As Week 8 approaches, we’re near the midpoint of the season in college football. That means it’s as good a time as any to do a general overview of where several players stand in regard to the NFL Draft. Some players have broken out and elevated their stock while others are in down years. Don’t worry, though, there’s still time to turn it around.
2015 NFL Draft stock report: Which prospects have moved up and down this season?
As two wide receivers have risen up the ranks, two have fallen. And if your team needs a quarterback in 2015, look out.
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Stock up:
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: After a quiet start to his college career with the Mountaineers last season, White has exploded this season with six games of more than 100 receiving yards. White, a junior, patterns his game after Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, and that comparison has been thrown out often. Even Fitzgerald has taken notice:
My TL is full of @kwhite8 comparisons today. Did he ball out? #CFB #collegefootball
— Larry Fitzgerald (@LarryFitzgerald) August 30, 2014 White has excelled as a downfield receiving option because he can use his physicality to get open. At 6’3, he provides more of a mismatch than most college receiver prospects.
Duke Williams, WR, Auburn: Coming into the season, the expectation was that Tigers wide receiver Sammie Coates would have a breakout season. While Coates has battled injuries, he's been overshadowed by Williams, a junior college transfer. He could be a one-and-done player like Cordarrelle Patterson was at Tennessee. Like Patterson, Williams is unrefined; he's another big athlete capable of creating mismatches when the ball is in the air. Both White and Williams have vaulted into being top-100 picks. White should even be in the discussion to be the first wide receiver taken along with Alabama's Amari Cooper.
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia: Don't expect many people in the NFL to be too upset that Gurley is sitting out games for Georgia while he's being investigated for allegedly selling his signature. Because of that, and Gurley's play in general, his NFL Draft stock should be on the uptick. Gurley is a classic great running back. The power, size, speed and shiftiness are all there. He breaks tackles so effortlessly and regularly that it has become expected. Although Gurley will likely grade out higher than his draft position, he could break the streak of no running backs getting taken in the first round.
(Aside: Who the hell pays for an autograph of a 20-year-old college student? That's more ridiculous than any NCAA rule against it. Chill. Keep your money. Buy a pizza. Or if you're buying a Jameis Winston autograph, six pizzas.)
Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson: As we saw in this year's draft with Aaron Donald, a defensive tackle doesn't have to always be a hulking monster. Jarrett is somewhat undersized for the position, but he holds his spot consistently and has good handwork to shed and push the pocket.
Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss: Prewitt made his name on crushing hits, like the one that literally made Jordan Matthews barf last season. He's much more than just a devastating hitter. He's the leader of the Rebels' rise in the rankings and runs the back half of the team's defense. While Prewitt may not always be the best option to man up a wide receiver in coverage, he does have 11 career interceptions and can close on the ball when dropped back in zone. Alabama's Landon Collins looks firm as the top safety in the draft, but Prewitt may be right behind him.
Nate Orchard, DE, Utah: A lot of people got on the Orchard bandwagon after his four-sack performance against UCLA, a team with an awful offensive line. If you exam Orchard further, he's an intriguing prospect. He's a former wide receiver who has added 60 pounds since getting to Utah. That's a lot of Jell-O (apparently that is Utah's state snack food). Even at 255 pounds, Orchard still looks fleet enough.
Alex Carter, CB, Stanford: At one point, Wayne Lyons was expected to be the Cardinal cornerback to have a breakout season. At this point, Carter has taken that spot. Carter has the size and athleticism coveted at the position. Carter may not have an interception this season, but he's making his presence felt and forcing quarterbacks to look in a different direction.
Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State: Goldman is finally living up to the hype that he had coming out of high school as a top recruit. While he can still be inconsistent at times, his uncanny athleticism for the position is beginning to stand out. Goldman is hard to handle with a single blocker and was an integral part in Florida State's big win against Clemson.
Stock down:
Quarterbacks: If your team needs a quarterback in next year’s draft, look out. Obviously a quarterback or two could get hot and become a real player by the end of the season, but right now there seems to be few franchise quarterbacks in the class. That’s because several quarterbacks – like UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, Baylor’s Bryce Petty – haven’t taken that next step this season and no players have emerged from obscurity. It doesn’t help that a players like BYU’s Taysom Hill and Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton have been torpedoed by injuries. We could be in for another year like 2011, when signal callers were grossly overdrafted out of necessity.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu: This may only be a slight downward move. Ekpre-Olomu had a bad game against Washington State and was beaten on several occasions. Ekpre-Olomu is expected to measure in at the NFL Scouting Combine shorter than his listed 5'10. Because of that, and the trend of bigger players at the position in the NFL, Ekpre-Olomu has to be near-perfect to maintain his draft standing. The Washington State tape is bad, and in general Ekpre-Olomu isn't having as impactful of a season as you would anticipate. Washington's Marcus Peters seems like a better prospect at this point.
Georgia linebackers: With the draft-eligible talent they have, Georgia should have the best defense in nation. On the inside, Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson both carry draftable grades. But their play to this point just hasn't elevated them past Day 3 status in the draft. Jordan Jenkins is generating a fair amount of pressures on the quarterback, but he hasn't been dominant like we've seen from college pass rushers in the past. End/linebacker Leonard Floyd finally looked as good as expected when Georgia played Missouri last Saturday. But prior to that, he looked like an undersized player who can get pushed around easily. After a year of prep school, Floyd can enter the draft even though he's a true sophomore. But if he does, he clearly needs to get stronger.
Carl Davis, DT, Iowa: Davis had high grades entering the season, but has been neutralized too often this season. Several mock drafts had Davis in the first round before the season started. Now it would be something of a surprise to see him in a top 64. He's been too easily blocked, like in the game against Pittsburgh, or ran at, like the game against Indiana.
Christion Jones, WR, Alabama: Jones may not have been a highly touted prospect coming into the season, but fumbles and a general lack of production have made his draft status go in reverse. Jones has just 11 receptions this season and was benched as the team's punt returner.
Kasen Williams, WR, Washington: This one is unfortunate. Williams looked like a fast-rising prospect a season ago before a leg injury last season. Now he doesn't look like quite the same player and has only six receptions in 2014.
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