Big Ten Football: 10 Players Who Deserve Senior Bowl Invites
With just a couple of weeks remaining in the 2014 college football season, the cream is rising to the top. Teams like Ohio State and Wisconsin have made strong claims to the lead in respective divisions, while seniors across the conference are putting up performances that are sure to catch the attention of pro scouts and those responsible for selecting players for the 2015 Senior Bowl.
Players eligible for the Senior Bowl are only those who have completed their collegiate eligibility, so although there may be some Big Ten guys out there who could hear their names being called earlier in the 2015 NFL draft than anyone on our list, we're only selecting those pro prospects who are most deserving of finding a roster spot in Mobile, Alabama, on January 24.
Andre Monroe, DL, Maryland
1 of 10
Andre Monroe isn't the most physically imposing defensive lineman in the Big Ten, but what his 5'11", 282-pound frame lacks in size is made up for with a motor that never stops and a tenacious attitude that opposing offensives struggle to contain.
You wouldn't expect a sub-285-pound, under six-foot guy to make a massive impact on the stat sheet—especially against some of the monstrous offensive lines the Big Ten fields—but the numbers don't lie.
Just this season, Monroe has amassed eight sacks (leading all Big Ten upperclassmen), 11 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and 52 total tackles.
Add that to his equally impressive numbers from 2013 and you suddenly have an undersized guy that NFL teams will be watching every week. While undersized guys don't always find a roster spot, Monroe's on-field performance against some of the top offensive lines in the nation should be good enough to attract some attention come spring.
Gary Nova, QB, Rutgers
2 of 10
There have been plenty of great quarterback moments this season in the Big Ten, but not many of them have come from senior signal-callers. Of the quarterbacks exhausting their eligibility this season, Rutgers' Gary Nova has had the best outing—but not by much.
Nova leads all seniors and is fourth in the conference with 221.2 yards per game, but if Nova has any hope of not only impressing pro scouts but earning any recognition from the Senior Bowl, he'll need to improve upon his 16-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the last few weeks of the 2014 season.
Some things in Nova's favor include his completion rating, which sits north of 58 percent, and his Big Ten-leading 9.3 yards per attempt—a number that also puts him in the fourth spot among all FBS quarterbacks.
Landon Feichter, S, Purdue
3 of 10
When your team is 4-18 over the past two seasons, you have to look for some individual silver linings to the program's dark clouds. Landon Feichter is one such highlight for Purdue.
Feichter leads the Big Ten with five interceptions so far this season and has added to his takeaway total with a forced fumble as well. He's credited with 87 tackles this season, an incredibly high number for a safety through 10 games (although it's safe to say Purdue's relative weakness in the defensive front seven contributes to that stat).
Feichter is fast, smart and can sniff out a pass almost as soon as a quarterback decides to throw the ball—all traits that could serve him well at the next level. Add in his leadership abilities (on a team that desperately needed them), and Feichter should be getting a solid look from the folks at the Senior Bowl.
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Kenny Bell, WR, Nebraska
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If Kenny Bell had been playing at nearly any other school in the nation, or at Nebraska during any other period of time, he might be one of the most celebrated wide receivers in a generation. Instead, he's battled through inconsistent play from his quarterbacks and attention-stealing performances from his teammate at running back.
Still, look at Bell's resume, and it's clear that he's a special player. The Cornhuskers have, for obvious reasons, been emphasizing the running game this season, but even with a guy like Ameer Abdullah in the backfield, Bell has still found a way to being second among Big Ten senior receivers in yards this season (and in the top 10 in the conference among all receivers).
What doesn't show up on the stat sheet is his play-making ability. Bell has a distinct knack for turning would-be incompletions into not only receptions, but also big plays. Bell has stellar numbers in yards-after-catch, and his route-running is second to none in the nation.
These are all great qualities pro scouts want to see from draft prospects.
Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State
5 of 10
If you have been watching Michigan State play this season, chances are you've heard one name on defense over and over again: Kurtis Drummond.
This Spartan safety seems to be everywhere all at once, making plays, breaking up passes, pulling down interceptions and generally being a thorn in the side of offensive coordinators and quarterbacks.
He leads the Big Ten with 12 passes defended (combined breakups and interceptions) and is second among all Big Ten seniors with three picks on the year thus far. He's even managed to add in three tackles for loss among his 53 total tackles this season.
Drummond will be among some of the top senior defensive backs to enter the NFL draft this spring, and he should get strong consideration from the Senior Bowl selection committee.
Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan State
6 of 10
With all of the big-name, big-number running backs in the Big Ten this season, it might be easy to lose track of some of the otherwise stellar performances being overshadowed by some record-breaking numbers. But there's no reason Michigan State's Jeremy Langford should be left out of the Senior Bowl discussion, especially with the Big Ten's top rushers still a year shy of their senior seasons.
Among seniors, Langford is third in the conference—a conference that boasts four of the nation's top 10 rushers this season (no other conference has more than one). Langford is also fourth in rushing yards per game among all FBS seniors this year, and his stat of 15 rushing touchdowns is third in the Big Ten (second among seniors).
With MSU's offensive resurgence this season—and a "New Year's Six" bowl still a distinct possibility for the Spartans—Langford will have plenty of opportunities to impress both NFL scouts and Senior Bowl representatives before we tie a bow on the 2014 season.
Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa
7 of 10
The Big Ten is full of talented offensive linemen, but there are few anywhere in the nation better than Iowa's Brandon Scherff.
A dominating presence on the Hawkeyes line, Scherff is about as "NFL-ready" as O-linemen get. He's 6'5" and tips the scales at 320 pounds, giving up incredible leverage against any defensive lineman he's ever seen (or is likely ever to see).
What's more, he's one of the most intelligent in the game. Scherff was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and second-team All-American in 2013, and he was a preseason first-team All-American this season.
Already a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, Scherff is likely to land in a similar spot on the Outland Trophy semifinalist list when it's released later this week.
David Cobb, RB, Minnesota
8 of 10
If we asked you to name the top three running backs in the Big Ten, chances are your thoughts wouldn't revolve around anyone playing for the Golden Gophers.
They should.
If you haven't seen him yet, let us introduce you to Minnesota's David Cobb. Despite not generating much fanfare, Cobb has managed to amass 1,350 rushing yards so far this season—third in the Big Ten, and 31 more (so far) than Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah.
Minnesota doesn't have a flashy offense, and the Gophers are ranked dead last in the Big Ten in terms of their passing offense. Enter Cobb. He's been an absolute workhorse this season, carrying the football a conference-leading 254 times (which is second in the nation, just six carries behind Boise State's Jay Ajayi).
He may not be gaining nine yards per carry, but it takes a lot of guts and endurance to run that much week-in and week-out (so you can bet there are some guys from the NFL watching this durable back).
Tony Lippett, WR, Michigan State
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Through 10 games, no Big Ten receiver has reached 1,000 yards. Tony Lippett has 999.
In a conference known more for hard-nosed running than anything else, Lippett has found a way not only to excite MSU fans with his big-play ability, but also to creep in the top 15 nationally in receiving yards. He's currently sixth nationally among seniors.
Lippett not only leads the Big Ten in receiving yards, he also leads the way in receiving touchdowns with nine.
Who would have thought that Michigan State, with its perennial defensive muscle, would be landing a running back and a wide receiver on our Senior Bowl watch list?
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
10 of 10
If you don't think Ameer Abdullah is one of the top running back prospects to come out of college this season, you might need your head examined. Abdullah has done it all this year for Nebraska, including putting up four games with over 200 yards rushing (and six with at least 100).
After a knee sprain injury suffered against Purdue, and the resulting less-than-impressive outing against Wisconsin (not to mention the amazing numbers put up by Melvin Gordon), his hunt for a second straight Big Ten rushing title has likely ended. But that doesn't mean he's not a safe bet to hear his name called early in the 2015 NFL draft.
Abdullah has all of the tools a running back can have: speed, acceleration, elusiveness, strength, agility...the list is almost endless. The only true question about his participation in the Senior Bowl could boil down to whether or not he wants to participate. He probably doesn't need the extra time in front of the scouts, and if his knee is at all a concern, the risk may outweigh any potential benefit.
Still, with a guy like Abdullah finishing out his eligibility this season, we can't leave him off a list like this!
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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