Who Caught My Eye Week 4

September 30, 2015

BRANDON ALLEN/QB/ARKANSAS 6’3/210 #10
As we all know BRET BIELEMA wants to pound opponents into submission with the biggest OL in captivity and a parade of stout RB. But as most of us realize in this day and age passing the ball is a must at the collegiate level of play. Lost in all the ground and pound that goes on here is the fact that Arkansas has a very solid QB who has legit pro potential. BRANDON ALLEN is legit and should earn himself a draftable grade this season. In the tough loss to A&M, ALLEN helped provide some balance to the run game (see below). ALLEN was 20/25, 80%, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. He’s a solid athlete who can run to get out of trouble with average arm strength. He throws some INT at bad times, but is not careless with the ball overall. I think some work with an NFL QB Coach could tighten up some mechanics and improve his reading of the field. He’s not special, but could turn in ANDY DALTON type performances in the NFL with time.

JONATHAN BULLARD/DL/FLORIDA 6’3/283 #90
BULLARD is a slashing player whose claim to fame is penetration into opponents backfields. He’s a bit light in the pants, but if surrounded by some beefy teammates his lack of girth could be tolerated. He did gain about 7 lbs. last off-season. He spent some serious time in the Tennessee backfield last weekend and is always a threat to shoot a gap and create a TFL. In 2014 he was credited with 12 QB Hurries, which led the GATORS D. I see him in an NFL DL rotation, playing inside in a 4-3 scheme. He looks late draftable to me right now.

MAURICE CANADY/CB/VIRGINIA 6’2/185 #26
CANADY is a nice looking athlete out on the playing field. He’s a smooth runner with good speed. I do not see him being terribly aggressive in run support, however. He did lead UVA in both PBU (12) and INT (3) in 2014, so he clearly has some cover skills. He has the height a lot of pro teams look for, but is thin compared to the rough/tough RICHARD SHERMAN type of Corners. He provided some nice coverage in the loss to BOISE, but is not a game changer in any sense of the word. He might show well at the Combine with some solid numbers in his underwear, but I don’t see him being more than a sub-package CB as a pro. The catch with him is that he may lack the aggressiveness to hold down a Special Teams job, which would be critical. He has to show more the rest of the year to cement himself a draftable grade.

LeRAVEN CLARK/OT/TEXAS TECH 6’6/315 #62
The bell cow LT for the Red Raiders surprised more than a few personnel people when he stayed in school for his senior season in Lubbock. He’s a fit looking big man, who might get stronger in an NFL weight room. He’s more of a dancing elephant than a road grader right now. He’s not a ballet dancer, but he moves his feet well enough to set up in pass pro and get downfield to second level blocks, even if it’s not pretty at times. His arms are very long but he needs more shock in his initial hand punch. Keeps his balance well when catching the blows from defenders. He does not look elite to me, but is certainly a Top 100 Prospect.

ALEX COLLINS/RB/ARKANSAS JR 5’11/224 #3
With the pre-season injury to JONATHAN WILLIAMS, COLLINS is getting the majority of the carries for the Razorbacks this season. Because of that I would suspect he may now be looking at being in the 2016 Draft. He’s a powerful guy who runs very low to the ground. On multiple occasions I saw him disappear into a pile of blockers and defenders and come out another five yards downfield from the initial collision. He seldom goes down on first contact. We won’t really know if he can catch out of the backfield until workouts after the season. He’s a tough kid, who sees the holes and creases well. Against a very tough A&M Defense he carried 26 times for 151 yards (that’s 5.8 ypc) and a TD. He’s well on his way to another 1000-yard season. He’s going to be in my first TOP 100 list at the end of October if he keeps this up.

K.J. DILLON/SS/WEST VIRGINIA 6’1/205 #9
DILLON plays the SPUR position in the Mountaineers Defense, but it will translate to a S slot in the pros. He’s as productive as KARL JOSEPH, who is the big name in the WVU secondary. He is so athletic, that the team is now using him for Return Work. I suspect that when the COMBINE rolls around he’s going to produce some speed numbers that look like he belongs in the CB group. Against Maryland last weekend he came up with a nice 2nd Quarter INT to halt a drive. Even tough he flies around the field, as defined by his position, he is aware of his assignments and keeps his head on a swivel. He recorded 62 tackles and 3 INT during the 2014 season. He could really impress with some All-Star action like the Senior Bowl in January.

JOSH DOCTSON/WR/TCU 6’4/195 #9
I intended to profile DOCTSON sometime soon and when I saw his production against TEXAS TECH I decided that he had earned a spot right now. He’s a lanky guy with long arms and sure hands. His catch radius is mind boggling. If you watch carefully, he plucks the ball out of the air with his hands, not needing his body to cradle throws. That allowed him to catch a couple of seriously contended throws against Tech. He’ll likely need to add another 10 lbs. to survive the punishment of the NFL, but a training regimen and diet should get that done. Let’s get those game numbers out there: 18 catches, 267 yards & 3 TD. And, perhaps his best play of the day wasn’t even a catch. On the final drive for TCU he went high in the end zone to get a ball thrown way over his head by BOYKIN, tipping it back into play for a teammate to catch for the game winning TD. After spotlighting his play in this shootout I believe he’s comparable to A.J. GREEN coming out of Georgia. If he shows well at the Combine he’s a serious Round 1 prospect next April.

KEVIN HOGAN/QB/STANFORD 6’4/225 #8
I wasn’t planning on featuring HOGAN this week, but after a sad effort in Week 1 and than a super day against USC in Week 2, I thought the Win over Oregon State truly showed what HOGAN is about as a prospect. HOGAN posted his 27th collegiate W in this game. He was also playing on a tender ankle throughout, which limited his mobility. He was the consummate game manager, which is how I see him as an NFL prospect. He was 9/14, 64%, 163 yds, 2 TD & 1 INT. When not hobbling he can escape the pocket for some yardage as needed. In 2014 he rushed for 400+ yards, before subtracting Sack yardage. It seems to me he has really improved in his decision making the past year plus, as evidenced by his TD/INT ratio which was 19/8. Not great, but acceptable. He’s become a good field general and has respect in that huddle. Not Top 100, but draftable. I don not see him as the dead weight of this team, as some do.

WILL MONDAY/P/DUKE 6’4/210 #41
MONDAY looks to be redeeming himself after a fairly mediocre Junior season in 2014. He’s a good sized guy, who actually looks like an athlete in pads and can run around on a bad snap to avoid the block. He is also the holder on placements. His hang time is good and his distance can be very good. He has a strong leg and when his drop is in rhythm he can boom it. Looks to have improved in his placement of his punts. He is able to kick away from the middle of the field, thus limiting options for return men. In the bounce back win over Ga Tech MONDAY kept Tech backed up with 7 punts for an average of 45.3 yards. He may not get drafted, few Punters do, but his agent’s phone is likely to be ringing when the 2016 NFL Draft concludes.

MATT SKURA/OC/DUKE 6’4/305 #62
It looks as though the OC group for the 2016 NFL Draft is going to be deep and solid, though not elite. SKURA has been starting since his soph season and HC DAVID CUTCLIFFE says he wouldn’t trade him for anyone in college football. He has nice size and is solidly built. He can run a bit and looks to have a strong hand punch. We won’t call it holding, but he can latch onto defenders and they don’t get away from his grip. Chances are that after playing in the CUTCLIFFE/DUKE offensive scheme he’s mentally ready for OL calls at the pro level. Like most OC he’s not likely to blow up the Combine in February, but he may really be able to help himself with a strong week at All-Star venue. Right now he’s in my Top 250 players.