Never thought I'd write this, but Arizona State middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict has looked apprehensive at times this season. Maybe he's making a concerted effort to cut down on personal fouls, but he's become a step late and less aggressive. Particularly against Southern California he was tentative. He has to crank up his aggression against Oregon tonight or the Ducks could be impossible to stop. Burfict only has 29 tackles this season, a number you'd expect to be much higher after six games.
For the Ducks, it will be interesting to see what they do offensively. They're likely to be without star running back LaMichael James. For draft fans, that's a good thing. It gives junior backup Kenjon Barner a good chance to get more carries. Barner has come on nicely the last two games running for 72 and 88 yards and has the talent to do a lot of the same things James can do.
Arizona State at Oregon NFL Draft watch notes
Sun Devils quarterback
is rapidly developing into a first-round talent. The 6-foot-8 junior is not as awkward as other plus-size quarterbacks and has worked a lot to shorten his throwing motion. Almost as impressively, Osweiler knows when to ratchet down his arm to smoothly complete short passes. Just watch Osweiler’s footwork tonight. That’s the final area of his game where he needs to look a little better.
After Osweiler and Burfict, the Sun Devils have few solid draft-eligible players. Senior center
comes with some acclaim and should get a look in training camp. Running back
has been inconsistent and is only a junior.
Oregon, for as great of a team as they, also don’t have many draft prospects to speak of. I continue to be impressed with lanky junior end
. He’s extremely raw and needs to pack on about 25 pounds of mass, but his upside is huge.
Cornerback
remains an enigma. He’s been receiving spotty playing time, but has gotten in more snaps of late. He’s talented, but not playing for a reason.
