25 Seniors Who Will Improve Their NFL Draft Stock During Bowl Season

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William Gholston is another player that people had high expectations for, but the Michigan State Spartans as a whole came up short throughout the year.

Gholston has great speed and strength, and he will need to display both when the Spartans take on TCU in their bowl game.

Landry Jones

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Landry Jones came back for his senior season, and while the Sooners had some hype and national title aspirations around them, Jones still had a good year despite falling short of most of their team goals. 

With a matchup against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, Jones still has the opportunity to show that he is the elite quarterback coming out. 

Matt Barkley

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Matt Barkley came back to USC for his final season to win a Heisman and to go to a national title game. He will get neither but needs a solid bowl game to improve his stock.

This season was nothing close to what Barkley had envisioned, so a solid bowl outing could go a long way for the USC senior. 

Dion Jordan

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Before the season began, Dion Jordan was being talked about as a potential first-round pick. While he showed the ability to live up to that hype, Jordan also struggled with injuries this year.

With time to heal up, Jordan should be ready to showcase his talents against a top offense in Kansas State.

Chase Thomas

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Chase Thomas had an outstanding season this year and was the key piece of the Stanford defense that was able to slow down so many teams like Oregon.

Thomas has the ability to go side to side and help in the run game as well as drop back in passing situations. A solid Rose Bowl will help garner him even more attention. 

William Gholston

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William Gholston is another player that people had high expectations for, but the Michigan State Spartans as a whole came up short throughout the year.

Gholston has great speed and strength, and he will need to display both when the Spartans take on TCU in their bowl game.

Manti Te'o

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Alabama will clearly be the best team that the Irish will have faced all year long. Manti Te'o has been a key part to a stingy Irish defense, and he will be center stage in the national title game. 

With all eyes on him, Te'o has a chance to solidify and even improve his already-high draft stock with a solid game against Alabama. 

Geno Smith

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Geno Smith started out the season as one of the hottest names in college football, but as the calender turned to October, Smith and the Mountaineers cooled off. 

With a bowl game against Syracuse still in front of him, Smith could use a big game to help drive up his draft stock.

Terrance Williams

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Since Robert Griffin III left for the NFL, Terrance Williams has not received a lot of buzz like he did in 2011. Even without Griffin, Williams still had 95 receptions, 1,764 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

With one final game, Williams can put his talents on display and try to grab the attention of the NFL before graduating. 

Kenjon Barner

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After the USC game, Kenjon Barner made a strong case to be towards the top of everyone's Heisman ballot. Since that game, Barner's production fell off and so did his Heisman case.

With a game against Kansas State remaining, Barner has one more chance to show the scouts that he can be an impact player.

Chance Warmack

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Chance Warmack is going to be playing in his final game as a member of the Crimson Tide, and it will be in the national title game.

Warmack has done a great job on the offensive line, but by going up against a team like Notre Dame, he has a chance to shine against an elite defense. 

Denard Robinson

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Regardless of whether he is at running back, receiver or quarterback, Denard Robinson needs to show that his talents can transfer to the NFL.

Towards the end of the season, Michigan seems to have found an effective role for him, but in his final game with the Wolverines, all of Robinson's talents need to shine. 

Stepfan Taylor

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Stepfan Taylor may be the best-kept secret in the nation. Taylor has the ability to run hard and carry the workload and has done so all year long for the Cardinal. 

With a chance to step on to the big stage at the Rose Bowl, Taylor has the chance to become a household name. 

Collin Klein

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Collin Klein truly stepped up this year and kept the Wildcats in the national title hunt and has also kept himself in the Heisman Trophy hunt. 

With one game remaining against the Ducks, Klein needs to continue to show his consistency and ability to lead his team to victory. 

Jordan Poyer

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Despite playing in the Northwest and not receiving a ton of attention, Jordan Poyer had a great year for Oregon State. During the season, Poyer had seven interceptions and was able to shut down other team's passing games. 

Plenty of eyes will be on Texas during its bowl game, so an impressive outing by Poyer would go a long way. 

Matt Scott

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For much of the second half of the season, Matt Scott was not a player that many were talking about. Scott did display a strong arm and the ability to put points on the board, but as he enters his final game, he needs to remind people of the type of player he was at the start of the season. 

Markus Wheaton

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Markus Wheaton is a speedy receiver that showed he can stretch the defense all season long. By playing at Oregon State, Wheaton has not received a lot of attention, but a big bowl game could draw some eyes before the upcoming draft. 

Montee Ball

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Montee Ball came back to Wisconsin to try and help lead the Badgers to another Big Ten title and to finally finish things off with a win in the Rose Bowl.

Ball has helped get the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl and a solid game, along with a win, will go a long way for Ball at the next level. 

Barrett Jones

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Barrett Jones has been the leader on the Alabama offensive line for a while now, and he now faces his final test at Alabama—a national title game against Notre Dame.

The Irish have a great defense, so if Jones can help the offense stay on track and open up holes in the running game, he will go out on a high note.

Alex Okafor

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Alex Okafor battled through some injury issues this year and is no facing his final game at Texas. Okafor has the ability to use both his speed and strength to get after quarterbacks, and that is something that the Longhorns will need against Oregon State.

T.J. McDonald

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T.J. McDonald was the leader of a USC defense that at times looked to be lost and without direction. While McDonald has the size and speed to be successful in the NFL, a solid bowl game could help but some scouts at ease. 

John Jenkins

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John Jenkins is a disruptive force on the defensive line, and he makes it extremely hard for teams to run against Georgia. 

Bowl games allow certain players to be in the spotlight for all of the nation to see, and if he can help slow down the Nebraska rushing attack, he will receive plenty of attention. 

Johnthan Banks

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Johnthan Banks is one of the best corners in the nation, but he did not quite match the performance that he turned in last year.

With a game against Northwestern remaining, Banks is looking to turn in one more shutdown performance to impress the scouts. 

Tavon Austin

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Tavon Austin was the main target for Geno Smith this year, but much like Smith, the buzz around Austin wore off towards the middle of the year when West Virginia began to fall off.

With their bowl game against Syracuse remaining, Austin has a chance to put up big numbers and look extremely impressive in his final game. 

Desmond Trufant

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Before leaving Washington, Desmond Trufant has a bowl game remaining against Boise State. Right now when you have the chance to play against Boise State, you have the chance to gain some attention. Turning in a big game in this matchup would go a long way. 

E.J. Manuel

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E.J. Manuel's final test will come against Northern Illinois. This is a tricky game for Manuel as he is in an interesting situation. 

When playing the Huskies, Manuel knows that he needs a strong performance. While a good performance may be overlooked, a bad one would be widely criticized.