Pac-12 Devy Conference Review
The Pac-12 had a roller coaster of a season. At one point in the season they had six teams in the Top 25, and at minimum four teams were representatives of the conference. In the bowl games, they came away with six wins and lost only four. There is also a youth movement taking place. There were two freshmen to quarterbacks in Josh Rosen (UCLA) and Jake Browning (Washington) had a successful season. Also, don’t forget the running backs Myles Gaskin (Washington), Ronald Jones (USC), and Ryan Nall (Oregon State) were leaders in the backfield. Senior quarterbacks will try to make a splash in the NFL in 2016 include Jared Goff (Cal), Vernon Adams Jr. (Oregon), Cody Kessler (USC), and Kevin Hogan (Stanford). Senior running backs Devontae Booker (Utah) will be highly sought after. While, sophomore tight end Austin Hooper (Stanford) declared early for the draft and is talented as a blocker and receiver.
Fulfilling Their 2015 Promise
Jared Goff, QB California Golden Bears
Jared Goff led the Pac-12 in both yards passing (4,719) and touchdowns (43) but finished last in interceptions with 13 two behind true-freshman Josh Rosen (11). He was third in attempts and second in completions, and finishing fifth in completion rate (64.5). In three-straight seasons, Goff has improved on his season totals.
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NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein analyzed Goff and came away with this assessment “In my estimation, declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft is a wise move by a quarterback who has shown improvement over the last three years and who has the size, arm and intelligence to be an early first-round selection” Zierlein wrote. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound junior threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns in Cal’s 55-36 win over Air Force.
Goff has put himself in the running to be the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft.
Devontae Booker, RB Utah Utes
In his senior campaign, Booker continued to rock the NCAA as he did in his outstanding junior season. He dropped a bit in the stats, but nothing too dramatic. He finished fourth in yards from scrimmage (1,577), tenth in total touchdowns (11), and fifth in rushing yards (1,261).
Dane Brugler from NFLDraftScout.com stated “Due to his vision and cutting ability, Booker is a great fit in an NFL zone blocking scheme where he can utilize his balance and quickness to navigate through a crowd. For running backs, being decisive and patient is a fine line, but Booker makes it look easy, hiding behind blockers and resetting his vision on the move to find daylight.”
Even though he is 24-years-old, he should still make a great prospect, and probably a second-round draft choice.
Paul Perkins, RB UCLA Bruins
Paul Perkins has declared that he would enter the NFL draft, and I believe this is a wise move. He doesn’t have anything left to prove and why risk being injured? He has gotten better each and every season since his freshman year where he had 573 yards rushing on 134 carries and six touchdowns while catching 24 passes. By the end of his junior season, he had 1,343 yards on 237 carries, scoring 14 times and collected 30 passes and one touchdown. His yardage numbers were down from his sophomore season, but he also had more carries last year as well.
NFLDraftScout.com list Perkins as the number six-rated running back for the 2016 NFL draft and the 86th overall prospect. Derek Harper stated that Perkins is a patient runner who is the classic slash type runner that won’t do well between the tackles. Rob Rang noted: “He has the hands and toughness to remain on the field on third down, but a relatively spindly frame raises concerns about his ability to remain durable if featured in the NFL as he was by the Bruins.”
He is projected to be drafted in the third round.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR USC Trojans
Smith-Schuster is only a sophomore but is playing like a senior. He started hot this season with hitting the century mark in six of his first nine games but failed to reach that mark in his last five games. With that said, he is a prototypical 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver, and finished the season catching 89 passes for 1,454-yards and ten touchdowns.
He improved on his already impressive freshman season where he snagged a 54-724 and five touchdowns. He was second in the Pac-12 for receptions, fourth in the NCAA in yards and seventh in yards per reception (16.3). He also finished fourth in touchdowns in the Pac-12 with ten. His junior season may be his last if this continues to move upward, and he will make an excellent wing receiver for any needing team.
Gabe Marks, WR Washington State Cougars
Gabe Marks has already declared that he would return for his senior season, and if he can continue to impress he will be in line for a big payday from the NFL. He finished his junior season catching 104 passes for 1,192 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is built to be a slot receiver as he stands just 6-foot and is a light weight at 176 pounds.
Marks is coming off his sophomore campaign where he had 74 receptions for 807 yards and seven touchdowns. With Luke Falk returning as quarterback and the team developing into a contender, as they won six of their last eight. Marks will make a nice draft choice for the 2017 season.
Bralon Addison, WR Oregon Ducks
Addison has declared for the NFL preceding his last season of eligibility. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt junior finished this season with 63 receptions for 804 yards and 10 touchdowns. His receptions and yards were low but finished fourth in touchdowns in the Pac-12. Look for him to be a third- or fourth-round draft choice. As of now, he is the 17th ranked wide receiver by NFLDraftScout Senior Analyst Rob Rang, Addison could be another Brandin Cooks. Someone who is undersized but a compacted athlete with top-notch acceleration, and could struggle to stay healthy.
New Year’s Resolutions Needed
Kevin Hogan, QB Stanford Cardinals
Hogan is one of those type quarterbacks that get a lot of accolades for little production. The senior has led the Cardinals to three Pac-12 championships (2012, 2013, 2015), and was named MVP of the Foster Farms Bowl (2014), and All Pac-12 second team this season. In the 2015 Rose Bowl, he led the Cardinals to a 45-16 blowout of Iowa in which he threw for three touchdowns.
Looking over his statistical numbers shows his growth and ineptitude to be considered a high draft choice in 2016. He will finish eighth in pass completions, seventh in yards, fifth in touchdowns, and sixth in interceptions for the Pac-12.
According to NFLDraftScout.com Hogan does some things very well. He has good accuracy at all three levels and has touch on the deep ball. His arm is a explosive device as he makes all throws. Hogan also has the legs to move around the pocket and take off when he needs too. “Stanford’s scheme calls for lots of play-action, boots and throwing on the move and deep shots – staples of a pro-style offense that suit Hogan’s athleticism and strong arm well.”
Hogan has an elongated delivery, and will struggle on some deep passes with accuracy. He can hit receivers accurately, but will also force them off their route, or getting crushed by the defense. He will also get complacent and just air-ball the pass, missing the wide receiver by plenty.
“He’s built for the NFL game with the toughness, heart, and intangibles that teams covet at the next level.” If he can find better accuracy and limit his timing on throws he can be a very successful quarterback. He looks to be a 4-6th round draft choice.
River Cracraft, WR Washington State Cougars
Cracraft was coming after a solid sophomore season where he caught 66 passes for 771 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. Something happened on the way to his 2015 season as he slid in each category and playing one game more.
Cracraft finished sixth in receptions (53), eleventh in yards (615), and had a major downswing in touchdowns (four). Cracraft is more of a slot receiver with his 198-pound body and standing at 6-foot tall. He will be entering his senior season in 2016, and if he can outperform his sophomore numbers, he will make an intriguing draft selection in 2017.
Shopping For Next Year
K.J. Costello QB, Stanford Cardinals
With Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan hitting the pro circuit this leaves open a competition between sophomore Keller Chryst and incoming freshman K.J. Costello. With Costello (6-foot-4, 213 pounds, 18 years and seven months), the Cardinals were able to grab the Rancho Santa Margarita, California project when he committed in March.
Listed as the 14th best prospect in the ESPN 300 he is ranked first in position, region, and state with an 89 scout grade. 247 Sports has him as the ninth-best recruit in the state, seventh-best pro-style quarterback nationally, and overall he has ranked as the 81st-best recruit national competition.
In the 247 composite ranks, he scored a 0.9733 which translates to “ Four-star prospect. One of the top 300 players in the nation. This prospect will be an impact-player for his college team. He is an All-American candidate who is projected to play professionally.” You can see the composite definition standards here. 247 Sports Rating Explanation.
Costello participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and completed 6-of-10 passes for 76-yards and two touchdowns with one interception. His 10 attempts are on par with the other quarterbacks who were invited to attend.
According to ESPN Player Evaluation Costello is deceptive with his feet as he can sidestep the rush and buy second chances. He can take off on the run, and is difficult to bring down. He is not overly athletic. He will stand tall in the pocket and take the heat from the pass rush, and has a quick trigger, and has good pre-snap reads. When balanced he can drive the ball into the strikezone and is accurate when going deep. Has a nice drop ball over the coverage. He is at his best with timing and progression feel. His release gets quicker and more compact as he grows into his body. He has very good arm power and can throw on the run. Can make all the throws needed in the field. A pure dropback passer.
He is not very dynamic, and must become quicker and more consistent with his drop speed and pocket movement. He seems tense and will windup sometimes to make throws. He is perfect for the Stanford Cardinals pro-style offense.
You can find the ESPN full scouting profile. (Subscription).
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