QUICK DRAFT DISH: WEEK 9

WEEK NINE

BYU @ BOISE STATE

Ø  BYU SR TE DEVIN MAHINA is not much of a prospect for me at this stage. Mahina is a solid blocker, but he doesn’t offer much as a receiving threat. Mahina has unreliable hands and he isn’t very athletic.

OREGON @ CAL

Ø  CAL RSOPH ILB HARDY NICKERSON is not a highly rated prospect to me right now. He is undersized and takes bad pursuit angles. He is the son of the NFL great by the same name. He needs at least more year to refine his technique and get bigger before he even thinks of declaring for the draft.

MINNESOTA @ ILLINOIS

Ø  MINNESOTA SR RB DAVID COBB is a hardnosed runner. Cobb is rarely brought down on first contact. He has decent speed and is average in the passing game.

DELAWARE @ WILLIAM & MARY

Ø  WILLIAM & MARY SR WR TRE’ MCBBRIDE is very athletic. McBride has very good speed and is good with the ball in his hands. He is very raw as a wide receiver. He has return game ability.

Ø  WILLIAM & MARY SR DE MIKE REILLY is a high motor guy. He has great size. He was drawing double-teams nearly the entire game against Delaware.

NORTH CAROLINA @ VIRGINIA

Ø  VIRGINIA SR RB KEVIN PARKS is a prospect I may have prematurely typecast as “just another guy”. In this game, Parks showed very good elusiveness and change of direction. He also has soft hands. He is still no more than a third down back in the NFL, but he may not be just a camp body like I wrote a month ago.

MISSISSIPPI STATE @ KENTUCKY

Ø  KENTUCKY SR DE ALVIN DUPREE is a versatile pass rusher. Dupree is quicker than fast. He has very good closing speed. He can be a stand up outside linebacker or a hand-down defensive end. Dupree is a likely second day pick, with a chance to elevate himself into the first round.

WEST VIRGINIA @ OKLAHOMA STATE

Ø  WEST VIRGINIA SR OG QUINTON SPAIN is a very solid guard prospect. He is very strong at the point of attack and is very athletic for his size. Spain is quick to the second level. He could be a fast riser as the draft process plays out.

SOUTH CAROLINA @ AUBURN

Ø  AUBURN SR OC REESE DISMUKES is one of the top center prospects. Dismukes has started every game for the Tigers since he stepped on campus. He has great power at the point of attack. Dismukes gets to the second level quickly. It is hard to gauge what kind of pass blocker he is, because is so rarely asked to be a traditional pass blocker. This is not unlike the issue I had when watching Greg Robinson a year ago and he went 2^nd overall. With all that being said, Dismukes will be battling OREGON SR OC HRONISS GRASSU for the top spot in my center rankings.

SOUTHERN CAL @ UTAH

Ø  UTAH SR DS BRIAN BLECHEN is a solid and slightly underrated prospect. Blechen has good range and solid speed. He is a solid tackler. He has had multiple injuries that will affect his final grade.

ARIZONA STATE @ WASHINGTON

Ø  WASHINGTON SR ILB JOHN TIMU is going to rise up draft boards. Timu has good speed and very good cover skills. He diagnoses plays quickly. He does a good job of filling the gaps on running plays.