Bowl Game Observations: Final Edition

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 who could improve your dynasty teams. This article series 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. Keep reading DLF throughout the offseason as this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Kelvin Benjamin, WR FSU
The young wide receiver is an impressive sight standing at 6’ 5’ and 234 lbs, however he looks more like a tight end than a wideout. His first half was not very impressive with two targets and zero catches.  Benjamin does not have a traditional place to line up as he split out wide, near the line of scrimmage in a bunch set and was sent in motion.  The receiver’s first grab of the night was a short hook as three defenders crashed down on him to make the tackle.  He has a huge catch radius as he reached down low to keep a drive going on a critical third down play and skied to the ball to win Florida State a National Championship boxing out the cornerback.  Benjamin adjusts well to the ball in the air, contorts his body, and if he can, catches the ball in stride.  His big hands surround the pigskin as he gets to it at the highest point.  Like most wideouts, he suffers from concentration lapses and occasionally lets a defensive back get between him and the ball.  While I liked most of what I saw, I wonder about his mental resiliency.  I need to review more games to get a better feel for him.

Devonta Freeman, RB FSU
While he is on the small side for a running back (only measuring in at 5’ 9” 180 lbs), he showed plenty of explosion against Auburn.  He sunk his hips, found creases and used his quick feet to slash his way against a good defense.  He doesn’t give defenders much to hit, uses good balance and lean while keeping his legs chopping.  I don’t see Freeman becoming a true NFL workhorse, but he possesses enough athleticism and soft hands to be a productive third down/change of pace back like Danny Woodhead. He needs to improve his pass blocking, but was surprisingly a good run blocker helping out his quarterback by creating a running lane.  I am concerned about his maturity as his gesture to the opposing team’s sideline caused a 15 yard penalty, but hopefully the young back can learn from that.

Jordan Matthews, WR VAN
The ultra-talented receiver had a fantastic first half of five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns – too bad he couldn’t add to that in the second half. Matthews is a big, physical wide out with good leaping ability who gets separation on almost every play. He catches the ball away from his body, fully extends himself in stride as he catches the ball at its highest point.  His physical nature is on display as he fights for extra yardage, throws stiff-arms to keep defenders away from his body, and as he blocks people down the field during rushing plays.  Matthews had three amazing plays of note: 1) a bubble screen that he broke down the sidelines, bobbing and weaving, for a 50 yard touchdown, 2) a one-handed grab with the safety holding onto his other arm for dear life deep down the field and 3) a full post pattern sprint off the line of scrimmage where no one touches him and he snags an over the shoulder catch for another 50 yard touchdown.  His quarterback, Patton Robinette, in the game was the backup and completed one other pass to a different receiver. Out of his 19 pass attempts over 12 of them went to Matthews.  I am excited about what the young receiver can do and will review more of his games to get a better feel about his talent level.

Tre Mason, RB AUB
This Heisman finalist put on a show for a national audience with 35 touches, 207 combined yards and two touchdowns (one on the ground and the other in the air).  He has quick feet, loose hips and ran with patience and power. Mason squares up his shoulders and runs behind his pads delivering as many hits as he received.  He is a better inside runner who uses his fullback to decide where and when he will make his first cut.  Mason adjusted his style of running to the situation as when Auburn needed a short gain, he got low and fell forward churning his legs to get the first down.  When the Tigers needed a play, Mason burst through the line, threw a shoulder shake, used a few stutter steps and found the cut back lane in a hurry, just like he did on his 37-yard touchdown with under two minutes left in the game.  His college offense rode his back for the majority of the game and an NFL team can do the same.  While Mason isn’t my top rookie back, he is in the conversation for my top five.

Telvin Smith, LB FSU
This tall, lanky linebacker reminded me a bit of good old Jack Lambert out there.  It was more the visual than his play as it has been a long time since I had seen a linebacker so skinny.  Smith attacks the line of scrimmage, tackles well and gets good penetration from mostly the inside linebacker spot, although he did play a little outside as well.  He flows well to the ball, but sometimes over pursues.  He also looked decent in pass coverage and hustles to the ball.  Smith will need to bulk up to be an effective linebacker in the NFL, but the skills are there. He is just outside of my top five linebackers right now.

James Wilder Jr, RB FSU
This back was a non-factor in this crucial game, because he was used so sparingly (he only had three carries for 21 yards).  Wilder has a quick first step, finds the cut back lane, but leaves his feet too much. I’m going to give him an incomplete, but why was Wilder used the least out of the three backs?  If Wilder declares for the NFL, I will watch more of his games to flush that out.

I hope everyone enjoyed the series as much as I have.

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