Who Caught My Eye Week 7

October 21, 2015

I spent most of last Saturday driving to Wisconsin so this weeks edition is based in great part on notes from the previous couple of week’s action. I have indicated games from which my observations were made.

JOEY BOSA/DE/OHIO STATE 6’6/275 #97
BOA broke into the Big 10 as a stellar freshman performer in 2013. He’s now a junior and considered a lock to go pro next April. But he was suspended for the opener and took 3 games to record his first solo sack. But against Penn State the sleeping giant seemed to awaken and helped Ohio State completely dominate the line-of-scrimmage, as well as putting big time pressure on QB/CHRIS HACKENBERG all night. For the game BOSA was credited with 7 tackles, which included 3 TFL and 1 Sack. On passing downs the Buckeyes often slide him in to DT to take advantage of his pass-rush ability. BOSA’s length and athleticism remind me of MARIO WILLIAMS, now of the BILLS. My only concern is his lack of bulk. He actually looks skinny and that could limit his effectiveness as a pro. I see no functional reason for BOSA to return to Ohio State for his senior season in 2015. Expect him to blow up the Combine and be a Top 10 draftee in 2016.

TYLER BOYD/WR/PITT 6’2/190 #23
BOYD is the main offensive weapon on a surprisingly resilient 5-1 PITT team. With the loss of bell cow RB/JAMES CONNOR, BOYD is even touching the ball on reverses and end-arounds. In the solid road win vs. GA TECH last weekend, BOYD had 8 catches for 68 yards and 2 TD. For the year he now has 41 catches for 396 yards and 4 TD. Though only a junior I’m not sure why he wouldn’t declare for the 2016 Draft. He’s a super athlete with good hands and greater length and wingspan than his 6’2 height would indicate. he does indeed remind me a bit of former Panther great LARRY FITZGERALD. FITZ was often referred to as a 6’5 receiver while in college, but has been listed at 6’3 as a pro. BOYD should have a serious shot at being a First Rounder next April.

TRAVIS BRITZ/DT/KANSAS STATE 6’4/295 #95
Watching BRITT two weeks ago against TCU I was impressed with his solid play on the inside of the K-State DL. He’s a fit, wiry, strong player who can move well along the line of scrimmage. He can get some push when he hits gaps at the right angle. He is also adept at using his long arms to deflect passes and block kicks. He is a good, productive college football player with some NFL size. By the time a slew of underclassmen enter the NFL Draft I would not be shocked if this guy slips through the cracks and goes undrafted next April. But his agent’s cell phone should be buzzing come Sunday night after the Draft concludes and teams start calling trying to sign URFA types.

AARON BURBRIDGE/WR/MICHIGAN STATE 6’1/208 #16
The Spartans lost TONY LIPPETT and KEITH MUMPHERY to the NFL which left AARON as the top returning receiver with 29 catches in 2014. He has emerged and left his 2014 numbers in the rear view mirror. He’s a nice sized receiver with good speed and natural hands. He also battles well for contested balls. He was a big part of the last second win over Michigan. BURBRIDGE pulled in 9 catches, for 132 yards in this contest. He’s well on his way to an eye catching senior campaign. Even though the Spartans are far from a wide open passing offense their players have been popular with pro football teams under the Dantonio regime. BURBRIDGE should be no exception. He’s one of my Top 10 senior wideouts.

JAKE GANUS/ILB/GEORGIA 6’2/227 #51
One of many UAB transfers when football program was shut down, before it was restarted again. GANUS won a starting job with the Bulldogs and has been highly productive. He has shown excellent pursuit speed and very good diagnostic skills playing inside. He posted his usual stats in the defensive struggle win over Mizzou last weekend with 9 total tackles,1.5 TFL and 1 sack. THat’s what JAKE does just about every week. Slightly undersized, but should still be considered for work as a pro. He should excel on Special Teams at the next level. Very solid candidate for Shrine Game and the Combine. He’s working his way toward being drafted next April.

WILLIAM JACKSON/CB/HOUSTON 6’1/185 #3
With his team being amongst the unbeatens now JACKSON and some of his teammates are beginning to gain some attention for their play. There is a lot to like about this athletic, full sized CB. I will be interesting to see what he posts for Combine numbers. He possesses both speed and quickness, able to rotate those hips in transition. Showed a willingness to come up in run support against Tulane. Teams throw away from JACKSON most of the team, which has clearly had an effect on his stats. He has only 1 INT through 6 games and 12 PBU. He recorded 4 of those PBU against Tulane. He has only 3 INT for his career, but I sense that he has the tools to develop as an interceptor as a pro. He should get All-Star exposure, and may post some very impressive Combine numbers. He should make a push into Top 100 prospect status.

MIKE ROSE/DE/NC STATE 6’3/275 #90
I watched ROSE for 2 straight weeks for NC State, unfortunately in their first two Losses of the year. ROSE is an active player who gets some edge push into the backfield. He is also a constant motion player who makes more than his share of tackles downfield. But with his relatively slight frame and average quickness and speed he’s unlikely to have great success as a 4-3 DE at the pro level. I am also skeptical of his ability to stand up and show LB speed and mobility. Through 6 games this season ROSE has recorded 22 tackles, 5.5TFL & 3.5 Sacks. I believe he’s a very good college player, whose productivity will be limited at the next level because of size and speed limitations. ROSE needs to shine in the post-season and perhaps gain a few pounds at a performance camp.

RONNIE STANLEY/OT/NOTRE DAME 6’5/315 #78
One of the biggest coups this off-season was getting STANLEY to return to South Bend for another season. Now he’s one of the top NFL Draft Prospects at his position. But I must confess that I have been disappointed in his overall play so far. He’s big and athletic. He is also long with reasonably nimble feet. Her knows how to use his hands well to direct defenders where he wants them to go. He’s not a mauler, but can be physical when needed. Because of the ND balanced Offense he is adept at both run and pass blocking. But he has way too many mental lapses, especially pre-snap. I have seen him commit multiple false start penalties in several games this season. If he doesn’t have a hearing issue then he certainly is exhibiting a concentration challenge. A sure fire 1st Rounder cannot be a penalty machine. It raises a red flag to me for a guy who should be All-World.

DAN VITALE/H-B/NORTHWESTERN 6’2/235 #40
It may be a bit of a challenge to assess the true value of VITALE as a pro prospect because a lot of his value comes in relatively intangible ways. He is a good hands receiver, but isn’t fast enough to be a WR prospect, nor is he big enough to lineup as an inline TE. But he blocks very well for his size and gets yards with the ball in his hands. IN the IOWA loss he caught 2 passes for 14 yards. But he also made multiple punishing blocks to keep passing plays alive. He caught 18 balls for 221 yards and 2 TD in 2014. If the Wildcats Offense rebounds in the coming weeks he has a chance to exceed that number this season. He will present NFL teams with a chance to add a Swiss Army Knife kind of player to their roster next April. He may get drafted late or be a priority Rookie Free Agent. For football purists he’s a pleasure to watch in action.