Bowl Game Observations: Volume Two

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 offseason. I am listing these players alphabetically.

Brandin Cooks, WR ORE ST
It was easy to see from the first offensive play that Cooks is special.  He took a reverse almost 30 yards, uses great angles, makes defenders miss and throws in a stiff-arms for good measure.  Defenses had to account for where he was as the wide out got sent in motion quite a bit, lined up in the slot and on both sides of the formation.  The young receiver is very explosive in space, starting and stopping quickly, while the defense tried to tackle where they thought he should be, not where he was.  Cooks catches the ball at its highest point and always made the reception with his hands, never letting the ball into his body.  He does a great job getting separation and glides around the field effortlessly (much like the duck who glides on top of the water, but kicks like hell underneath).  Despite quadruple coverage in the end zone, Cooks caught a short touchdown pass with great concentration.  He doesn’t add anything in the run blocking game as he would look to hit the deepest of defenders on every play.  I’m excited to see more of his tape and to see which team drafts Cooks.

Vintavious Cooper, RB ECAR
Don’t be fooled by his almost 200 rushing yards against Ohio.  Cooper is not a powerful, NFL ready back.  The young back needs to be in space, sinks his hips well, and reads rushing lanes.  He has quick feet, a nice little stutter step, but his game got assisted by his offensive lines wide stances and a tired defense.  Cooper might be a decent change of pace back or could perhaps find a job as a returner in the NFL.  East Carolina did not use him in any goal line or short yardage situations. He reminded me a bit of former Utah State’s Kerwynn Williams, who also shined last year around this time and only had a cup of coffee with the Colts this season.

Scott Crichton, DE ORE ST
The young defensive end applied pressure early using a combination of a bull rush, spin moves and swim moves.  It is very important for any NFL defensive lineman to have combinations of moves as it makes them more difficult to block.  Crichton has a quick first step, gets penetration from the snap of the ball which becomes quite disruptive even in the running game.  I was impressed with his early strip sack in the end zone that resulted in a defensive touchdown as he just blew by the offensive tackle in two quick steps.  He does play a bit hot and cold as when the play goes on his side, the defensive end fights to get to whomever has the ball.  When the play develops on the other side, Crichton lessens his effort and got caught not setting the edge on a reverse that ended up going for a bigger gain than it should have.  He does get a little over-aggressive as the defensive end got called for a few offside penalties.  Crichton is a top six rookie defensive lineman option.

Ryan Grant, WR TUL
The young receiver went in motion a lot to exploit the best matchup coverage.  He gets good separation running deeper routes, but he is by no means a speedster,  Tulane flip-flopped between two quarterbacks and this did not seem to matter to the wide out.  Grant had the awareness to cut his deeper routes short and come back to his quarterback, but looked lost at times when asked to run block.  There were a few times he let the ball come to his body, while most of the time the receiver would snare the ball with his out-stretched hands. I was impressed with his arm strength as Grant threw a rope 50 yards down the field on a reverse, but unfortunately it resulted in an interception.  There were a few outstanding one-handed receptions in traffic and another that he skied above two defenders to make an amazing catch to get his team in scoring position. Grant tends to be very precise with his routes as the receiver would stop and wait for the ball to get there.  This could tip-off better defenders in the NFL.

Justin Hardy, WR ECAR
The young receiver is not much of a physical player as he got manhandled a few times, but he is quick out of his breaks.  He has soft hands, great body control, and runs good short to intermediate routes.  Even with limited separation, Hardy made a few contested catches and almost came up with a poorly thrown worm burner on the two yard line.  The wide out could become an NFL WR3-4 (not fantasy, at least right away) but there is upside for more.  I want to watch more of his games to get a better feel for his game.

Rashaad Reynolds, S/CB ORE ST
Reynolds forced me to write about him as the young defensive back was everywhere!  His first big splash play of the game was when he scooped up a Crichton forced fumble for an early touchdown.  He was at the right place at the right time to make the play – this would be his theme for the entire bowl game.  He was good in coverage as he knocked the ball out of the receivers’ hands at the last possible moment on two occasions.  He always kept the play in front of him whether it was a long pass or a run play.  Reynolds made sure he tackled the catch on every play, not letting the ball carrier get past him.  It was his second big play that was the most impressive as he picked up a forced fumble and raced down the sidelines 70 yards for his second score of the game untouched.  Reynolds may not be the best defensive back coming out this year, but he should make an impact.

Tyler Tettleton, QB OH
It is never a good thing when the starting quarterback is splitting time with a more athletic backup, especially when the backup is Derrius Vick. Tettleton lined up in the shotgun to see the entire field and was most comfortable bootlegging to the right.  The young quarterback got rattled under pressure and fluttered the majority of his passes.  His footwork is a mess as he throws off-balance and rarely set his feet.  Tettleton does not have a very strong arm and he threw behind his receivers quite a bit.  He was quite animated and seemed a bit jumpy in the pocket.  I’m not sure how he will fit in the NFL.

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