2014 NFL Draft: Latest Stock Report for CFB's Biggest Names
There were only 14 games on the FBS college football schedule last week, consisting mostly of conference championship games. Less was more for some NFL draft hopefuls, however, as they received a bigger stage to showcase their talent to audiences.
Two of the biggest stages came in the Big Ten Championship Game, in which Michigan State upset Ohio State, and in the SEC Championship Game, in which Auburn earned a BCS National Championship Game berth with a 59-42 victory against Missouri.
Among the other players to receive a national spotlight were those of Louisville and Cincinnati, who played the lone Thursday night game of the week. Bowling Green and Northern Illinois took the Friday night spotlight in the MAC Championship Game, in which Bowling Green handed NIU its first loss of the season.
In the following slides, we take a look at a player or players from each of those games who likely either helped or hurt themselves in the eyes of NFL scouts this past week, along with one other player whose draft stock is down due to unfortunate injury news.
Stock Up: Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard
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One of the stars of Michigan State’s win against Ohio State was senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard.
On a national stage and against the best offense MSU had faced all season, Dennard showed why he is considered one of the top CB prospects in the draft.
A physical cornerback who excels in man-to-man coverage, Dennard was frequently left on an island and consistently locked down his opponents, which included a potential NFL wide receiver in junior Devin Smith.
It was a rare occasion where Dennard did allow his opponent to separate, however, that generated his highlight of the night.
On a 3rd-and-10 in the third quarter, Smith beat Dennard up the right sideline and had a chance to track in a 37-yard deep ball to the end zone. Dennard showed his recovery speed and ball skills to catch up as the pass floated just long enough for Dennard to come in from behind, bring his arm over the top of Smith’s arms, and knock the pass away from the receiver.
I had my doubts about Dennard as an early-round prospect going into the game, and one game doesn’t make a player, but he certainly looked like a star in this contest.
While he does not have terrific measurables for his position, he makes up for it with his instincts and strength.
Stock Down: Ohio State FS C.J. Barnett
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Ohio State’s pass defense has been exposed in its past two games, allowing both opposing quarterbacks to throw for career-high yardage totals.
One of the biggest reasons for their struggles has been the poor play of free safety C.J. Barnett, especially in Saturday night’s loss to Michigan State.
Barnett actually had a good game against the run, recording seven tackles, and he broke in front of a pass for the game’s only takeaway with an interception. In pass coverage, however, he was burned on several big plays by being completely out of position.
The Spartans had three passing plays of 33 or more yards and three passing touchdowns. Aside from a 72-yard touchdown pass, Barnett was at least partially at fault for all of them.
In the second quarter, Barnett ended in a one-on-one matchup with receiver Tony Lippett on the right side of the field, and Lippett beat him with his speed up the sideline to make a 33-yard touchdown catch.
Early in the fourth quarter, Barnett was badly out of position on a 48-yard run-and-catch by Macgarrett Kings Jr.
Seven plays later, he was yards away as he left tight end Josiah Price wide open in the Spartans end zone for a nine-yard touchdown catch.
Barnett is a decent athlete who tackles well and can make plays on the ball, but he has given up more than his fair share of big plays throughout his OSU career. His latest poor performance could give teams caution in drafting him at all.
Stock Up: Ohio State RB Carlos Hyde
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Senior running back Carlos Hyde’s draft stock has been rising all season, and it continued to do so even in an Ohio State loss last weekend.
Against a vaunted Michigan State rushing defense that ranks No. 1 nationally with less than 81 rushing yards allowed per game, Hyde ran for 118 yards on 18 carries, his eighth consecutive game with a triple-digit rushing total.
Hyde did not have as many big plays, but he continued to be a source of reliable, tough yards even against a defense with NFL prospects at all three levels.
While the Spartans have been successful in shutting down most running backs this year, Hyde used his great size (listed 6’0", 235 lbs), power and burst to gain consistent yardage out of the backfield and through contact.
Arguably the best running back in college football this year, Hyde continued to solidify his stock as a Day 2 draft selection with a strong performance against his toughest competition of the season to date.
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Stock Up: Auburn RB Tre Mason
4 of 9By running for 304 yards and four touchdowns against the Missouri defense in the SEC Championship Game, Tre Mason led his team to a berth in the BCS National Championship Game, earned himself an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, and made a big impression on NFL scouts.
Auburn gave their junior running back the ball for a career-high 46 rushing attempts because, quite frankly, Missouri couldn’t stop him.
The Tigers’ rushing offense ranks No. 1 in the nation after putting up a combined 545 rushing yards Saturday, but it has been Mason leading the way for the group all season.
Mason may not consistently run away from or run over defenses, but he is a compact back who has a great burst out of the backfield, bounces off contact well, has good shiftiness and attacks defenses downhill. He also showed Saturday that he can carry a heavy load and remain durably effective.
Against a Missouri defense that had not given up 200 rushing yards to any team all season, Mason made them look silly all on his own, legitimizing himself as an NFL prospect and possible early-entry candidate.
Mason said Sunday he is “not sure” whether he will enter the 2014 draft.
"I've been talking to my family, talking to a couple guys that I know that are already there like (Baltimore Ravens safety) Matt Elam and guys like that,” Mason said, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com. “I've been discussing those things with them and they said don't worry about it, leave it in God's hands. He's going to make the right decision for you, so I'm just going to let time wind down."
Stock Up: Auburn LT Greg Robinson
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While Tre Mason has been the star of the Auburn offense, its success all starts with the effort of a very good offensive line up front. The star of that unit has been redshirt sophomore Greg Robinson, who is quickly emerging as a highly touted pro prospect.
With fantastic size (listed 6’5”, 320 lbs) and long arms, but also terrific athleticism for his size, Robinson has immense potential. He displayed just how good of a player he could become on Saturday when he was dominant as both a pass protector and run blocker.
Missouri has two of the nation’s best pass-rushers in defensive ends Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, resulting in 38 sacks this season, but they were held to just one Saturday. The leader of that effort for the offensive line was Robinson, who gave up very little pressure against the defensive ends who matched up with him on the left side.
Meanwhile, Robinson was also dominant as a run blocker, driving defenders back with his power while using his quickness to pick up defenders upfield and make key blocks along the way to his offense’s 545-yard rushing day.
As Auburn is moving into the spotlight with a national championship berth, so is Robinson.
Robinson has two years of eligibility remaining, but considering how impressive his development has been, he could easily end up a first-round selection should he declare.
Stock Up: Auburn CB Chris Davis
6 of 9There may not be one player in all of college football who has made a bigger name for himself in the past two weeks than cornerback Chris Davis.
Davis cemented his place in Auburn lore when he returned a missed field goal 109 yards as time expired to win the Iron Bowl against Alabama.
He continued to play well Saturday against Missouri to help put his team into the BCS National Championship Game. While Davis left the game briefly with a shoulder injury, he returned and played well in coverage throughout the game.
Once again, he made a big play late in the game.
Lined up against Missouri’s star receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, he covered him tightly on a short 4th-and-1 route, turned back to the ball with Green-Beckham, and got his hand in to knock down a pass. The stop gave Auburn the ball deep in Missouri territory and all but clinched the game for Auburn with a 10-point lead and less than five minutes to play.
Davis has shown his speed and playmaking ability over the past two weeks, and is a solid overall cover corner. He has solid size (5’11”, 200 lbs), good short-area quickness, and is a solid tackler.
Fresh off two big games in a row, Davis’ positive momentum continued Monday when he was announced as an addition to the 2014 Senior Bowl roster.
He can provide solid depth and good special teams play at the next level and has two more major stages to potentially keep his draft stock rising (or have it crash back down to earth) in the BCS title game and the Senior Bowl.
Stock Down: LSU QB Zach Mettenberger
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While Auburn’s success may have given LSU a sense of pride as the only team to beat Auburn this season, the past two weeks have been much worse for quarterback Zach Mettenberger, as he was diagnosed with a torn ACL last week.
That injury will ceartinly hurt Mettenberger's draft stock, who had been in position to be as high as the second quarterback selected in the draft.
A 6’5”, 235-pound, strong-armed quarterback who showed he can make any throw on the field, he likely would be a first-round pick if still healthy, but the injury could easily push him down to the third or fourth round.
For teams looking to make an immediate upgrade, a healthy Mettenberger would have been one of the top options, especially since Marcus Mariota's announcement he would be returning to Oregon. But with an injury that could very well keep Mettenberger out all of next year, things get a lot more iffy.
If Mettenberger falls out of the first two rounds, he could become a steal for a team looking to find its quarterback of the future.
Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday that “at least two scouting directors” still have first-round grades on Mettenberger, but there remains five months for that to potentially change.
Stock Up: Louisville WR DeVante Parker
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DeVante Parker has never put up the consistent production at Louisville that one would like to see from a top prospect, but the junior wideout is a very skilled playmaker who can make big plays both by contested catches and by extending plays in the open field.
He was at his best Thursday against Cincinnati. Less than three minutes into the game, he showed his open-field running ability as he quickly accelerated from a short catch, showed some wiggle, and ran by a defender with his speed en route to a 36-yard touchdown.
With less than three minutes left in regulation, he scored again.
Although locked up by tight coverage in the end zone by a Cincinnati defensive back, he fought through the contact to make a leaping touchdown grab on a fade pass.
In total, Parker finished the game with a career-high nine catches and 104 yards. He made big plays but was a reliable short-to-intermediate target as well—something he must prove to be a high draft pick.
While Parker could use another year of development, he has early-round NFL ability and may be smart to leave as a junior if his quarterback, projected No. 1 overall pick Teddy Bridgewater, does the same.
He does not always play like a first-round pick, but he showed why he could end up being an early selection with the playmaking ability he showed Thursday.
Stock Down: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch
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Jordan Lynch is unlikely to be an NFL draft pick, and although he had a very productive season that earned him an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, his poor performance against Bowling Green in the MAC Championship Game will not be one he wants NFL scouts to see.
Lynch completed just 21 of 40 passing attempts for 219 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 47-27 defeat that cost Northern Illinois its chance at an undefeated season and BCS bowl berth.
Though he did have 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns, he got 43 of those yards and the second touchdown in a garbage-time, late fourth-quarter drive when NIU was already down 27 points. Overall, playing against a defense that was arguably the toughest he faced all season, Lynch faltered.
Lynch has been very successful at NIU as a dual-threat quarterback, but while he has some big total offensive performances against MAC defenses, his showings against Bowling Green and against bigger schools in the past have not been nearly as impressive. He mustered only 35 rushing yards earlier this year against Purdue, 56 against Iowa to open the season, and, in last year’s Orange Bowl, just 44 on 23 carries against Florida State.
Some have suggested that Lynch could find a role as a wide receiver or another special, novelty role at the next level, but when he has to go up against better athletes in college, his performance has not held up.
Being a Heisman finalist isn’t going to convince anyone that Lynch, who does not demonstrate the downfield passing ability of an NFL quarterback, should be drafted in any form. And playing against Utah State in the Poinsettia Bowl is unlikely to be the platform he needs to build up his draft stock, either.
Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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