College football is underway, so each week we’ll begin looking ahead to the 2015 NFL Draft to find out who’s helping and hurting their NFL status.
NFL Draft report: Prospects stand out in Clemson/Florida State game; Marcus Mariota shows toughness
Jameis Winston may have been suspended, but there will still plenty of NFL-caliber players in the ACC’s biggest game of the season.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston may have been suspended for Florida State against Clemson on Saturday, but the game still featured several notable performances from 2015 NFL Draft prospects. The highest-rated player in the game was arguably Clemson edge rusher Vic Beasley.
From a pass rushing perspective, you have to be impressed by Beasley. He has one of the best first steps in college football, gets low around the edge, has violent hand work and can close on the ball carrier in a hurry. Statistically, Beasley had a good game with two sacks. But otherwise, it was easy to be left wanting more. Beasley, as he often is, was lined up at right end. He’s successful when he can line up wide and hope the left tackle gets out of his stance slowly. That’s what happened on one of his sacks against FSU. Here’s the full cut-up from Draft Breakdown:
It’s worth nothing that Cameron Erving, FSU’s left tackle, has been practicing at center. That’s something worth monitoring as the season progresses. If Florida State doesn’t believe in him at left tackle, the NFL probably won’t either. Erving did fine as a run blocker. After all, he did have the key block that allowed running back Karlos Williams to run for a game-winning touchdown in overtime. But as a pass blocker, Erving's trouble with speed is noticeable.
But back to Beasley. The issue with him is if he’s not having success with his speed, he can be neutralized. There were a few times in the game that Beasley was flat put into the ground and was taken completely out of a play. It’s never been more obvious that Beasley’s future is at outside linebacker, and even then it may have to be in the right system.
Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony had a good game with eight tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a sack. In a murky inside linebacker class, Anthony could rise up because of his athleticism and size. Some thought he was going pro after last season.
Florida State was able to beat Clemson because of the play of defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Up to this point, Goldman really hasn’t lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school. But on Saturday, he looked like a first-round pick making several big plays at the end of the game. Goldman often pushed the Clemson line around and re-routed the running back or pressured the quarterback. If this pop at the snap doesn’t impress you, nothing will. Tomahawk Nation has more good information on Goldman here.
Random draft notes
Consider Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota's numbers from Saturday against Washington State: 21 for 25 passing for 329 yards and five touchdowns and 58 yards rushing. Then consider those numbers came despite Mariota getting sacked seven times. Oregon's offensive line may ultimately cost the Ducks, but NFL teams should be impressed by Mariota's toughness.
Conversely, Ducks cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu had perhaps the worst game of his career on Saturday. On one big play, Ekpre-Olomu got beat over the top and was guessing on routes too much. If another cornerback emerges, Ekpre-Olomu may slip some. It’s a down year for cornerbacks, however.
While Mariota was soared over the last year, Michigan’s Devin Gardner has fallen. Gardner’s play has been so shoddy that he may not even start this week.
I willfully watched the replay of the Central Michigan/Kansas. While some may view this as torture, and it sort of was, the point was to check out Kansas inside linebacker Ben Heeney. Athletically and physically, there’s not a lot special about Heeney. He’s just a sold player across the board with few negatives. In the Central Michigan game he successfully blitzed the A-gap to disrupt the quarterback. While there were some plays where he missed a tackle, Heeney was otherwise reliable making a play near the line of scrimmage. Heeney should be viewed similarly to how Chris Borland was last year. While Heeney may not get drafted in the top 100 like Borland, he should stick on a roster.
Alabama quarterback Blake Sims is off to a good start to the season and has completed several difficult passes in tight windows. He’s done enough to warrant thorough evaluation. But then you see this type of delivery and cringe:
These are different plays. Look exactly the same. Even the yard line. One has a wristband, though. pic.twitter.com/fzuVy9MVWF
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) September 24, 2014 Thus far this college football season, no tight end has really stood out as being clearly the best prospect at the position. By this time last year, for instance, everyone was well aware of Eric Ebron's top status. Alabama tight end O.J. Howard may have a claim for the top spot, but he just doesn't get the ball enough to get the attention. Hopefully Howard won't be judged by his stat line. (EDIT: I forgot Howard is only a true sophomore. The point stands, sort of. Don't judge a player purely off of stats)
From Saturday’s broadcast of the Nebraska/Miami game: A Cornhuskers coach expects Randy Gregory to run in the 4.4s and have a vertical leap of 38 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine. Gregory had a good game against the Hurricanes with seven tackles and two sacks, and a few more disruptive plays that don’t register in the box score. While there were times when Gregory’s strength was an issue, he has a first step to make up for it.
Speaking of the combine, the official date next year is Feb. 17-23 in Indianapolis.
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