Bowl Week Observations: Volume One

It’s that time of year when I turn my focus to the college bowl games to gain insight. I will do my best to find some draft eligible players that could improve your dynasty teams. This article intends to start conversations and encourage continued thought throughout the entire draft process. These are my observations based on the bowl games, unless otherwise indicated. There will be much more in-depth, thought-provoking discussions later in the off-season. I am listing these players alphabetically.

Davante Adams, WR FRES ST

This young receiver has great chemistry with his quarterback Derek Carr.  Adams catches the ball at its highest point (as you could see from his touchdown catch over the cornerback) and is a big physical receiver (6′ 2″ 212 lbs) who reminds me a bit of Brandon Marshall as he glides around and swats smaller defenders out of his way.  He has good footwork and has a great sense of where he is on the field at all times.  For the majority of his routes, he got separation despite great coverage.  He can catch contested passes with someone on his hip pocket when it is unavoidable and hopefully learn how to defend himself, as he took a vicious spear shot on a quick pass that he fully extended himself.  Adams needs to be mindful not to lose concentration near the end zone as he read the pattern wrong which led to an interception.

Derek Carr, QB FRES ST

David Carr’s younger brother instantly reminds you of his brother when he played for the Texans.  He has a big arm which he uses to push the ball down the field and is quite the emotional leader.  Carr has decent footwork, but took every snap from the shotgun which helps him see the field quickly.  He was either extremely accurate or way off.  It is because he throws to a spot on the field he expects his receivers to be.  I’m a little concerned as the young quarterback doesn’t anticipate how complicated defensive coverages work.   Carr seemed to be very comfortable running bootlegs to split the field in half making his job easier.  Hopefully he can go to an offense that can run the ball better than Fresno State as the USC defense could just pin their ears back and go after him.

Crockett Gilmore, TE COL ST

The 6′ 6″ 255 lb senior tight end was certainly not the best athlete on the field, but he was everywhere.  Gilmore lined up in the backfield, as a traditional tight end, and in the slot.  He was better at pass blocking than as a run blocker as he struggled to seal the cut-back lane.  I was impressed with the many different routes he ran and he got targeted in the end zone only to be knocked down by a defensive back with no penalty 9he could have caught the pass with his frame and size).  Gilmore struggled to gain separation when safeties covered him, but had modest success (four receptions for 44 yards) when the tight end went against linebackers.  If he wants to have NFL success, Gilmore will need to attack the ball with his hands and not body catch as well as use his 6′ 6″ size as a weapon.

Marqise Lee, WR USC

The talented junior wide out looked great running deep patterns as he could gain separation in a few steps most of the day.  Lee knows how to use the sidelines as an extra blocker and caught a lot of short swing out passes only to break them for longer gains. On his first touchdown of the day, he showed good concentration grabbing the ball between two defenders.   His health is concerning as he left the game a few times, once was to re-wrap his knee and ankle in the first quarter.  Lee played a bit more physical than usual as he used a stiff-arm and swatted away a few defenders in stride.  He tries to run block, but the wide out isn’t very effective.  His most impressive catch and run of the game was on a third and thirteen play where he ran across almost the entire width of the field in stride.  It looked like he broke a few ankles on the way to the end zone for a 40 yard touchdown.  He isn’t my top wide receiver, but Lee is still in my top three.

Kahil Mack, LB BUF

I was quite impressed with this powerful, pass rushing, outside linebacker who forces fumbles like no one else this season.  Mack anchors his spot along the line of scrimmage and then will simply disregard whomever is in his path on the way to the ball.  He applies pressure with either a spin move, bull rush, or just leaps in the air to swat down passes.  But the fierce play maker doesn’t stop there as he glides down the line of scrimmage looking for weaknesses to expose not only in the passing game, but the running game as well.  When one defender gets assigned two or three blockers and offensive plays are run on the opposite side to avoid that said defender, that is a game changer and that is how San Diego State defended him.  Mack flows so well to the ball, sheds blockers with the quickness and agility as the offensive play makers he is chasing down.  After seeing him play, Mack is up there on my defensive stud board with Clowney and Barr.

Adam Muema, RB SD ST

Perhaps the San Diego State uniforms are slimming, but Muema does not look to be 5′ 10″ 205 lbs.  The young back is not a very physical runner, but more of a quick twitch scat back. Despite his impressive bowl game stats (230+ combo yards and three touchdowns), I do not think he could become a starting NFL running back with his lack of strength and power.  Yes, he runs quite well outside, gets low, and has good footwork.  But the more effective short yardage running back for the Aztecs was their fullback. Muema has an explosive burst with a nice jump cut who can shake and bake with the best of them, but he tried to show off too much. He always looked for the long run, instead of taking what was there for him.  The NFL might not be as forgiving.

Branden Oliver, RB BUF

While most draft pundits will be more impressed with Muema’s numbers, I became a fan of Oliver’s more modest night of 130 combo yards and a receiving score.  He has a low center of gravity, steps up and pass blocks well, takes some big hits, and shows some wiggle while he keeps on chugging along.  There is a smoothness and patience to him along with his shoulder shake that reminds me of Fred Jackson.  Oliver knows how to get small in the hole and would somehow squirt out of the pile for another couple of yards.  His determination was on display when he took a short dump off pass at the ten yard line, threw out a powerful stiff-arm and darted into the end zone.

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