Every Saturday during the college football season, we'll have an open thread for readers of Buffalo Rumblings to discuss college football games. The thread is open to any and all collegiate discussions, but the posts themselves will emphasize draft prospects. This is, after all, a Buffalo Bills blog.
This is the exact template we'll be using for the rest of the season. Our plan at the moment is to discuss a few players per week - strengths, weaknesses, previous week's performance notes - and then preview the upcoming week. We hope it becomes a valuable resource for you.
Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada. "Had good numbers, but isn't an NFL QB. I wouldn't spend a draft pick on him as a quarterback, especially given his decent potential as a WR. Good arm strength, but he sacrifices accuracy to really fling it. His throws wobble too often, and that gimmicky scheme doesn't really prepare him for the NFL. He's a great athlete, though, and I think he's got mid-round potential as a WR. If there's one thing I dread about the NFL Draft, it's the yearly explanations that need to be given out time and time again about why these QBs who put up big numbers in small conferences and random schemes, or who win a ton of games in ideal circumstances, aren't anything more than marginal QB prospects." -- kaisertown
Dontay Moch, LB, Nevada. "His pure speed rush flashed dominance to the point of absurdity a couple times, but he gets lost in the wash with regularity, or when a lineman gets a hold of him. He does show some potential bull rushing and using moves, but he's quite the work in progress. When he is capable of disengaging, his athletic ability allows him to punch and move inside in a potentially dominant fashion as well. Serious Al Davis style potential here." -- kaisertown
Cameron Jordan, DE, California. "His best fit might actually be as a strong-side DE in a Pete Carroll-style 4-3 with an elephant LB. He's also a great fit as a DE in a 3-4 playing next to a run stuffer where Jordan can just go after the QB. He'd fit just fine as a DE in a 4-3 playing across from a TE too. Jordan is an aggressive pass rusher with great athletic ability for his size. Great burst, stays low and redirects his big frame well moving forward. He played in Tyson Alualu's shadow last year, but he's going to climb draft boards all year long. A legit early round (my guess is second) prospect." -- kaisertown
Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA. "Akeem Ayers was everywhere. He lines up on both the weak and strong side depending on package, and shifts down to DE in their nickel package. Ayers will also line up as a fifth defensive lineman, but standing up in a 4-3 over. He rushes the passer like an OLB does. That means he's got a great burst off the line and anticipates things well. Great blitzer, but lacks moves and doesn't use his hands to his advantage. He's extremely long and athletic for his size. Not exactly strong in coverage, but for somebody with his overall skill set, it's a small price to pay. As good as you can expect a 250-255 pounder to be in coverage who isn't a Brian Urlacher type freak. Phenomenal at disengaging or working through blocks. Ayers is also smart in pursuit and when the run goes to the opposite side of the field, he'll still make tackles 6-7 yards down the field after the rest of his crap defense couldn't make a play. Diagnoses runs between the tackles and plays with instincts like a 4-3 MLB would. Looked like a first rounder who could play any scheme to me. A strong option for Buffalo if Ayers were to be sitting there early in the second round." -- kaisertown
Week 4 Preview
Washington and quarterback Jake Locker have the weekend off - which is probably a good thing, given their drubbing at the hands of Nebraska a week ago - but the rest of the nation's best quarterback prospects are on prominent display today.
(16) Stanford at Notre Dame - 3:30 PM, NBC
Andrew Luck. Enough said. The redshirt sophomore is arguably the best quarterback prospect in the nation, and most of you probably haven't seen him play yet. Today's a golden opportunity.
(1) Alabama at (10) Arkansas - 3:30 PM, CBS
Ryan Mallett is the not name on the QB prospect list at the moment, and a strong performance against the best team in the nation would do wonders for his not-quite-as-high-as-most-perceive-it draft stock.
Wake Forest at Florida State - 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN3
Everyone's writing off Christian Ponder after a horrid performance against Oklahoma, but he played reasonably well a week later against BYU, and should be in for a huge day against Wake Forest's struggling defense.
Other games to keep an eye on: Rutgers/North Carolina (3:30, ESPNU), Eastern Michigan/Ohio State (3:30, ABC), UCLA/Texas (3:30, ABC), Oklahoma/Cincinnati (6:00, ESPN2), Kentucky/Florida (7:00, ESPNU), South Carolina/Auburn (7:45, ESPN), Oregon State/Boise State (8:00, ABC), West Virginia/LSU (9:00, ESPN2)