NFL Draft: Capital One Orange Bowl

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 Capital One Orange Bowl, here are some players to keep an eye on.

Capital One Orange Bowl: Mississippi St vs Georgia Tech

When: Dec 31st, 8 PM (EST)

Mississippi St

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Benardrick McKinney, JR # 50 (6’5 | 249 | 4.62)

Scouting report – McKinney takes too many false steps due to incorrect reads, but has the speed to erase his mistakes at the college level at least. His play recognition has improved every year, so it may not be an issue for long. McKinney is a superb athlete for his size with excellent closing speed and long arms to keep blockers off of him. He relies on his athleticism a bit too much, rarely using pass rush moves or aggressive hand play. That will have to change at the next level, but he is such a good athlete a little coaching should go a long way. McKinney is raw technique wise, but it’s impressive that he has been able to dominate on athleticism alone and with some technique refinement he could be hard to stop. With his height and speed, the talent is there to be a force in coverage as well, but he made too many bad reads and mistakes in coverage this year for it to be considered a strength yet. McKinney is likely a 1st or 2nd round pick based on his almost unlimited upside., but he may need a year or two of coaching before he makes a significant impact in the NFL.

Projection: 1st-2nd round

DE Preston Smith, SR #91 (6’5 | 270 | 4.92)

Scouting report – Isn’t going to win many battles with speed, but has good strength, uses his hands well, and has a few pass rush moves. Smith has good size with an impressive wingspan and is versatile enough to slide over to DT on passing downs.

Projection: 3rd-4th round

DT Kaleb Eulis, SR #92 (6’3 | 295 | 4.98)

Scouting report – Was a big part of Miss St’s improved defense this year. Eullis has shown flashes of being a dominant force inside, but also disappeared at times and was dominated at others (Alabama). Occasionally Eullis was a force against the run and flashed pass-rush ability (3 sacks), but couldn’t put it all together on a regular basis. He has the athleticism and strength to play at the next level, but inconsistency and a lack of production will drop him down to the later rounds.

Projection – 5th round

Georgia Tech

OG Shaq Mason, SR #70 (6’1 | 311 | 5.07)

Scouting report – Short, but an impressive run blocker with good mobility for his size. Mason is decent is pass pro as well, and could develop into a starting caliber guard at the next level.

Projection: 4th-5th round.

S Isaiah Johnson, SR #1 (6’1 | 213 | 4.56)

Scouting report – Missed all of 2013 with an ACL injury, but came back with a solid 2014 campaign. Johnson has good size and coverage instincts, but doesn’t have ideal range. He’s solid against the run with good tackling technique and would probably be better off at strong safety in the pros. Johnson projects as a reserve with upside, but will have to contribute on special teams to make an NFL roster.

Projection: 7th – UFA

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