Bowl Game Observations: Part Four
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.
Brandon Coleman, WR RUTG
The big 6′ 6″ 220 lbs. wide receiver is a physical, long strider. He does a good job of tracking the ball in the air and can come down with a bucket catch near the sidelines. Coleman turns his hips well and shields the defender from the ball. He demonstrated these skills when he stuck his feet in the back of the end zone for a Rutgers touchdown. Despite his size advantage, the young wide receiver engaged in a few hand fights with his coverage, losing quite a few. I like the way he fully extends for the ball, though he’s not very graceful and needs to work on his balance.
Damien Copeland, WR LOU
Copeland adjusts well to passes in the air as he caught a few that were thrown behind him. He did battle with the pigskin at times as he lets it get into his body instead of catching it cleanly. When Bridgewater hit Copeland in stride, he accelerated through the reception to gain extra yardage. He locates the ball quickly in the air despite physical coverage and shortens his routes to come back to his quarterback. Copeland is not big enough to be more than a slot receiver in the NFL, but he should find success on a pass happy team.
Eric Ebron, TE NCAR
Ebron is an athletic tight end who can line up in the slot, on the outside, as well as at the traditional tight end spot. He runs smooth, precise pass patterns and sinks his hips to get in and out of breaks much like a wide receiver. He is a willing blocker, but is not very effective and may be better used as a move tight end. It is concerning that Ebron likes to get airborne hurdling over defenders as he was caught once mid-air and was bounced off the turf. He catches the ball in stride while adjusting to the ball in the air regardless of its placement. He has a good sense of balance and showed some power, swatting linebackers and safeties out of his way. His only scoring opportunity went for naught as he lost concentration on a deep pass and dropped the ball between two defenders. Ebron is the most impressive tight end I have seen so far in these bowl games.
Cody Hoffman, WR BYU
The senior wide out almost declared last season and despite some troubled times, Hoffman shined against Washington. He finished with 12 catches for 167 yards lining up primarily in the slot and occasionally outside. The young play maker uses his 6′ 4″ 210 lbs. frame well as he boxes out defenders, consistently beats the jam, sinks his hips, and is quite agile for a man his size. He is more of a traditional team wide receiver two as he does not have demon speed, but he does the dirty work underneath including diving for worm burners. Hoffman usually makes the first defender miss, adjusts his body to make the difficult catch, and concentrates to secure the ball in double and triple coverage. He gets to the ball in full stride, has amazing balance, and always keeps his feet churning. The wide out goes all out on every play, showing full extension. He kept fighting until the final second in the bowl game.
Kareem Martin, DE NCAR
Martin played both defensive end spots as well as bouncing inside to defensive tackle. He gets good penetration, has a quick first step, and keeps his arms up when the quarterback attempts to throw. There were a few times he was caught off-balance as Martin seemed to do too much lunging instead of getting his hips behind him and powering through. The defensive end looked spectacular when he split the guard and tackle on his way to scoring a safety. It was a continuous swim move with a splice of power. Martin is a more impressive pass rusher than a run stopper, but he did have a nice stop near the goal line when the powerful lineman crashed down the line of scrimmage to hit the running back for a loss.
Stephen Morris, QB MIA
The senior quarterback had an abysmal night, completing less than 50% of his passes against Louisville. He was plagued with quite a few drops by his receivers, though he did display good chemistry with his tight end Clive Walford. When Morris had time in the pocket, he stepped up and hit Walford in stride. The quarterback has a strong arm with good ball placement when given four seconds or more in the pocket. He made quick decisions, but took a beating from the aggressive defense. Morris became more frustrated as the game went on and started forcing the ball, and hanging the ball up as he did not have time to set his feet. He will need time to develop at the next level.
Kyle Van Noy, OLB BYU
This athletic outside linebacker breaks on the ball with amazing speed while keeping an eye on the quarterback. He gets good pressure on the signal caller with his speed and agility, as he dips underneath the offensive tackles that try to block him. Van Noy can keep up with running backs and slot receivers in pass coverage, but that is not his strength. He did his job shedding blockers to seal off the outside rushing lane. His best play of the game was when he got great penetration on a fourth and one play on the three yard line. Van Noy swam past the tight end and then the offensive tackle to smash the running back for a nine yard loss. A three-four team will make him an anchor for their team in the NFL.
Stephon Tuitt, DE ND
Talk about running hot and cold, you might find a picture of Tuitt in the dictionary. The defensive end gets good initial penetration, but doesn’t always anchor the spot against the ball running his way. He played both end spots and looked more comfortable rushing on the left side. Tuitt just flat-out missed a few tackles that he should have made due to being off-balance and not aware of how the ball was flowing. There were a few flashes in the game as he knocked down the offensive tackle making his way to tackle the running back in the two gap. Then in the final two minutes of the game, Tuitt used a combination of a swim move and bull rush to sack the quarterback twice. He looks more like a situational rusher than a starter to me at the next level.
Look for part five of the series where I discuss Teddy Bridgewater and his best wide out DeVante Parker, coming soon….
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