#4 CHDOBE AWUZIE/CB COLORADO 6’0/205 Might be the best senior prospect that hardly anyone knows about. He has excellent speed and agility for his size and hits like a ton as a sure tackler. His stats from 2015 give you idea how versatile his skill set is. He had 84 tackles, 4 sacks, 8 TFL, 2 INT & 4 QBH for the 2015 Buffaloes. AWUZIE owned the 2nd Quarter of the game with Colorado State as he posted a TFL and an INT. Guys his size who can handle work on the Corner are hard to come by. He’s also a team leader and great locker room guy. With COlorado poised to have a winning record this season AWUZIE should finally get the recognition he deserves.
#93 PAUL BOYETTE/NT TEXAS 6’3/314 Guys who play on the Nose don’t get big ink and pub, but they can make or break a team’s defensive scheme. BOYETTE is a savvy senior who has the wide body and wide base needed to plug up the middle of the DL and keep blockers off the LB group. In the big win over Notre Dame he also showed that he has the ability to penetrate and collapse the pocket from the inside, which QBs dread. In the opener he reminded me a lot of JARRAN REED, the past two seasons for Alabama.
#6 COREY CLEMENT/RB WISCONSIN 5’11/214 2015 was pretty much a nightmare season for CLEMENT who parlayed injury and discipline issues into a non-season. Instead of pouting he worked his ass off this Spring determined to return for a 1000-yard plus season. He split time in the opening game upset of LSU, but was clearly the best Badgers RB. He carried 21 times for 86 yards and 1 TD. He is a strong runner, with good vision and patience to/through the hole. He also shows the ability to stay upright and gain yardage after contact. He is good enough at his best to in the running for a prospect rating atop the senior RB group. Good start against a tough opposing D.
#47 TY CUMMINGS/PK HOUSTON 6’0/185 CUMMINGS had a solid 2015 season every kick he made for the Cougars, including 8/8 on FGs. He got off to a fast start in the opener going 4/4 on FG, including a long of 47 yards. He was also 2/2 on XP, which runs his perfect streak into the new season. He has a strong, but not booming leg. His potential Draft value will also hinge on his leg strength in the kick-off job. STay tuned.
#33 KEVIN DAVIS/ILB COLORADO STATE 6’3/240 DAVIS is a very active, tackling machine who leads the Colorado State D. He had 101 tackles in the 2015 season and looks capable of that again this season. He flew around the field in vain against Colorado. He’s a solid blitz weapon and carries his size nicely. He looks to also be able to provide some short field pass coverage ability, in part because of a high FBI which gets him in the vicinity of the ball a lot. Reads and tackles well out in open space. He seems to diagnose running plays well and often gets a hit on the opponents side of the line of scrimmage. I like the looks of this guy as a solid Day 3 draftee next APril.
#67 DAN FEENEY/OG INDIANA 6’4/310 On most lists I have seen this pre-season FEENEY has pretty much been the no. 1 OG Prospect on every one of them. I saw nothing in the opening win over Florida International to dispute that elite ranking. FIU had a good sized DL group, which tested FEENEY at times, but the bulk of the IU running game went behind his blocks on that side of he OL FEENEY plays with very good pad level and has decent quickness off the snap. He gets to second level blocks with ease. He is also good at seal blocks. He won’t be a First Rounder like JOSH GARNETT this year, but Top 100 for certain and likely Round 2.
#10 DeSHAWN HALL/DE/LB TEXAS A&M 6’6/260 MYLES GARRETT gets all the pub and blocking attention on the other end of the Aggies DL, but HALL is a force to be reckoned with and has interesting pro potential. Can he gain 10-15 pounds and be a full-time DE in a 4-3 base scheme, or can he learn to play standing up as a blitz OLB option? He had 7 sacks last season playing second fiddle to GARRETT. But if you watched A&M beat UCLA in OT, then you probably noticed HALL in on or around a lot of action. He put several hits on QB/ROSEN for UCLA. He does not hesitate to stick his nose in the pile when the play comes his way, and pursues to the other side of the field as well.
#13 SEFO LIUFAU/QB COLORADO 6’4/230 It gets harder and harder to find a legit senior QB Prospect with so many skill guys leaving college early for the NFL.LIUFAU is certainly an NFL long shot, but he’s an interesting project prospect. Yes that’s a new phrase I will be using each week; project prospect. LIUFAU is the nephew of the Throwing Samoan JACK THOMPSON. His size and mobility get your attention. He can also spin the ball thought his accuracy is somewhat erratic. Despite being under pressure most of the night he finished 24/34, 71%, 318 yards & 1 TD. He also ran 14 times for another 66 yards. Chances are he does NOT get drafted, but ends up in an NFL Camp next summer if he can play at this level all year. He does have back injury history which may be of concern. After a couple of hits in this game he looked to be stiff and sore. The CFL may also be an option for him.
#5 CHRIS McCAFFREY/RB STANFORD 6’0/201 A top Heisman candidate with NFL genes in his blood, McCAFFREY is Stanford’s top offensive weapon, and HC DAVID SHAW is not hesitant to give him the ball. His biggest impact play of the game was a 96-yard Punt Return which was negated by penalty, but it was impressive to say the least. He did score 2 TD, both on running plays. For the game he had 22 carries for 126 yards, caught 7 balls for 40 yards, and had 44 return yards. Add it all up and in a relatively quiet performance he still ended up with 210 Total Yards and 2 scores. Stay tuned he will ramp that up against some softer Pac 12 defenses in the next few months.
#87 JONNU SMITH/TE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 6’3/232 Not much doubt that SMITH is the best all-around athlete on the FIU team. He’s a bit small for an NFL inline TE role, but as a hybrid H-B/Slot receiver and second TE he may be enough of a weapon to make an NFL receiver corps. Against IU, SMITH had 8 catches for 83 yards. He also dropped a couple of throws, which is a bit concerning. He showed himself to be tough to bring down in the open field or in traffic. He might be draftable, and we’ll have to see how the season plays out. Whether drafted or not he will most certainly be in an NFL Training Camp next summer.
#11 DEDE WESTBROOK/WR OKLAHOMA 6’0/170 His frame is a bit slight, but his speed and explosion make him very dangerous whenever he touches the ball. He missed a TD throw on a razzle-dazzle play, but overall caught 8 balls for 70 yards. He’s a big play receiver who could put up some big numbers as MAYFIELD’s favorite target in 2016. He’s likely a third day prospect because his size will dictate a limited number of touches as a pro.
#18 TRE’DAVIOUS WHITE/CB LSU 5’11/191 One of the big coups for LES MILES this off-season was WHITE being among those juniors not to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. He certainly would have been a Top 100 Prospect had he come out early. UW doesn’t have much of a passing attack so WHITE’s chances to shine were limited, but he staked his work was all over the 3rd Quarter with an INT, which he returned for a TD. Shortly thereafter he jumped on a Badger fumble to get his Offense in position to put away the game. It didn’t happen, but you can’t blame WHITE for not doing his part. 2017 should present a strong CB group to choose from, and I expect WHITE will be very near the top of that list.
#7 MIKE WILLIAMS/WR CLEMSON 6’4/220 The Clemson offense was far from explosive and wide open against the tough Auburn D, but WILLIAMS was exceptional. He torched the Auburn secondary ending the night with 9 catches, for 174 yards. He dropped one ball that might have been a TD for him, but otherwise his night was outstanding. He missed almost all of the 2015 season when he lost a fight with a goal past and broke a bone in his neck. He’s somewhere between SAMMY WATKINS & DEANDRE HOPKINS in talent and style of play. But he’s a lot bigger than either of them. He and QB/WATSON should be a tough duo to stop once they establish a chemistry between themselves. Welcome back to the big time MIKE WILLIAMS!
Back at you next week.
Pigskin
