Week Two Risers
1. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
Against Penn State, Conner carried the ball 22 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Conner added another touchdown and 29 yards on four receptions in Pitt's 42-39 win over it's cross-state rival.
Last season, Conner suffered a season-ending MCL tear in Week 1 and then found out during rehab that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Connor was a workhorse back for the Panthers in 2014, rushing for 1,765 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns, earning ACC Player of the Year (over Jameis Winston) and First Team All-American honors.
He was even used some as a pass-rush specialist in 2014.
My pre-season thoughts: Conner is more of a throwback-style runner, using his brute power and toughness to run over defenders and break tackles. Prior to his injury, he appeared like a one speed runner who wasn't a factor in the passing game. A similar player, Jordan Howard was drafted in the fifth round in 2016. Draft and post-draft ceiling of Matt Jones.
UPDATE: It was inspirational watching the piece ESPN's Game Day did on Conner. In interviews, he sounds like a mature young man, and his coaching staff raves about him. It sounds like he will be very involved in the community and in cancer research. On the field, he seems to be healthy and more productive in the passing game (screen passes, and shuffle pass).
2. Devon Allen, WR, Oregon
Against Virginia, Allen caught four passes for 141 yards, including a 77-yards touchdown.
A phenom in track, Allen finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2016 Olympics, but missed all of spring workouts and most of August.
As a true freshman, Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards with seven touchdowns in 2014, but suffered a torn ACL on a kick-off return in the national semifinals. Upon his return, Allen only caught just nine passes last season in limited action.
My pre-season thoughts: Allen's back-story as a track athlete is interesting, but Allen needs to prove he is more than just a track star playing football. If he does, NFL teams could see him as the 2017 version of Will Fuller. Allen is listed at 6'0/185.
3. Ejuan Price, DE, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh redshirt senior DE Ejuan Price twice swept past left tackle Brendan Mahon to force first-half fumbles by new Penn State QB Trace McSorley. Disruptive throughout the day, Price also finished with three hurries, but those official numbers seems a bit low.
Price was awarded a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA. Price missed two and a half years of playing time due to injuries, including a torn pectoral muscle and back injuries.
Listed at just 6'0 and 255 pounds, Price is an under-sized, over-aged, sixth-year senior, with a long injury history, but he finished 2015 with 11.5 sacks, and already has 2.5 after his two games in 2016. He is likely a late round prospect whose ceiling might be Elvis Dumervil (Broncos).
4. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky
Taylor caught nine passes for 121 yards in Saturday's 38-10 loss to Alabama. In 2015, Taylor caught ten passes against LSU, proving Taylor isn't just producing against lower-level competition.
Taylor was a 0-star recruit whose only other offers were Colorado State and UT-Martin, but he quickly proved to be a diamond in the rough, earning seven starts as a true freshman. As a sophomore, he once again started seven games, and had 69 catches for 1,037 yards in his first two seasons.
In 2015, Taylor set single-season records for receiving yards (1,467), receptions (86) and touchdown catches (17). Additionally, Taylor only dropped two passes all season. Strangely, Taylor was only on the field for 53.5 percent of the school’s snaps in 2015 and 53 percent of his catches were made between the numbers and less than 10 yards down field.
Tayor made Bruce Feldman's Annual 'Freaks List": Feldman wrote "his spring testing numbers — an 11-5 broad jump, a 39.5-inch vertical and a 4.33 40 — figure to turn heads when the wideout gets to the NFL Combine next year."
My pre-season thoughts: The 6'1", 195-pound senior may miss QB Brandon Doughty in 2016, but if he sees a higher percentage of his teams snaps, his numbers may not suffer that much. His resume should get him a Senior Bowl invite, and if Feldman is correct, the NFL Combine may also boost his stock.
5. Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh
Against Penn State, Johnson and LT Adam Bisnowaty (whom I will profile at a late date) helped pave the way for a ball-control attack led by RB James Conner. Pitt finished with 341 yards rushing. So impressed was DraftInsider.net's Tony Pauline, he now believes Johnson could break into the draft’s top 32 selections.
Over the summer, NFL.com ranked Johnson as their #61 player in college football. Draft analyst Fran Duffy has called him one of his favorite offensive lineman in the 2017 Draft Class.
My pre-season thoughts: A blue-chip recruit, Johnson has delivered on his potential, starting 29 games during his first three seasons on campus. The full-time starter at left guard the last two years, Johnson was named second-team All-ACC this past season and is a big part of what has a chance to be one of the nation's best offensive lines this season.
6. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
Against Virginia Tech, JRM was in on 13 tackles, including eight solo one week after being ejected for targeting against App State. Hardly his best game, as he sometimes gets out of control, diving and submarining, but should endear himself to some coaches with his kamikaze style.
Reeves-Maybin surprised some when he decided to return to Tennessee for his senior season, rather than enter the NFL draft. He started every game at linebacker as a sophomore and junior. Graduated in three years.
Led the team in special teams tackles (11) as a true freshman. Reeves-Maybin became the Volunteers' starting weak-side linebacker as a sophomore in 2014 and posted triple-digit tackles each of the past two seasons, including a career-best 105 stops in 2015. He also led the team in tackles for loss (14.0) in 2015, adding 6.0 sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles.
He had 21 tackles (13 solo, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass-break-up) in the Oklahoma game alone last season, proving to be an explosive tackler capable of disrupting plays in the backfield. Draftbreakdown
Over the summer, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote: "it's impossible not to love his combination of athleticism and instincts. He has an innate feel for where running backs are headed and how to get to them."
My pre-season thoughts: A 6-foot, 225-pound senior, Reeves-Maybin returned to Knoxville for another year after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons. What stands out to me is that he has the "contact-balance" of a running back. It is difficult to gauge the NFL's value of these type of players. For every Shaq Thompson (first round), there is a Jeremy Cash (undrafted). Last season, I was a big fan of Su'a Cravens. Reeves-Maybin appears to be a comparable player.
7. Ken Ekanem, Edge Rusher, Virginia Tech
Ekanem was in on five tackles, including 1.5 sacks adding a pass break-up against Tennessee. He look advantage of an over-matched Tennessee OLine that is the achilles heel of the Vols.
Ekanem made 38 tackles in 2015, including 4.5 sacks. His numbers dropped from 2014, when he had 14.5 tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks.
At 6'3/255, his frame might be better as a 3-4 OLB rather than a 4-3 DE. Looks like a better prospect than Dadi Nicolas (6th round, Chiefs).
8. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
Pumphrey ran for a career-high 281 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's 45-40 win over Cal. During the game, Pumphrey passed Marshall Faulk to become the SDS's all-time rushing leader (4,651 yards). Pumphrey was lightning in a bottle, as he averaged 9.7 yards per attempt in this game, displaying blinding change of direction and acceleration. Expect some Tyler Ervin (4th round pk) comparisons once we get to the draft season.
Pumphrey might not be all that big at 5-9 and 180 pounds, but the senior RB can handle the work just fine touching the ball almost 340 times and cranking out 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2015.
Coming off an 1,873-yard, 20 touchdown sophomore season, and with 752 yards in his freshman year, Pumphrey already has a lot of miles on his wheels, but has proven to be durable.
Extremely fast, he came to San Diego State as a 155-pounder and turned into a workhorse, bulking up enough to handle the ball for 309 rushes while catching 28 passes for 416 yards last year with nine 100-yard games in 2015.
9. Nico Siragusa, OG, San Diego State
A mauler with some ability to both pull and hit secondary targets.
Pre-season notes: Aztecs tailback Donnel Pumphrey has quietly rushed for 3,520 yards over the last two seasons, in an offense built around a physical running game, even with a 180-pound running back. Pumphrey is one of the nation's top tailbacks, and he's been aided by strong line play, led by Siragusa at left guard. A first-team All-Mountain West selection, the 6-foot-5, 335-pound senior is a mauler who drives defenders off the line of scrimmage and has been the starter the past two years.
10. Calvin Munson, LB, San Diego State
Against California, Munson finished with 14 tackles, including a sack. His 2nd quarter blitz directly led to a pick-six. A blitz in the 3rd, led Cal to a throw out the back on the endzone. Kind of reminds me of Scooby Wright when he was healthy at Arizona.
The Aztecs ranked ninth in yards per play allowed last season, with a terrific defense leading them to a Mountain West title. A 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior, Munson shined as a junior. He set the tone for the season with two interceptions returned for TDs in the Aztecs' opener and ultimately went on to finish with 98 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9 ½ sacks and two forced fumbles.
My pre-season thoughts: A big 6-1, 240-pound force on the inside, Munson is a good athlete with excellent range, leading the team with 98 tackles after making 85 as a sophomore. Devastating in the backfield, Munson came up with 9.5 sacks with 15 tackles for loss, while also picking off two passes. Lack of ideal measurables makes it unlikely he will be picked before the fifth round.
11. Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State
Cal QB Davis Webb put the ball in the air a remarkable 72 times, but San Diego State won 45-40.
With so many more favorable match-ups, Cal largely avoided Kazee. While he did give up a 59-yard TD in the 3rd (replay never really showed how Kazee ended up five yards behind the Cal WR), in the end, Kazee made five solo tackles, an assist, and intercepted a pass on Webb's final throw (with nine seconds left) to seal the victory, the team's 12th in a row.
After nearly deciding to turn pro, Kazee opted to return for his senior season with the Aztecs. Kazee was named last seasons' Mountain West defensive player of the year after an exceptional junior season in which he had 75 tackles, eight interceptions, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a punt return TD.
The 5-11, 190-pounder is a good hitter who’s tough in the open field, but it’s his athleticism and anticipation on the ball that makes him stand out. He’s at his best when the ball is in the air.
Week Two Sliders
1. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
Against Virginia Tech, Barnett managed just one tackle. After two games, Barnett has zero sacks and just one QB hurry. Entering the season, with a resume that compares to Myles Garrett, Barnett was almost universally seen as a first round pick, but was held in check against the Hokies.
ESPN's Mel Kiper ranked Barnett No. 16 on his first 2017 Big Board and he was ranked 19th on Matt Millers big board after week one. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler mocked Barnett to the Panthers with pick #26 in his 9/6/16 mock.
Meanwhile, DraftInsider.net's Tony Pauline gave Barnett just a third round grade over the summer.
The former four-star recruit burst onto the scene in 2014 as the first true freshman defensive lineman to start the season opener in a Tennessee uniform. He set new freshman school records with 20.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks, playing in all 13 games. Barnett followed up with a team-best 10.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss last season as a sophomore, earning All-SEC honors in 2015.
A former four-start recruit, as a true freshman, Barnett's 20.5 TFL were the most recorded by any Volunteer in the last 14 years. He also added 72 tackles with 10 sacks. In 2015, Barnett had 69 tackles with 12.5 for a loss and 10 sacks.
Pro Football Focus ranked Barnett as the fourth best player in college football. Only Ohio State’s Joey Bosa graded higher among 4-3 defensive ends in 2015, with Barnett racking up 10 sacks, 10 hits and 42 hurries last year.
Meanwhile, Anthony Chiado, of Optimum Scouting did some fine analysis of various edge-rushers over the summer. He ranks Barnett just his sixth best edge rusher. Chiado writes "One area where Barnett falls off from other possible 2017 prospects is his Sack Conversion Rate. His rate of 7.7% falls well below the 2017 class average of 35.1%."
My pre-season thoughts: Barnett (6-3, 268) is a disruptive edge defender who is a natural pass-rusher, despite not processing ideal physical traits. Barnett may become a polarizing prospect, but I believe most NFL teams will see Barnett as a Shaq Lawson level prospect, that with good health, is just outside of the top-10.
UPDATE: Over the summer, CBS Sports' Rob Rang shared his pre-season thoughts: Rang cautions Barnett may become a polarizing prospect, and suggests some of his production comes from scheme. After watching the "Battle at Bristol", I can see why not everyone is sold on Barnett. While he does show consistent ability to get under the offensive lineman's pads, while still turning the corner, I have some questions about his athleticism. While he entered this game as my #2 edge rusher, I now have him as just a potential top-20 pick.
2. Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee
Hurd rushed for 99 yards on 22 carries in Saturday's 45-24 win over Virginia Tech. With his career 4.6 YPC average, Hurd is quickly becoming a polarizing draft prospect.
Hurd came to UT as a five-star recruit, and immediately made his presence felt. He started nine games, rushing for 899 yard and caught 35 passes as a true freshman. Last season, he rushed for 1,288 yards adding 22 receptions, with 14 combined touchdowns.
My pre-season thoughts: A gargantuan (6'3/243) power back with absurd athleticism for his size, Hurd is built nearly identical to Derrick Henry, and may be just as fast. His lateral ability appears superior to the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner. If he has not already broke into the top five, he could by the NFL Combine.
UPDATE: I was pretty high on Hurd, ranking him RB4 last May. While it is clear, the Vols' OLine is part of the problem, Hurd has not looked like a top-100 pick thus far. I am not sure if it he lacks RB vision or instincts, but his playing speed does not seem to be as good as good as his workouts. His yards after contact average is low and he struggles to reel off big runs. He is a high-volume runner, that is substituted for in passing situations.
3. Bucky Hodges, TE/WR, Virginia Tech
Against Tennessee, Hodges finished with just three catches for 13 yards, but drew a couple pass-interference calls and added four rushing attempts, gaining 22 yards.
The red-shirt junior has 85 catches over his first two seasons, including 40 catches for 530 yards and six TDs in 2015.
Hodges was "mocked" as the 31st and 32nd pick by Rang and Brugler (of CBS Sports) in the days before the start of the NFL regular season, and entering 2016 most analysts consider him among the top TEs in the nation.
My pre-season thoughts: Probably the only TE prospect that can catch (Alabama TE OJ) Howard, Hodges has only scratched the surface of his potential. Hodges came to Blacksburg as a quarterback, but swiftly emerged into a seam-busting tight end in the passing attack. He’s an outstanding all-around athlete, and at 6-7 and 245 pounds he can create serious matchup nightmares with opposing linebackers and safeties. There are only so many Jimmy Grahams in the world. When watching Hodges, it is easy to see him eventually becoming that type of weapon.
However, unlike the defense, the Hokie offense is not one that regularly develops NFL-ready offensive players. Could that change under new coach Justin Fuente?
UPDATE: Fuente has moved Hodges around a lot, but early this season, he is primarily lining up as a WR, instead of TE. Hodges is rumored to have run a 4.46 second 40-yard dash with a 38.5" vertical, but I don't see that kind of speed on film. The Hokies seem to like to make public their players testing numbers, however history tell us that these numbers are rarely duplicated at the NFL Combine.
Still a potential first rounder, I doubt Hodges goes that high. He looks like the same player I saw vs Ohio State back in 2014. The similarly-sized Tyler Kroft (drafted 85th overall in 2015) would probably be Hodges draft floor. Once in the NFL, Hodges may not develop beyond a Joseph Fauria red-zone gadget, if he does not improve on his technique. He seems like a boom or bust player.
4. Brandon Facyson, CB, Virginia Tech
Quarterbacks are often afraid to throw in the direction of elite corners, but that has not been the case for Facyson the past few seasons.
Facyson made a fast impact , logging a team-high five interceptions as a freshman in 2013 on a Hokies defense that also included senior corner Kyle Fuller (1st rd 2014) and younger brother Kendall Fuller (3rd rd 2016). Facyson started nine of 12 games in 2013, earning third-team All-ACC honors. As a freshman, Facyson missed one game with a concussion.
Then the wheels fell off. First, he missed spring practices in 2014 because of a stress reaction in his left shin. Bone graft surgery after spring practices that year was supposed to aid healing. He returned to the field that fall, but was shut-down after just three games after re-aggravating the shin injury. Attempting to return for the Hokies' bowl game, Facyson broke his left fibula and tibia that December, causing him to miss 2015 spring practices.
Facyson returned to have a successful 2015 season in which he started 10 games and had a team-high 10 pass breakups, but a knee injury suffered in February that once again prevented him for participating in during spring practices.
My thoughts: A good but not great cover corner with excellent hands that have snagged an awful lot of balls as a freshman. With 23 career pass break-ups in just 22 starts, Facyson (6-2, 189) is very gifted, but his health will be something to monitor. The rising redshirt junior has battled injuries his entire career. Good student (biology major). Coaching changes are not expected to bring much change to the Hokies' defense, as it retained long-time DC Bud Foster.
5. Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State
Against Pittsburgh, Godwin was in and out of the lineup with a leg injury, and only caught four passes for 36 yards.
As a true sophomore, Godwin caught 69 passes for 1,101 yards (2nd in Big-10) in 2015. Godwin supplanted DaeSean Hamilton as the #1 target in the Penn State offense.
My thoughts: Just the third Nittany Lion to have over 1,000 yards receiving, more is expected of Godwin in 2016. Listed at 6'1/208, Godwin appears to be a bulked-up wideout with an NFL frame, but Hamilton was getting all the looks early in the game, and with PSU trying to comeback late in the game.
6. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech
Probably shouldn't be considered a "slider" at this point, but came into the game ranked as WR3 by CBS draft analysts, but looked more like he will be a complementary player in the NFL.
Against Tennessee, the Hokies made an effort to get Ford involved early (was targeted on three of the Hokies' first five offensive plays), but like the rest of the team, he did little after the first quarter, finishing with just 51 yards on five catches. He did made a move on potential All-SEC corner Cameron Sutton that helped him gain a lot of separation, but the pass was late, and Sutton's last second play on the ball caused Ford to drop it.
As a true freshman, Ford led the Hokies in receiving with 56 catches for 709 yards.
In 2015, Ford was a first team All-ACC performer, finishing with 75 catches for 1164 yards as a sophomore. His season ended with 12 catches for 227 yards against Tulsa.
My pre-season thoughts: Listed at 6'2/190, Ford needs to continue to get stronger. While new head coach Justin Feunte helped groom Paxton Lynch, he isn't know for developing top receivers.
UPDATE: Coming into the game with back-to-back games over eleven catches, Ford was held to only five catches once the competition improved from Tulsa and Liberty to an SEC team. While better days are likely ahead, I see Ford as a tick below Tyler Boyd (55th pick, Bengals) in terms of draft stock.