NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: UNLV vs Wisconsin

ESPN's College Football coverage kicks off tomorrow with UNLV vs Wisconsin.  This game is available on ESPN, ESPN3, and ESPN 3D.  Excitement around the country has been building for the start of the football season even more so for those of us that cover the NFL draft.  This game features several NFL draft prospects that are discussed below.

Wisconsin: The Badgers feature several good looking prospects with the majority along the offensive line.  The top prospect of the group is Kevin Zeitler, a guard who has NFL starter written all over him.  Zeitler plays with a low center of gravity and remains balanced.  He shows the ability to be an above average pass and run blocker.

Zeitler is joined by Peter Konz and Ricky Wagner. Konz is battling fellow Big 10 center Mike Brewster for the top ranking at the position.  He is a player that you can win with and become a long term starter.  Wagner is still an underclassman and would benefit from the extra time in college. However, he has tremendous size and athletic ability.  He needs to improve his technique and consistency in order to be truly considered a top level NFL Prospect.

If you're a fan of skill position players then you should keep an eye on Montee Ball.  Ball is one part of the Wisconsin backfield but might be the most talented.  He possesses a good combination of size and quickness.  Ball keeps his pads low and is always moving his feet, which helps him break tackles.  He could easily emerge as a later first or early second round prospect.  Nick Toon is another good looking prospect that could develop into a good possession receiver in the NFL.  He lacks top end speed but possesses good size and leaping ability.

Nevada:  The Rebels football team suffered through a terrible season in 2011 finishing with a 2-11 record.  As evident from their record,  Nevada doesn't have a ton of NFL level talent.  However, defensive back Will Chandler will get some attention.  He ended the season with five interceptions two of which he returned for touchdowns.  Chandler is a good athlete with some quickness.