College football bowl season is under way. If you are like most NFL fans, you know some players on the top college football teams but that is about it. As a Bears fan, my NFL season has been over for weeks so I’ve gotten an early start on my scouting for next year’s NFL draft.
I love watching football even if it’s games I have no rooting interest in, so over the holidays I end watching a lot of random bowl games. One thing that makes the bowl games more interesting for me is to keep an eye on players who will be drafted next season. This year I will breaking down the players who have a shot at getting drafted for most of the remaining bowl games. If you end up watching the Belk Bowl, here are some players to keep an eye on.
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Belk Bowl: Georgia vs Louisville
When: Dec. 30th 6:30 PM (EST)
Georgia
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
RB Todd Gurley, JR # (6’1 | 226 | 4.46)
Scouting report – Rare blend of speed and power, Gurley has dominated when healthy for the Bulldogs. He can run inside or out and has soft hands out of the backfield. Gurley is the complete package and should break the 2-year streak of no RBs being drafted in the 1st round.
Projection: 1st round
ILB Ramik Wilson, SR # (6’3 | 237 | 4.68)
Scouting report – Underrated LB prospect who has had over 100 tackles for two years in a row. Wilson has the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline run stopper and the short area quickness to be a dangerous inside blitzer and fierce hitter between the hashes. His coverage ability was his biggest weakness going into 2014, but he improved considerably and is now a well-rounded prospect with few weaknesses. Wilson might be a little small for an ILB, but it won’t be an issue in some schemes. He could theoretically move over to the weak-side if needed. If Wilson falls to the 3rd or 4th round, some team is going to get a steal.
Projection: 3rd round
CB Damian Swann, SR #5 (5’11 | 180 | 4.52)
Scouting report -Versatile defensive back who could play corner or safety at the next level. Swann doesn’t have any one skill that stands out, but he has been a consistent play-maker during his 3 years as a starter for the Bulldogs. He doesn’t project as a star, but should be a solid NFL defensive back.
Projection: 4th-5th round
DE Ray Drew, SR #47 (6’4 | 284 | 4.79)
Scouting report – Disappointed this year and even lost his starting job for a stretch. More was expected out of the former 5-star recruit who played pretty well as a junior with 6 sacks and 11 TFLs. Despite his lack of production this year, Drew has NFL size and athleticism so a team may take a flier on Drew during day 3. His versatility is also a plus; Drew can play as a 3-4 end or a 4-3 end on early downs and move to DT in passing situation.
Projection: 6th-7th
*Underclassmen OLB Leonard Floyd, DE Jordan Jenkins, OT John Theuss & WR Malcolm Mitchell are all expected to return to school next season otherwise they would be on this list.