[Dynasty] 2017 Draft Prospects (1 Viewer)

SEC Country's David Collier wrote that "you can't sleep on [LSU junior RB] Darrel Williams."


Williams -- a four-star prospect from the 2014 cycle -- rushed for 2,201 yards and 32 touchdowns during his senior season at John Ehrit High, but has never come close to that kind of production with the Tigers. Which is understandable. 2014 was the same year that Leonard Fournette arrived on campus. Playing third fiddle to Fournette and five-star stud Derrius Guice during the 2015 campaign, the 6-foot, 232-pound Williams rushed for 296 yards (4.9 YPC) and four touchdowns. LSU HC Les Miles said last fall that Williams is "a big, strong, powerful back who will play in the NFL a number of years."
 
Source: SEC Country

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Miami junior QB Brad Kaaya "needs to improve his week-to-week consistency to warrant the future first round hype he’s received," writes Pro Football Focus' Steve Palazzolo.
"He did take big strides last year as a true sophomore, finishing with the seventh-best passing grade among returning Power-5 quarterbacks," wrote Palazzolo. "For Kaaya to take the next step, he must improve his play under pressure where his grade fell from a +21.5 in a clean pocket to a -3.0 when under heat." Kaaya checked in at No. 87 player on Pro Football Focus' college football player rankings. In all, he threw for 3,238 yards (61.2% completions) with a 16/5 TD/INT ratio last fall.

 
 
Source: Pro Football Focus 
Jul 7 - 8:14 PM

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UCLA redshirt senior WR Kenneth Walker ran a 10.56 second 100-meter dash.
The Bruins intend to use that speed this fall, especially with Jordan Payton, Thomas Duarte and Devin Fuller now playing on Sundays. "He could be one of the surprises in the country this year," UCLA HC Jim Mora said. "I know that's a really, really big statement to make. I just got a gut feeling about the kid. ... His problem has never been speed. We've all seen at times that he doesn't catch the ball as consistently as you'd like, but the last few weeks, he just has." Walker averaged almost 26 yards per catch on his nine receptions last season. The usage will go up this fall. "He's a tremendous big-play threat who could be a real bright spot for a retooled UCLA offense this fall if he continues to make strides with his catching," noted B/R's Justin Ferguson.

 
 
Source: LA Times
Jul 11 - 5:03 PM

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Washington State senior WR Gabe Marks indicated that he will take on an expanded leadership role in 2016.


Marks relayed that departed wideout Dom Williams had previously served as one of the team's most vocal leaders. He wants to fill that role, now. The 6-foot, 176-pounder has at least one strong card already in his leadership deck. Following the close of the 2015 season, Marks could have jumped for the draft. Instead, he opted to return to Pullman in the hopes that he and his Cougar friends could improve on a surprise nine-win season. Said HC Mike Leach, "He’s a guy [who is] very passionate about football. The other players draw from that. The way that his energy reaches the rest of our team I thought was maybe the biggest thing." Last season, Marks logged an impressive 104-1192-15receiving line. There is even room to improve on those lofty numbers with Williams (75-1040-11) out of the picture.
 
Source: USA Today

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Arkansas junior WR Jared Cornelius was the only player in the SEC to record a play of 40-plus yards as a receiver, rusher and punt returner in 2015.
Cornelius landed on the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award due to his productive flexibility. The award is handed out annually to the most versatile player in the country. The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder finished out the 2015 season having caught 24 passes for 393 yards (16.4 YPC) and three touchdowns. A midseason broken arm sidelined him for four games.
Source: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Cal junior RB Vic Enwere ran for 127 yards on only six tries for a 21.2 yards per carry average in the spring game.
The bruiser has bulked up to 235 pounds since stepping onto campus a smaller man. He's managed to keep the athleticism, as fans saw during an 80-yard touchdown jaunt in the first half of the spring game. Last season, Enwere led the team with eight rushing touchdowns. He ran for 505 yards on a team-high 106 carries. He added seven receptions for 31 yards to finish with 536 all-purpose yards.

 
 
Source: ESPN 
Jul 29 - 6:03 PM

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An AFC college scouting director says LSU junior RB Leonard Fournette is "a bad dude."


"Big, fast, nimble, runs with aggression," he said. "You watch a (Adrian) Peterson and see Gurley and talk about how rare they are, and two years later here comes another one. … And [FSU junior Dalvin] Cook is extremely dynamic. Those two are really good. It’s a (Ricky) Williams/(Edgerrin) James type of year, and the other kids are good too. You’re seeing a rebirth of the position." MMQB noted that Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey may be a third 2016 first-rounder from the group, while Georgia’s Nick Chubb could be fourth if he's healthy. The RB crop is so incredibly deep that Oregon’s Royce Freeman and Tennessee's Jalen Hurd head into the season almost as afterthoughts.
Source: MMQB

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LSU HC Les Miles singled out the work of junior RB Darrel Williams after Saturday's scrimmage.
"Darrel had a hell of a day. We really enjoyed his performance," Miles said, adding that the 6-foot, 232-pounder has "always given us enough." Williams was a four-star recruit out of high school, but the presences of fellow backs Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice naturally limit his touches. He still managed 296 yards rushing (4.9 YPC) and four touchdowns a season ago. Should serious injury hit Fournette and/or Guice, the Tigers seem confident that Williams would be able to step in and perform admirably.

 
 
Source: SEC Country 
Aug 21 - 2:00 PM

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ESPN's Todd McShay wrote that LSU junior WR Malachi Dupre "fearless working the middle of the field and shows excellent focus in traffic."
McShay wants to see further refinement of Dupre's route-running, but notes that he "has the size (6-4), athleticism and ball skills to be a big-play threat in the NFL." The long-time ESPN draft mouthpiece believes that the 6-foot-4, 187-pounder is "at his best in one-on-one situations downfield or red zone battles." Playing in LSU's conservative offensive scheme last season, Dupre caught 43 passes for 698 yards and six touchdowns. It would be nice to see what he could do in a more wide-open attack, but we will have to wait until he hits the NFL to see that potential blossoming.

 
Source: ESPN Insider

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ESPN's Todd McShay noted that Texas A&M redshirt junior WR Ricky Seals-Jones "causes all kinds of mismatch problems, particularly in the red zone."
McShay is gaga over Seals-Jones' 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame, noting that "[h]is big-strong hands swallow the ball, and his length/leaping ability give him a wide catch radius." The analyst went on to write that Seals-Jones is "shifty and agile enough to create yards in the open field [despite the lack of a true top gear]." Playing in a stacked receiving corps, the wideout caught 45 passes for 560 yards and four touchdowns last season. McShay ranks him as the No. 2 draft-eligible wide receiver in the country, just behind USC's JuJu Smith-Schuster.

 
Source: ESPN Insider

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Pitt RB coach Andre Powell said that the staff was "really encouraged" by redshirt junior RB James Conner's performance in scrimmage on Saturday.
The Panthers continue to monitor and limit Conner's touches as he makes his way back from a torn MCL and Hodgkins lymphoma (on both fronts, he is said to be doing well health-wise), but these limitations are of the precautionary nature only. To whit, Powell said that there is "no doubt about it" that the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder will start the season-opener against Villanova. He rumbled his way to 1,6765 yards and 26 touchdowns during a healthy 2014 campaign. Just how much Pittsburgh places on his plate initially remains to be seen.

 
 
Source: ESPN.com 
Aug 22 - 4:00 PM

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ESPN's Todd McShay ranks Oklahoma redshirt junior QB Baker Mayfield No. 7 among quarterbacks in the 2017 draft.
"He has the football intelligence, accuracy and mobility to develop into one of the better backups in the NFL, but his frame could prevent him from becoming a full-time starter," McShay wrote. "Although Mayfield shows above-average decision-making as a passer, he takes a lot of punishment trying to extend plays." The analyst gave Mayfield a "60" scouting grade, career backup territory. Mayfield threw for 3,700 yards and a 36/7 TD/INT ratio last fall.

 
 
Source: ESPN Insider 
Aug 23 - 6:46 PM

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Oklahoma State junior QB Mason Rudolph was listed No. 8 on Todd McShay's quarterback prospect rankings.
"He has the frame and mental make-up that you look for, but his below average arm strength is concerning," McShay wrote. "The ball hangs in the air too long, and he throws a lot of floaters." The analyst gave him a "59" scouting grade, but added the caveat that Rudolph's "grade could change drastically" because he's only started 15 times at this point. Pro Football Focus is considerably higher on Rudolph, ranking him as the No. 2 draft-eligible quarterback behind Deshaun Watson. Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko compares Rudolph to Ryan Tannehill.

 
 
Source: ESPN Insider 
Aug 24 - 7:03 PM

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