#11 LSU (9-3) vs #8 CENTRAL FLORIDA (12-0); Fiesta Bowl; Phoenix; 1 PM ET; ESPN … Playing an SEC powerhouse in a major bowl was supposed to be a coming out party of sorts for UCF which has gone 26-0 over the past two seasons but still hasn’t gotten a sniff of the CFP playoffs for the national title. However, a bit of an edge came off the game when star UCF QB Mckenzie Milton was lost for the year after he suffered a gruesome leg injury in late November. Milton will undergo a 5th surgery later this month, but still hopes to play next year. With Milton sidelined, redshirt freshman Darriel Mack (#8, 6-2, 230) takes over at QB for the Knights and while he’s a better pure passer than Milton, he isn’t the same kind of athletic runner. In fact, a lot of people were kind of expecting Milton to enter this year’s draft despite the fact he is way undersized at barely 5-11, 185, but he would if nothing else been an interesting prospect for pro scouts to ponder. Certainly, Milton would have been the only serious UCF prospect for this year’s draft had he been able to enter, although several seniors including RT Wyatt Miller (#78, 6-4, 310), DE Titus Davis (#10, 6-3, 250) and LB Pat Jasinski (#56, 6-0, 230) could get some free agent interest. Indeed, any real impact at the draft for UCF likely won’t come for a year or two as their best players other than Milton such as redshirt sophomore FS Richie Grant (#27, 6-0, 195), who led the team with 102 tackles and 6 picks this fall, sophomore WR Gabriel Davis (#80, 6-2, 215) and redshirt freshman C Cole Schneider (#66, 6-3, 315) still have college eligibility they are expected to use.
Different story for LSU, which never really was part of the college playoff story this fall, but which will have a major impact on the 2019 draft with at least a couple of legit prospects in redshirt sophomore CB Greedy Williams (#29, 6-2, 185) and junior ILB Devin White (#40, 6-0, 240). Williams, in fact, is being talked about as a possible top 5 pick this year, while White, arguably the best pure LB in this year’s draft class, isn’t going to last much past the 15-20 range if he lasts that long. Meanwhile, the Tigers also feature a number of other players with mid-to-late round potential including seniors such as RB Nick Brossette (#4, 6-0, 225), TE Foster Moreau (#84, 6-5, 260), FS John Battle (#26, 6-1, 210), OG Garrett Brumfield (#78, 6-2, 300) and PK Cole Tracy (#36, 5-11, 190), along with junior DT Ed Alexander (#99, 6-2, 335) and Rashard Lawrence (#90, 6-2, 320).
#14 KENTUCKY (9-3) vs #12 PENN STATE (9-3); Citrus Bowl; Orlando; 1 PM ET; ABC … The Citrus Bowl match-up between Penn State and Kentucky may finally answer the age-old question: who wins between a great football program and a great basketball program! Interesting that while Penn State is the traditional football program that has long been closer to a draft factory than Kentucky, its the Wildcats that appears to have the better prospects for the 2019 draft. Indeed, Kentucky could ultimately have a player taken in the top ten pick as DE/OLB Josh Allen (#41, 6-4, 260) is arguably the most disruptive edge rusher in college football with the ability to get to the QB with either speed or power. Meanwhile, RB Benny Snell (#26, 5-10, 225), a second day prospect who bulled his way for over 1,300 yards and 14 TDs this fall, could be one of the more underrated top prospects in this year’s draft. And the Wildcats could have a second second day pick in veteran OG Bunchy Stallings (#65, 6-3, 305) yet another underrated UK candidate. At the same time, Kentucky has several decent mid-to-late possibilities including safeties Mike Edwards (#7, 6-0, 200) and Darius West (#27, 5-11, 210), CB Derrick Baity (#8, 6-2, 190), ILB Jordan Jones (#34, 6-2, 220) and TE TJ Conrad (#87, 6-4, 255).
This doesn’t look like it is going to be a particularly good draft year for Penn State, but the Lions do have at least one late first round prospect in CB Amani Oruwariye (#21, 6-0, 205), while junior C/G Connor Mcgovern (#66, 6-4, 325) should get plenty of second-day interest if he opts to enter this year’s draft. QB Trace McSorley (#9, 6-0, 205) is also something of a sneaky prospect in that he was always been a very good college QB who does an excellent job distributing the ball, but lacks the kind of measurables and arm strength that NFL teams look. Meanwhile, other PSU players of interest include DT Robert Windsor (#54, 6-3, 295), who had 7.5 sacks this fall, DE Shareef Miller (#48, 6-4, 260), SS Nick Scott (#4, 5-10, 200), OLB Koa farmer (#7, 6-0, 230), and junior RB Miles Sanders (#24, 5-10, 215).
#5 GEORGIA (11-2) vs #15 TEXAS (9-4); Sugar Bowl; New Orleans; 8:45 PM ET; ESPN … The bowl season, of course with the exception of next week’s championship game, comes to a close with a pretty good match-up between resurgent Texas and Georgia, which with all due respects to Notre Dame and Oklahoma, probably was deserving of a spot in the CFP playoffs. And the best reason to watch this game could be the one-on-one match-ups between UGA junior Deandre Baker (#15, 5-10, 185), one of the top 3-4 prospects at the position for the upcoming game, when he goes up against talented Texas junior WRs Collin Johnson (#9, 6-5, 215) and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey (#84, 6-3, 220). Same story going the other way when UT CB Kris Boyd (#2, 6-0, 195), a decent second-day cover candidate, covers any of the Dawgs’ good receivers in veteran big-play guy Terry Godwin (#5, 5-10, 185) and juniors Riley Ridley (#8, 6-1, 200) and Mecole Hardman (#4, 5-10, 185).
Meanwhile, other Georgia players to watch for the 2019 draft include junior FS JR Reed (#20, 6-1, 195), along with DE Jonathan Ledbetter (#13, 6-3, 280), OLB D’Andre Walker (#15, 6-3, 245) and C Lamont Gaillard (#53, 6-2, 310) each of whom figures to get at least some early third day interest. At the same time, other Longhorns to watch include DE Charles Omenihu (#90, 6-5, 275), a second day candidate who had 9.5 sacks this past season, along with DE Breckyn Hager (#44, 6-3, 255), NT Chris Nelson (#97, 6-1, 315), RB Tre Watson (#5, 5-10, 195), LT Calvin Anderson (#66, 6-5, 30)) and OG Patrick Vahe (#77, 6-3, 325).
