In the only real good matchup of Week 13 of the college football season, players stepped up for UCLA and USC. None more than the senior Bruins pass rusher. Hundley looked good too, sort of.
Time is rapidly dwindling for college football players to make a name for themselves before the 2015 NFL Draft.
In Week 13 of the season, no one seized on the opportunity quite like Owamagbe Odighizuwa of UCLA did. For many, Odighizuwa’s most memorable trait is his impossible to spell name. Against Southern California Saturday night, he showed there is much more to his game than nine syllables.
For much of the game, Odighizuwa was matched up with USC right tackle Zach Banner. This was no simple task considering Banner is a 350-pound force on the right side. Surprisingly enough, the 270-pound Odighizuwa was beating Banner with strength. Odighizuwa used leverage to move Banner around and challenge the Trojans’ running game.
He was even more impressive as a pass rusher, registering two sacks and a handful of hurries. One came on a move to the inside where Odighizuwa beat Banner with speedy initial move and made USC’s Cody Kessler move around in the pocket, which isn’t the quarterback’s strength. In addition to showing his athletic ability, the play showed Odighizuwa’s preparedness. He found a weakness in Banner’s game and exposed it. This isn’t an indictment on Banner either. If he decided to enter the draft, he would be a mid-round pick. Odighizuwa, meanwhile, is teetering on the edge of the first round.
Throughout the season, despite only having five sacks, Odighizuwa has been disruptive getting after the passer. He’s also done it aligned at left end and at defensive tackle. Teams will like that type of versatility.
More from USC/UCLA
For draft purposes, the USC/UCLA game was unquestionably the best of the weekend. In addition to Odighizuwa standing out, Leonard Williams of USC put together a good game. The comparison for Williams is often Richard Seymour, but to me he’s a smaller, and probably faster, version of Haloti Ngata of the Baltimore Ravens. Williams masterfully splits double teams and relies on his accelerations to create pressure. Williams didn’t have a sack on Saturday, but he was a major factor stopping the run. Good luck finding many weaknesses in Williams’ game. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders should be fighting over who gets to pick Williams at the top of the first round.
UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks is one of my 10 favorite prospects in the 2015 draft. That’s not to say he’s going to grade out as a top 10 player, he’s just a personal favorite. In the game, Kendricks had 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a highlight interception along the sidelines. Kendricks is going to get knocked during the offseason process because he’s short and his straight-line speed won’t blow you away. But he’s always around the ball and consistently makes a big impact.
Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley, arguably the most scrutinized player at his position in the draft, pretty much announced on the Jim Rome Show that he will enter the draft after this season. The junior already has his degree and said "I’ve done everything I wanted to do here. … That’s probably my last one against USC." If Hundley does go pro, he would be smart to play in the Senior Bowl. As a graduate, he’s eligible. There he would benefit from different passing game concepts.
Even though he completed 71 percent of his passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and an interception against USC, naysayers point to several easy throws and receivers getting yards after the catch benefitting Hundley. He’s a confounding prospect, that’s for sure, but he can deliver many impressive throws. If a third quarterback bursts into the first-round discussion after Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, it could end up being Hundley.
More draft notes
It's getting ugly for Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson. He had another interception and fumble on Saturday, bringing his season totals and 13 and 11, respectively. The fumbles are particularly concerning. You have to wonder what size Golson's hands will measure at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Check out the burst and long speed of Indiana running back Tevin Coleman against Ohio State on Saturday:
That play was 90 of Coleman’s 228 yards against Ohio State. Coleman is easy to overlook on a bad Indiana team and in a Big Ten that features three other good running back prospects. But Coleman’s first move and ability to hit the hole will make him an ideal zone runner.
The Senior Bowl is up to 41 rostered players after 16 more were announced this week. Among the notables is the aforementioned Odighizuwa and Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre Olomu. He’s notably had a couple down games this season. A couple of Duke players in wide receiver Jamison Crowder and guard Laken Tomlinson were also added. Both are solid third-round prospects for the Blue Devils.
The most interesting name is Washington State wide receiver Vince Mayle, who I admittedly need to watch more. Mayle is now slated to play in both the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game.
From former NFL scout Greg Gabriel, here’s something to ponder to conclude things:
Some team will force the pick of Mariota and take him much higher than he deserves. Very few QB's deserve to be taken in top 10
— Greg Gabriel (@greggabe) November 24, 2014
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