5 For ’15: The 5 NFL Draft Prospects to watch this week.
While we’re still more than seven months away from the NFL Draft, it’s never too early to spotlight potential prospects that could go high in the 1st Round. The Five players I’ve chosen have something to prove this week as we get into the conference schedule.
Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor: The Redshirt Junior currently leads the Big 12 in sacks and is currently rated the number ten prospect according to CBSSports.com. In reviewing his highlights from a game a month ago against the hapless SMU Mustangs, he displays good leverage in one-on-one matchups, beating the left tackle off the line. On more than one occasion, he misses on play recognition and Baylor allows a 1st down. When SMU changed to a more athletic Quarterback, Oakman is called to play more a spy role, forcing the QB to run in the middle of the field and not out of the pocket. The most prominent issue I saw in Oakman’s game is his inability to shed blocks while being double-team against a far-inferior O-Line for SMU. He’s got to clean that up this Saturday when Baylor plays host to TCU and their high tempo offense. As far as his alleged off the field issues are concerned, Oakman is not the first DE to have a bad attitude, and he certainly won’t be the last.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: Some have argued Mariota is too nice a guy to play in the NFL, and I’m not going to be one to judge what goes on inside a player, but his post-game presser after the loss to Arizona should be proof Mariota does not like to lose. I see Mariota a bit like Russell Wilson; high level of mobility, but only runs when nothing is open downfield. Watching last week’s performance vs Arizona, I saw a bit of everything from the Heisman hopeful. He was very efficient of a slew of 3rd Down passes. On Oregon first Touchdown drive, Mariota scored on Half-back pass from Royce Freeman giving the Ducks the lead. On a critical 2nd Down in the 3rd Quarter with his team trailing, Mariota was able to find an open receiver in the face of the oncoming rush which later resulted in a Field Goal. Now for the bad news; on the 3rd Downs where he wasn’t efficient, he was not so good. On two key plays in the 2nd and 4th Quarter, Mariota was sacked and fumbled both times resulting in a turnover. In total, he was sacked five times during the game, and at least four of those occasions, Arizona brought a three or four man rush. While he did not throw any interceptions, his turnovers proved costly in the loss. For Mariota to succeed, he has got to maintain ball security while under pressure. This week’s matchup against Number 16 UCLA will be very telling in how Mariota deals with adversity in his final year at Oregon.
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama: There are not many negative things to say about Amari Cooper, a player that currently rewriting the records books at Alabama has caught at least 8 passes in the team’s first five games. His highlight reel from the matchup against Florida is almost out of a video game; catch ball in stride, big runs after catches, battling for extra, and making it look easy in the process. In one-on-one matchups, the corner or safety in some cases had no shot in coverage. It can be argued his performance was against a porous Florida secondary, and that has shown to be true. Still, Copper displays great ability in route running from go routes to shallow crosses, curls slants, he runs them efficiently. One thing that truly jumped out at me I mentioned earlier was his ability to fight for extra yards. On two of his catches, three Gators were required to bring him down. Cooper should have a field day taking on Arkansas this Saturday Night in Fayetteville.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: Aside from maybe Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon is the most dynamic running back in all of College Football right now. My review of his performance against Bowling Green from last month might not be indicative of the rest of the season, but it did how dominant a player he can be when he is in the zone. He gained 253 Yards on just 13 carries and 5 Touchdowns; that’s nearly 20 yards per carry and 30 points on the board. Gordon displays good ability running between the tackles. His speed is phenomenal at the point of attack to the second level. Each time Gordon was able to get to the second level, he broke away from the secondary with ease. While he may not to blast through tacklers like Gurley, Gordon’s quick agility makes him a chore to tackle for any defender. One thing that does bug me though about Gordon is measly 38 Yards he gained against Western Illinois in a blowout win. In game against an FCS opponent, one would expect a player like Gordon to at least gain over 100 Yards, but it was not the case that day. A pivotal matchup this Saturday vs Illinois will go a ways toward showing if Gordon is a true Heisman candidate.
Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State: The Junior QB with a Rose Bowl title under belt has not had a particularly good year so far through the first five games. Aside from cakewalk performances against Jacksonville State and Eastern Michigan, Cook has struggled against big-time opponents Oregon and Nebraska combining for three touchdowns and three interceptions. In those two games, he’s completing only 53 Percent of his passes. Looking at some of the video from the Nebraska game, Connor turned the ball over within the first minute of the game, largely because Cook decision to throw it into traffic. Through the game, Cook was making the wrong read especially under duress. On two key third downs driving down the field, Cook could not make the completion and extend the drive. Many of his throws were either off-target or into stiff coverage. If Cook wants to play at next level, he has got to work going through his progressions and find the open receiver, plus being able to not panic when he’s being rushed. Finally, Cook has to find consistency if he wants to accomplish any of the Spartans goals this year.
Next week, I’ll look at the 2nd tier Prospects with something prove.