Here are some random 2015 NFL Draft notes following Week 10 of the college football season.
NFL Draft report: Top centers stand out, Andrus Peat steps up
Auburn’s Reese Dismukes and Oregon’s Hroniss Grasu are the top prospects at center, and they looked like it Saturday.
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Top center prospects stand out
Running back Cameron Artis-Payne will get a lot of the attention following Auburn’s big win against Ole Miss on Saturday for his 143 yards and a rushing touchdown. But in the Tigers’ big win, senior center Reese Dismukes looked good. Dismukes is in his fourth season a starter for Auburn and was named a Lombardi Award semifinalist this week. Dismukes is just a steady player across the board, and that’s fine. A center doesn’t have to be taken high to be good. Corey Linsley, for instance, was drafted in the fifth round this year by the Green Bay Packers and has played well. Fellow rookies Russell Bodine and Bryan Stork have also seen significant playing time at center. Dismukes should get a spot on the Senior Bowl roster.
If Dismukes isn’t the top center prospect, then it could be Oregon’s Hroniss Grasu. Of the two, Grasu is more athletic and can block on the second level better. He showed that in the Ducks’ win over Stanford running more than 20 yards downfield to deliver a key block on a big play.
Offensive tackle notes
Through 10 weeks, it's apparent that Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi isn't having the season some expected. He's given up a lot of sacks and hasn't looked like the lock top offensive tackle in the draft he was projected to be. That doesn't mean he won't be the first offensive tackle draft, but he shouldn't be considered the runaway best player at the position.
I didn't think Stanford's Andrus Peat could be the player who challenges for that spot, so this was sent out to the permanent record online:
It seems some of you will have to convince me on Andrus Peat. I don't see a top 10 player.
— Dan Kadar (@MockingTheDraft) October 28, 2014 Of course, Peat happened across it on Twitter, favorited it and went out and had a dominant game in a loss to Oregon. It was Peat’s best game since he shut down UCLA’s Anthony Barr last season. He didn’t give up penetration and nicely held his spot at left tackle. Peat may not be a top 10 pick, but he should be in the discussion for the top 20.
Does Tavon Austin's play impact smaller receiver prospects?
The unspectacular play of the St. Louis Rams’ Tavon Austin may make teams apprehensive about taking a small wide receiver early. Austin, the eighth pick in the 2013 draft, has gotten off to a slow and comical start. While some of it may be due to coaching, some teams may still see a receiver under six feet tall as too much of a risk early.
If so, there are some good options later in the draft. Duke’s Jamison Crowder, Tennessee’s Pig Howard and Miami’s Phillip Dorsett are smaller, but are exceptionally quick and know how to get open underneath or over the middle. They just need to be in the right system, which Austin doesn’t appear to be. But if Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Emmanuel Sanders of the Denver Broncos can be successful, then so can prospects like Crowder, Howard and Dorsett.
Senior Bowl QB invitations
According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, Senior Bowl invitations have been passed out to some quarterbacks. Among them to receive invitations are Southeastern Louisiana's Bryan Bennett, East Carolina's Shane Carden, Colorado State's Garrett Grayson and Oregon State's Sean Mannion. Pauline notes that the Senior Bowl is holding invitations for Brett Hundley and Marcus Mariota. While they're only juniors, both are on pace to graduate. In a year with shoddy quarterback prospects, the additions of Hundley and Mariota would certainly be welcome at the Senior Bowl.
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