2015 NFL Draft: Week Three Stock Report
A look at NFL prospects who helped and may have hurt themselves this past weekend:
Who helped themselves?
WR Kevin White, SR, West Virginia (6-3 | 209 | 4.49 | #11)
One could make the argument that no college wide receiver has been more impressive through three games than White, who is second in the FBS with 460 receiving yards and one of only three players with 30+ catches on the young season. He played a major part in the Mountaineers victory over Maryland on Saturday, finishing with career-bests in catches (13) and receiving yards (216), and added his second touchdown of the season.
Against the Terrapins, White was outstanding attacking the ball and making fluid adjustments to throws away from his body, climbing the ladder with attitude and power. He displayed above average ball skills and natural body control while using his size to gain position and out-man defenders in the area. White also showed quick feet, vision and a plan after the catch, displaying his ability to create and be more than a chain-mover or downfield threat. He has room to improve to improve as a blocker, but it’s been almost all positive for the Mountaineer wideout, who has clearly elevated his play as a senior.
QB Gunner Kiel, rSO, Cincinnati (6-4 | 208 | 4.85 | #11)
After a cup of coffee at Indiana, committing to LSU and transferring from Notre Dame, Kiel finally took the field for Cincinnati on Friday night and looked extremely impressive in his collegiate debut, a win over Toledo. He was one of the top high school recruits three years ago and bounced around for various reasons, but is settled in as the starter for the Bearcats in 2014. Kiel finished his debut 25-for-37 (77.1 percent for 418 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, adding 24 rush yards.
Kiel is big and athletic with an above average arm to make all the throws. Against the Rockets, he displayed impressive ball placement and poise with an understanding of putting the ball where only his man could get it. He is a smooth mover on run-pass options with the foot quickness to roll out and pick up chunk rush yards if needed. Kiel tends to stare down his target and needs to improve his eye use, but for a prospect with only one career game under his belt, his future looks very promising. We’ll learn much more about Kiel September 27 when he takes the Bearcats to the Horseshoe to face Ohio State.
WR Phillip Dorsett, SR, Miami (Fla.) (5-10 | 185 | 4.38 | #4)
Although he had only four catches Saturday, Dorsett became just the third player in school history to eclipse the 200-yard receiving plateau in a single game, becoming the first FBS player since 1997 to top 200 yards on four catches or less. Dorsett finished Saturday’s game against Arkansas State with four grabs for 201 yards, averaging 50.3 yards per catch, and two touchdowns, both 63-yard receiving scores.
Dorsett tore his ACL last October and missed the remainder of 2013, but he returned at full health this season as a senior and hasn’t lost his world-class wheels. He possesses true "see-ya" speed with easy acceleration to turn on the jets and erase pursuit angles from defenders and he should be a prime candidate for the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine in February. Dorsett lacks ideal size and strength for the next level, but he’s a natural hands catcher with sudden change of direction skills as a ballcarrier who has no problem hitting the turbo button. His speed as a receiver and return man will see him drafted much higher than many are projecting right now.
QB Brandon Bridge, rSR, South Alabama (6-5 | 235 | 4.68 | #7)
South Alabama has never had a player taken in the NFL Draft, but between Bridge and TE Wes Saxon, I bet that changes next spring. An Alcorn State transfer, Bridge is in his first season as the Jaguars’ starter and although his stat sheet against Mississippi State on Saturday wasn’t overly impressive, he showed an intriguing skill-set that is starting to create some buzz in the scouting community.
Bridge finished Saturday’s game 21-for-39 (53.8 percent) for 203 yards, no touchdowns and one interception as South Alabama fell to the Bulldogs, 35-3. Facing a fast, tough SEC defense, the Canadian native did a nice job scanning from the pocket and pushing the ball downfield with talent that reminds me of a less refined Colin Kaepernick. Bridge is tall and lean with a rocket launcher on his right shoulder like the 49ers quarterback and has more than enough velocity on his passes to toss ropes to all levels of the field. He lacks ideal experience, but shows a good understanding of situations and field awareness, playing under control of the offense with a quick processor to read the field then grip it and rip it. Bridge needs to tighten his mechanics, improve his pocket presence and sharpen his ball placement, but from a tools perspective, he has intriguing talent worth developing. I expect Bridge to be in the mix for a Senior Bowl invitation and it won’t be surprising when he starts to "rise" up draft boards over the next few months.
Who hurt themselves?
QB Hutson Mason, rSR, Georgia (6-2 | 202 | 4.96 | #14)
It’s nearly impossible to replace a four-year starter like Aaron Murray, but it has been a rocky start for Mason as Georgia currently ranks 113th in the country in passing. A big part of that is the fact that the Bulldogs’ ground game is so dominant, led by potential first round pick Todd Gurley. But Georgia will need Mason to be more than just a caretaker if it hopes to finish with double-digit wins, something that was evident in the loss at South Carolina on Saturday.
The final statline doesn’t look so bad (16-for-22, 191 passing yards, two touchdowns), but it was a costly intentional grounding penalty on first down from inside the Gamecocks’ 5 that was the difference in the game. It’s easy to argue that the playcall should have been a run with Gurley up the gut, but Mason needs to be smarter with the football and not make costly mistakes. He’s a confident kid with mobility and leadership traits, but it’s clear his arm strength lacks ideal juice and he struggles to drive the ball downfield with questionable vision. Mason entered the season as a potential later round pick, but he will need to show more development the remainder of the season to be a draftable player.
RB David Cobb, SR, Minnesota (5-11 | 229 | 4.58 | #27)
A week after rushing for a career-best 220 yards, Cobb had a rough day in Fort Worth as the Gophers struggled against a stout TCU defense on Saturday. He finished with 41 yards rushing on 15 carries, averaging only 2.7 yards per carry, the lowest average of his career in a game with double-digit carries. Cobb also fumbled in the second quarter that led to a Horned Frogs touchdown, extending their lead to 24-0.
Cobb is built well for the NFL game with good vision to make strong cuts and gash defenses, but against TCU, his lack of burst, speed and creativity were clear. He lacks explosiveness in his movements and doesn’t have much elusiveness to produce yards when the holes aren’t there. Although there is a lot to like about Cobb, he doesn’t have top-shelf athletic traits that the NFL seeks at the position.
Other NFL Draft notes:
-- While not all that surprising, Oregon QB Marcus Mariota (6-4 | 215 | 4.52 | #8) and DL Arik Armstead (6-7 | 296 | 4.97 | #9) are planning to enter the 2015 NFL Draft, according a source close to the program. Mariota , a redshirt junior, and Armstead , a true junior, both purchased large disability insurance policies prior to the season and plan to go pro after this season.
Mariota currently ranks as the No. 1 overall prospect for next spring’s NFL Draft and is expected to be the first quarterback drafted, according to NFLDraftScout.com. Armstead isn’t as well-known nationally, but he leads the Ducks with 4.0 tackles for loss so far in 2014 and has the gifted skill-set that makes him a projected first round pick.
-- Another Oregon note: starting LT Jake Fisher (6-6 | 299 | 5.22 | #75) suffered a sprained left knee on the Ducks’ opening drive last Saturday, but the injury isn’t considered season-ending. According to a source, he will be sidelined less than a month, which is good news for Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, who said that he hoped to get Fisher back "pretty soon."
Fisher is expected to miss this weekend’s game at Washington State, but the coaching staff is hopeful he will be back in the starting lineup for Arizona (October 2) or at UCLA (October 11). He is currently ranked as the No. 8 senior offensive tackle prospect for the 2015 NFL Draft and a possible top-100 pick.
-- Last week in this space, we noted that Ohio State was about to get a boost with the return of junior DE/OLB Noah Spence (6-3 | 252 | 4.68 | #8), who was forced to sit out the first two games of 2014 after testing positive for ecstasy. But it was revealed over the weekend that Spence failed a second drug test and is now suspended indefinitely. Talking to a contact within the Ohio State program, the team is preparing to move forward as if they won’t get Spence back the remainder of the 2014 season.
Spence’s parents sent this statement to the Columbus Dispatch: “We are hopeful that Noah can get healthy and, at some point, resume his career with the Buckeyes. We are uncertain how long he will be ineligible, but we will work with Ohio State and the Big Ten until we have a final resolution.”
A first round talent, it’s very possible Spence doesn’t suit up for the Buckeyes again. Stay tuned.
-- With the Ray Rice issue the hot topic of the football world, it presents an interesting situation if Oklahoma junior WR Dorial Green-Beckham (6-5 | 225 | 4.49 | #15) enters the 2015 NFL Draft. The talented receiver was dismissed from Missouri due to a number of run-ins off the field, including a domestic dispute where Green-Beckham pushed a female down a flight of stairs. He wasn’t arrested or charged, mostly due to the fact that no one would press charges, but the incident still happened and the NFL isn’t in a position to ignore these types of situations.
Shortly after the Rice incident, the NFL announced new domestic abuse policies and stricter penalties, including a six game ban for first time offenders. But in a letter that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to all 32 clubs, he included the language for alonger suspension for first time offenders if circumstances warrant it, including “a prior incident before joining the NFL.” So if Green-Beckham is involved in a domestic abuse incident while on a NFL roster, he would be subject to a harsher penalty than just the expected six game suspension. It’s very possible Green-Beckham stays out of trouble once in the NFL, but nonetheless, it’s a factor for teams to consider when deciding whether or not to draft the super-talented pass catcher.
-- Southeastern Louisiana senior QB Bryan Bennett (6-2 | 205 | 4.72 | #3) struggled against Tulane on Saturday, the lone FBS opponent on the Lions’ 2014 schedule. He posted only 47.1 percentcompletions (16-for-34), 213 passing yards, two interceptions and two total scores (one passing, one rushing). Maybe even more surprising was Bennett’s -10 yards rushing as he struggled to generate consistent offense through the air or on the ground.
Bennett, who was the subject of last week’s Meet the Prospect, is considered one of the top-five senior quarterbacks for the 2015 class according to some NFL scouts. But his struggles against an FBS opponent won’t help his chances of being a mid-round pick next spring. Bennett's lack of elite arm strength and his struggles diagnosing defenses are areas of concern for evaluators.
