Big Ten Prospects: James White, Kenny Guiton, Kain Colter and Taylor Martinez

Dan Meylor

We’ve covered the biggest names coming out the Big Ten over the last couple weeks.  For the final installment of Big Ten Prospects, we’ll cover a few of the players we haven’t talked about that are looking to be drafted in May and could make an impact for dynasty owners.  Let’s get right to it.

James White, RB WISC

james_whiteJames White has been playing in the shadows of premier running backs since his high school days in Florida.  While at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, he shared the backfield with Giovani Bernard.  When he moved on to Wisconsin, he backed up the all-time NCAA leader in rushing touchdowns, Montee Ball for three seasons.  After Ball moved on to the NFL, sophomore sensation Melvin Gordon stole the spotlight for the Badgers.  Even with all those names ahead of him on the depth chart, he put up some pretty impressive numbers.

As a senior in Madison, White carried the ball 221 times for 1,444 yards (6.5 YPC) and 13 touchdowns while chipping in 39 catches for 300 yards and two more scores.  In 13 games in 2013, he rushed for more than 100 yards nine times (he ran for 98 yards against Illinois as well) and scored in all but three contests.

White ended his college career with the fourth-most rushing yards (4,015) in Wisconsin history.  Only Ron Dayne, Ball and Anthony Davis tallied more in their time in Madison – that’s pretty impressive when you consider that he only started 14 games in his career.  He also averaged 6.2 yards per carry over the last four years, best among any Wisconsin tailback in the history of the program outside of his teammate Gordon, who’s averaged 8.2 yards per tote over the last two seasons.

It’s been proven countless times over the years that college success is no indication of future performance at the next level (especially when it comes to Badgers tailbacks), but White may have the skills necessary to make a smooth transition to playing on Sundays.

Of all the things White brings to the table, the most impressive might be his agility and knack for getting to full speed quickly after getting the ball in his hands.  Like many Badgers runners before him, he’s demonstrated very good field vision, always hitting the right hole and wasting no time getting north and south.

White showed countless times over the last few seasons that he can accelerate through a crease quickly and get to the second level of a defense in a blink.  Once he reaches the linebackers, he consistently demonstrates good balance while changing directions and running to daylight.

White is also very good in the open field.  He has enough shake to make defenders miss and has very good speed.  In all the games I watched him play over the last few years, I can only recall seeing him caught from behind once.  This past season against Iowa, linebacker Anthony Hitchens got the angle on him and made a shoestring tackle along the sideline.  His speed isn’t breathtaking, but it’s hard to believe you’ll see him lose a footrace very often, even against the elite talent he’ll see in the NFL.  It was reported during Senior Bowl week that he’s expecting to run his 40-yard dash in the 4.4’s.

While White has the vision, agility, acceleration and strait line speed of a quality NFL tailback, there are weaknesses to his game.  His biggest flaw is his inability to break tackles.  He gets taken down far too often by the first defender to get a hand on him.  Always preferring to avoid contact and shake a defender rather than take him head on, he may struggle with the more athletic and even more powerful defenders he’ll face on a weekly basis at the next level.

Another area that White struggles from time to time is in short yardage. Early in his career, while Ball was there, he wasn’t asked to carry the ball around the goal line very often.  In 2013, he got more opportunities.  While he scored 13 times on the season, most of his touchdowns came from outside 5 yards.  When the Badgers moved to within a couple yards of the end zone, he’d only score if the offensive line opened a hole.  If they didn’t, he wasn’t able to move the pile.  He doesn’t seem to have the leg drive to force his way past the sticks or into the end zone.

At the next level, White most likely won’t be asked to be a short yardage back.  At least not immediately.  He’s listed at 5’10 and 195 pounds on Wisconsin’s official website and wouldn’t be wise to add much weight to that frame due to the potential to lose speed.  Unfortunately, his shortcomings in short yardage could be the thing that keeps him from becoming an effective every down running back on Sundays.

Overall, White has the skills to forge a role in a rotation as early as his rookie season, most likely as a change-of-pace/third down back.  Outside of his skills as a runner, he’s also proven to be valuable in the passing game.  He was called on as a receiver more as a senior than all three of the prior seasons and looked good in the process.  The Badgers used the screen game under new head coach Gary Anderson much more than the previous regime and White looked good catching passes, displaying soft hands and the ability to get the ball downfield quickly.

Over his entire football career, White hasn’t been used nearly as much as many tailbacks that are starting their NFL career.  Before touching the ball 260 times as a senior, he hadn’t finished a season with more than 170 touches in a season.  I believe he’s still improving as a runner and if he can get better at breaking tackles and driving his legs when in a crowd, he could prove to be a bargain for a team willing to take him late in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Dynasty owners won’t see White selected very early in most rookie drafts unless he’s drafted into an ideal situation where he’s in line to get a lot of carries early in his career.  He should absolutely be on the radar of owners in the late rounds of rookie drafts though.  He has the skills to contribute early in his career as part of a rotation and could develop into a quality NFL tailback with RB2 upside.  I think he compares favorably to Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, who entered the league as a sixth round pick out of Clemson last year.  Many are already regretting passing on him late in 2013 rookie drafts.

2013 games watched: All of them

Kenny Guiton, QB Ohio State

Even the biggest Ohio State fan didn’t get to see Kenny Guiton play much in 2013 due to him starting only two games and attempting only 109 passes as a fifth-year senior.  In limited action, he played very well.

On the season, Guiton completed 75 of 109 passes (68.8%) for 749 yards and 14 touchdowns and threw only two interceptions – that adds up to a 165.2 quarterback rating.  On top of the passing numbers he posted, he also rushed for 330 yards on 40 attempts (8.2 YPC) and five more scores.  Granted, he put up a majority of those numbers against San Diego State, Cal and Florida A&M which aren’t powerhouses, but he posted them nonetheless.

Before you read any further, I have to admit I didn’t watch either of Guiton’s starts.  I did see film on every pass he threw against Cal however (as well as watching him in the Buckeyes’ come from behind victory against Purdue when Braxton Miller was hurt in 2012), and I came away very impressed.

Guiton showed pin-point accuracy, a relatively strong arm and the ability to throw an excellent deep ball each time I had the chance to watch him play.  He also displayed impressive athleticism, consistently making plays outside the pocket both with his arm and legs.  Additionally, he was unbelievable poised and made incredible decisions for a player with very limited playing time.

Of all the players that will show off their talents at the scouting combine or at pro days over the coming weeks, I am most interested in hearing how Guiton looks.  If he looks good, he should hear his name called at the NFL Draft in May.

Dynasty owners, especially those in two quarterback leagues, should be monitoring Guiton as the draft approaches and into training camp.  Due to his athleticism and strong play in limited snaps, I firmly believe he’ll be drafted by an NFL team as a developmental quarterback and get an opportunity to play after studying, hopefully under an established signal caller.  In the right type of dynasty league, he should be added for the same reasons.

2013 games watched: Wisconsin, @ Northwestern, Iowa, Penn State, @ Michigan, Michigan State (Big Ten Title Game), Clemson (Orange Bowl)

Kain Colter, WR Northwestern

During Senior Bowl week, I read multiple tweats mentioning Kain Colter as one of the impressive receivers in practice.  Colter played primarily as a quarterback in his time in Evanston but has experience as a receiver for the Wildcats as well.

In his four years at Northwestern, Colter caught 63 passes for 683 yards and four touchdowns.  Although he was officially listed as a quarterback, he played more like a running back.  He ran for 2,180 yards on 449 carries (4.9 YPC) and 28 touchdowns in his career.

With the reports out of Mobile that Colter displayed very good hands and his ability to run with the ball, he makes an interesting receiver prospect going into draft season.  Many will wonder if he can take the same path as Julian Edelman has with the Patriots, but very few have made such a transition and even Edelman took years to develop into the receiver he’s become.

Colter also underwent ankle surgery last week, which will keep him from participating in the scouting combine and Northwestern’s pro day.  He’s planning on putting on his own pro day before the draft to show his skills.

Although it’s unlikely Colter ever makes a fantasy impact, dynasty owners should file his name away and check in on him around draft time.  If he’s as smooth catching the ball as many mentioned from the senior bowl and he develops his route running, he could surprise.

2013 games watched: Ohio State, @ Wisconsin, Michigan State

Taylor Martinez, QB NEB

Colter has committed to making the switch to receiver in the NFL, but Taylor Martinez, a similar player, hasn’t done so just yet.

Martinez had his best season in 2012 when he led Nebraska to the Big Ten title game, completing 62% of his passes for 2,871 and 23 touchdowns while throwing 12 interceptions.  This year, he was on pace to have a similar season.  He completed 62.7% of his passes for 667 yards and ten touchdown while throwing only two interceptions in only four games.  He missed a majority of the Cornhuskers’ 2013 season with a foot injury.

Martinez was also very proficient on the ground in his time at Nebraska.  One of the best overall athletes to come out of the Big Ten in years, he tallied 2,975 yards on 585 career carries with 31 rushing touchdowns for the Huskers.

As a pure passer, Martinez has holes in his game.  He doesn’t seem to be comfortable in the pocket and bails out of it very early.  When he does find open receivers on slants and crossing patterns, he’s inaccurate far too often to be successful at the next level.  He also has a tendency to throw the ball off his back foot or across his body quite often.

Martinez is at his best when the play breaks down and he’s forced to improvise.  He can make defenders miss in the open field and outrun most opposing players, much like Colin Kaepernick.  The comparison ends there however.  He doesn’t make good enough decisions and isn’t accurate enough on the move to be as lethal as the 49ers quarterback.

It’s been reported Martinez is expecting to be completely healthy for the Huskers’ pro day on March 6th.  It’s unknown whether he’s willing to make the switch to receiver.  If he does, he’ll have a much better chance at being successful in my opinion.  Whether he does or not he’s unlikely to make a fantasy splash for dynasty owners, but worth monitoring over the coming months.

2013 games watched: @ Minnesota

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dan meylor