Developing Assets: Bowl Week 2, Part 5
New Years Day bowls have come and gone and we are nearing the end of the college football season. With this preview, I take a look at the remaining bowl games and the prospects you should be following. Also, look for the continuation of the Developing Assets series as we head into the off-season and prepare for devy drafts.
January 2nd Bowl
Sugar Bowl (8:30, ESPN)
Oklahoma vs. Alabama
I don’t have to tell you that there will be no shortage of NFL prospects in this game. The way that Alabama has been reloading year after year has created a pipeline to the NFL. Essentially all of the Crimson Tide starting offensive skill position players will land in the NFL. Unfortunately for dynasty owners, the two most coveted players, running back TJ Yeldon and wide receiver Amari Cooper require a wait of one more year before they become draft eligible. Both players will be top devy picks this off-season.
There are many other Alabama players to watch though, starting with senior quarterback AJ McCarron. McCarron’s numbers are not gaudy and he doesn’t possess some of the physical attributes of the top quarterbacks in college, but he is a proven winner. For many NFL teams and fans, that is not enough, but for some team, the leadership and solid all-around player McCarron has shown over the past three seasons as a starter will be enough to push him into the second day of the NFL draft. I don’t see McCarron as having much fantasy upside and will likely avoid him in rookie drafts.
Let’s get back to the runners. This is scary, but Yeldon might not even be the best running back on the team. Fellow sophomore Kenyan Drake has racked up nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his increased role this season. He is still playing second fiddle to Yeldon, but has been compared to LeSean McCoy. We may never get to see what Drake can do as the team’s lead back, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a long look at him during your devy draft. Let’s not stop there! Freshman Derrick Henry is a beast at 6’3” and nearly 240 pounds. He only has twenty-eight carries on the season, but has averaged over ten yards per touch. I can’t wait to see what head coach Nick Saban does with this trio in 2014.
They’ve got some pass catchers too! In addition to the electric playmaker Cooper, my top ranked freshman tight end in the country is OJ Howard, who gives his team a big red zone target, yet sometimes gets lost in the mix of talented players on this powerhouse team.
Most seem to think that this game will be very one-sided, but Oklahoma does have one player I am interested in watching in wide receiver Jalen Saunders, a senior. Saunders has been a key player for the Sooners in each of his four seasons, but his sophomore year, when he played for Fresno State, was his best. Since that 1,000 yard season, his receptions and yardage totals have regressed at Oklahoma, as have his yards per catch. At 5’9” and listed at less than 160 pounds, Saunders is destined for the slot, but may still be too small.
January 3rd Bowls
Cotton Bowl (7:30, FOX)
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
The bad news is there are two games being played simultaneously on this day, but the good news is as you watch the Cotton Bowl, you really have just one player to watch- Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Green-Beckham entered college as the top freshman wide receiver, but he struggled, catching just twenty-eight passes for nearly 400 yards. He has come into his own this year though and those numbers basically doubled heading into the final game of the season. He has a perfect combination of size and speed and one scout was quoted as saying “the light has come on” for him this season. Green-Beckham is a virtual lock to enter the NFL following the 2014 season and he can be considered as one of, if not the best, college wide receiver. So, spend an hour watching Green-Beckham and the Tigers matchup with the Cowboys of Oklahoma State before changing the channel to the….
Orange Bowl (8:30, ESPN)
Clemson vs. Ohio State
If the previous game lacked individual star power, this ACC/Big 10 matchups more than makes up for it. The ACC runner-up Clemson Tigers are led by quarterback Tahj Boyd, who entered the season as a potential first round NFL draft pick, but had some struggles and threw for around 400 yards less than his prior two season and also was not the rushing threat he’d been in the past. Boyd, a senior, should still be drafted, but he’s not currently among the top five of six quarterback prospects being discussed. Expect him to fall to the third day and have to sit for a year at least.
Of course, the favorite to be the top overall dynasty rookie draft pick will also be in this game, but what more can be said about wide receiver Sammy Watkins. At 6’1” and 205 pounds, his size is adequate and he has very good speed, often running past defenders. What impresses me the most about Watkins is how he’s overcome last season’s adversity. He dealt with some off-field issues during his sophomore season and as a result, his receiving numbers were way down. He also gave way to DeAndre Hopkins as the top option in the offense. He was able to overcome all of this and came back strong this season.
The Buckeyes have some players that are future pros as well, namely running back Carlos Hyde, who has exploded this season as a senior. Hyde had over 1,400 rushing yards and fourteen rushing touchdowns, even after missing the first three games of the season. He is now considered the top senior running back by most scouts and should be a second day pick. Depending on where he, and some of the other top runners land, that will likely be enough to earn a spot for Hyde in the first round of dynasty rookie drafts.
The Buckeyes freshman backup running back Dontre Wilson is a completely different type of player from Hyde, but could end up being even better. Wilson has a chance to be the starter next season and could have a breakout season of his own. Grab him this off-season while you can.
January 4th Bowl
Compass Bowl (1:00, ESPN)
Vanderbilt vs. Houston
While this game is clearly not the showcase game of the next few days, there are some prospects worth checking out, Specifically, each team has a play making wideout that has already shown star quality on the college level and will soon get a chance to do so with the pros.
Vanderbilt is led by one of the all-time top wide receivers from the SEC, Jordan Matthews. Matthews has led the SEC in receiving two consecutive seasons and as a senior, will be a part of the upcoming deep class of wide receivers. Matthews has back-to-back 1,300-yard seasons and has practically been the entire Commodore offense this year. Many consider Matthews the most pro-ready receiver in the class and he should be a lock for a first round rookie draft spot. He could also land in the first round of the NFL draft in May. This is a guy you want on your team! Houston has a wide receiver of their own, but he will have to spend one more year in college before declaring for the draft. Sophomore Deontay Greenberry has had a breakout season catching seventy-six balls for over 1,100 yards in just his second season. Greenberry is tall and fast, but weighs less than 200 pounds. There have been plenty of successful wideouts with a similar frame, but Greenberry would benefit from adding a little bit of weight.
January 6th Bowl
BCS National Championship (8:30, ESPN)
Florida State vs. Auburn
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Not only is this the game to decide the National Champion, but also dynasty and devy owners get one more opportunity to watch two of this season’s breakout stars. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, just a redshirt freshman, took the college football community by storm in leading his Seminole team to an undefeated record and collecting the Heisman Trophy along the way. Winston’s numbers are certainly impressive, but they don’t tell the real story. Watch Winston play and you’ll know he’s a star. Since he is a redshirt freshman, he’ll be draft eligible and is expected to declare two years early. Many scouts have shared their opinion that would he would be the top overall pick this season, if allowed to declare. Barring injury, next season is just a formality. If you have a devy draft this off-season, Winston may not be your top option, thanks to the value of quarterbacks when only required to start one, but he’ll likely be the best player drafted.
Another redshirt player suiting up for the Seminoles is wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who is averaging nearly twenty yards per catch. Benjamin will already be twenty-three years old by the time the 2014 NFL season begins, so most experts expect him to declare for the draft following this game. Florida State also has a pair of junior running backs that I’ve mentioned several times in the Developing Assets series. Expect both James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman to make the jump to the NFL and both should be mid-round picks.
Auburn has a pair of future NFL players to keep an eye on- sophomore wide receiver Sammie Coates and junior running back Tre Mason. Coates rarely played as a freshman last season, but has burst onto the scene to dominate the receiving targets for the Tigers. Of course, their offense relies heavily on the run game. Not only did Mason break the 1,000 yard barrier, but quarterback Nick Marshall did as well. Still, Coates averaged over twenty-two yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns on the season.
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