley - QB 6-3 227 Redshirt So. - UCLA
In the Thursday night game against Utah, Hundley showed some real NFL skills by making some terrific throws to all areas of the field and showing some running skills as when he ran for a 36 yard TD. He has the arm and accuracy and makes some plays under pressure, but he still needs to improve his decision making, such as the desperation pass he threw while under pressure that went for a pick-six and a grounding penalty.
3. Chuckie Keeton - QB 6-2 200 Jr. - Utah State
While some would place him in the Fallers category as he went down with a knee injury which finishes him for the year, I am placing him in the Risers column as he was just so outstanding carrying the team on his back as a passer and runner before the injury in the Friday night game against BYU. He can give a defense fits with his pinpoint passing while displaying a strong arm, along with being able to evade the rush and his option running abilities. This limited performance, as well as the performance of Keith Price, mentioned above, had some Russell Wilson qualities. Chances are that he will return for his senior year, but if he does declare for the draft, he will get serious consideration.
A Potpourri of Notes, Observations and Random Thoughts of Risers and Fallers from Week 6 of College Football:
Departing from my usual format of just Risers and Fallers, I have drifted off into some random notes, observations and thoughts on players eligible for the NFL draft which will reference players rising or falling, along with some other observations and thoughts.
1. Every time that I clicked onto the Notre Dame - Arizona State game I noticed that DT/DE Will Sutton was being neutralized and realized that was mainly because of the play of LOT Zach Martin, who continues to impress this season, while Sutton has not been the same as 2012 with the addition of about 30 pounds. Projected by some to be a guard in the NFL because of concerns of arm length, which is considered necessary for LOT at the next level, Martin's size of 6-4 308 would be ideal for center and he could easily be the top rated center if he can show that he could play that position. And speaking of Notre Dame, DE Stephon Tuitt showed signs of being the elite talent that he could be when he generated a pass rush with a combination of power and speed while collapsing everything in his path on the way to the QB and also showed he can stuff running plays.
2. Sammy Watkins of Clemson has risen to the No. 1 ranking of the wide receivers because of his explosive burst after catching the ball, his running ability after the catch and his good hands as opposed to Marqise Lee of USC who is now down with an injury and who has suffered some drops this season while being caught up in the whole downfall of his USC team.
3. The UCLA - Utah game had some other real standouts such as for Utah: DE's Nate Orchard and Trevor Reilly, who both translate to OLB in the NFL; WR Tres Anderson who had his fourth game of over 100 yards in receptions; and Center Vyncent Jones, who was solid in blocking for the run and the pass. And for the Bruins ILBers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Zumwalt, OLB Anthony Barr, Guard Xavier Su'a-Filo, among others, all showed NFL ability. DE Cassius Marsh, while doing little at RDE became a terror when switched to LDE.
4. Indiana WRs Cody Latimore, 6-3 215 Jr. and Kofi Hughes, 6-2 215 Sr., have been outstanding for the Hoosiers for these last two years and this continued with their terrific play in the upset win against Penn State. These two make much more than routine catches and are exciting to watch.
5. And speaking of WRs, this week for LSU it was Odell Beckham being the star as he and Jarvis Landry take turns with star performances in receiving QB Zach Mettenberger's passes. And Stanford's Ty Montgomery, a junior at 6-2 215, has emerged as the go-to guy and difference maker for the Cardinal as a pass receiver, kick returner, sometimes runner out of the backfield who also blocks well as a WR.
6. DE Manny Newsome of Ball State gave highly rated LOT Morgan Moses of Virginia fits with his outside speed pass rush.
7. Little known sophomore redshirt offensive guards, Jamelle Naff, 6-4 311 of TCU and Dexter Charles, 6-4 292 of Washington, who are eligible but unlikely to declare for the NFL draft, have NFL potential.
8. Florida State is known as the Seminoles but should be known as the Ponies for the stables of wide receivers and running backs that they keep. Rashad Greene, Kelvin Benjamin, Greg Dent and Kenny Shaw are the main players in a deep WR group; while Devonta Freeman, James Wilder, and Mario Pender head the RB position that has now added Karlos Williams, formerly a backup safety. Williams uses his 6-1 230 pound frame in short yardage situations but has the speed to play as a regular.
9. Winners as Losers - Syracuse got beat handily by Clemson but RBs Jerome Smith and Prince Tyson-Gulley performed well for the Cuse as did Maryland WR Deon Long, who made some terrific catches in the blowout loss to Florida State. Little known Kevin Whimpey, 6-5 300 LOT redshirt Jr. at Utah State, looked like a player in the game against BYU; and Mississippi State's OG Gabe Jackson, C Dillon Day and WR/KR Jameon Lewis, all played well in their loss to LSU. CB Jason Verrett of TCU, in a loss to Oklahoma, showed that he is simply the best. If he were bigger, he would be a top five draft choice.
10. The SEC is proud of its M Quarterback contingent of Johnny Manziel, Zach Mettenberger, Aaron Murray, A.J. McCarron and Tyler Murphy in addition to Connor Shaw, James Franklin, Bo Wallace and Tyler Russell. But is it the best group of conference QBs in the land? The Pac-12 boasts Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley, Kevin Hogan, Sean Marrion, Keith Price, Taylor Kelly as well as Connor Halliday and Travis Wilson; with the ACC offering Tajh Boyd, redshirt freshman sensation Jameis Winston (and his backup Jacob Coker will be heard from someday), Stephen Morris, Bryn Renner, Logan Thomas, Pete Thomas, C.J. Brown and Tom Savage. The Mountain West has a strong group with Derek Carr, David Fales, Chuckie Keeton, Brett Smith, Cody Fajardo and Joe Southwick while the American Athletic Conference boasats Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, Brendon Kay, Garrett Gilbert and Gary Nova.
