NFL Draft: Medal of Honor Bowl Recap
The NFL draft season kicked off last Saturday with the 2nd annual Medal of Honor Bowl in Charleston, SC. It is the first of four major college all-star games which are showcases for potential NFL draft prospects. Last year was the first ever Medal of Honor Bowl so the talent level was less than the more established events like the East/West Shrine game and the of course the Senior Bowl, but still attracted some NFL talent. There were only three players from the MOH game drafted, but over 20 players who ended up on an NFL roster or practice squad at some point last year. Here is a breakdown of the MOH alumni who made significant contributions in their rookie seasons:
CB/S Walt Aikens, MIA – 4th round pick who played in 7 games for the Dolphins at both free safety and corner.
C Luke Bowanko, JAX – 6th round pick who started 15 games at center.
WR Taylor Gabriel, CLE – 621 receiving yards and a TD for the Browns.
WR/KR Soloman Patton, TB – MVP of the inaugural MOH bowl who became the Bucs primary return man
CB Malcolm Butler, NE – Played in 7 games at CB for the Pats including one start
The Bears must have scouted last year’s game well because they had four MOH alumni on their practice squad this season, including two players that were just re-signed for next year, DE Jamill Merrill (RUT) and TE Jacob Maxwell (ULL).
As expected the 2nd annual MOH bowl has even more potential NFL talent than last year’s game. It’s a pretty cool idea to recognize the sacrifices our armed forces make with a bowl game in their honor and I could see the popularity of this event growing every year. For now the game rosters are stocked mostly with players that are a few inches to small, half a second too slow, or relative unknowns from small schools. There are quite a few prospects projected to be drafted though with 15 players who have draftable grades from established scouting sites. A lot can change in the next few months, but here is a list of the highest ranked prospects in this year’s game: S Jermaine Whitehead (AUB), DE Shaq Riddick (WV), G Shaq Mason (GT), C Jake Smith (LOU), G Torrian Wilson (CFU) & WR Cam Worthy (ECU)*.
For a breakdown of the players who helped their draft status in the game, check out the next two pages: