A lot of players helped their NFL Draft stock this past week. Too many to go on about, really. Below are the five I targeted who helped themselves the most this week. Others included Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin, Georgia pass rusher Jarvis Jones and several players in the USC/Stanford game.
John Simon, DE, Ohio State
Simon has been Ohio State's best player this season and he showed why Saturday night against Wisconsin. The junior was constantly in the Badgers' backfield forcing Russell Wilson to get out on the move. Like he's been much of the season, Simon was unblockable. He was lined up at tackle and end and that versatility will make him more attractive at the next level.
Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
At this point, huge stat games are the norm for Broyles. In Oklahoma's dismantling of Kansas State, Broyles had 14 receptions, for 171 yards and a touchdown. It was his fourth game this season of 13 catches or more. If we're ever going to get a Wes Welker duplicate, it could be Broyles. He has great hands and works the slant better than just about anyone in the nation. He's going to get passed over for bigger receivers, but Broyles is going to be a productive receiver at the next level.
2012 NFL Draft stock up spotlight
Polk did just about everything for the Huskies on Saturday against Arizona. He ran the ball 34 times for 144 yards and caught four passes for 100 yards. He accounted for five touchdowns on the night. Polk is a strong runner and is hard to take down. He’s also faster than what I expected watching him last season.
Going into the Georgia/Florida game, I thought Glenn would have a lot of trouble playing against the Gators’ quick front seven. Wrong. Glenn’s strength was too much for the smaller Florida linemen and linebackers. Glenn was consistently firing off the snap, neutralizing the linemen. More impressively, Glenn got out on the move and blocked on the second level. It’s looking more and more like Glenn has what it takes to stick at tackle in the NFL.
Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Now this is the player we all expected coming into the season. Dennard was dominant against Michigan State, and specifically wide receiver
. For the first time this season Cunningham was held without a catch thanks largely to the play of Dennard. The senior was jamming Cunningham all game and mirroring his routes perfectly. For the first time all year, Dennard looked like the player he did a year ago.
