2011 NFL Draft: 20 Bowls With the Most Draft Talent
The BCS Bowl season is underway, which can only mean two things. First, many of the fans throughout college football will likely be burned out by the time the championship game appears.
Second, there is something for everyone. If you want to see a shootout, there's a group of games to see. If you want to see blowouts, there's a group of those too. Likewise, if you want to get a close look at talent that will likely go fairly high on draft boards, then here's that list.
The following are the 20 top bowl games to see for NFL draft talent.
20. Syracuse-Kansas State
1 of 20
The main thing to get excited about here would be Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas, a second round projection who would become a borderline first round pick if he has a great game against Syracuse and a good combine. Syracuse has several players that could be later round steals, such as linebacker Doug Hogue.
19. Nevada-Boston College
2 of 20
Colin Kaepernick is skyrocketing up draft boards and could become a third round quarterback selection if anyone's uncomfortable with the first five to six selections. Linebacker Dontay Moch could make a splash as well. As for Boston College, tackle Anthony Castonzo is the man to watch; there's no clear number one offensive lineman, so he could become that.
18. South Carolina-Florida State
3 of 20
South Carolina is a very good, youthful team; as a result, there's not much NFL talent to watch, unless you're looking at 2012 already. Florida State, however, does have Christian Ponder and guard Rodney Hudson, both solid second round picks.
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17. Georgia-UCF
4 of 20
There's one player to watch here: Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, who could launch himself into a top three selection here. If that's not your cup of tea, there's not much else aside from Georgia guard Clint Boling, probably a fourth rounder, and UCF linebacker Bruce Miller, who will probably be a pick near the end.
16. South Florida-Clemson
5 of 20
Much like Georgia-UCF, there's one player to watch here: lineman Da'Quan Bowers, almost certainly a top five pick, possibly number one if the Panthers suddenly want to keep Clausen. Beyond that, Clemson also has safeties DeAndre McDaniel, Marcus Gilchrist, and fellow lineman Jarvis Jenkins.
South Florida has players that could become draft picks with good performances here, like defensive tackle Tarrell McClain, but Clemson's D is the only thing to watch for NFL talent.
15. Boise State-Utah
6 of 20
There's not too much here, but there is the potential for many steals. Utah cornerback Brandon Burton could be an early second round pick if he declares, and Boise State has a solid wideout duo in Titus Young and Austin Pettis. and safety Jeron Johnson and Kellen Moore are possibilities as well if the latter declares.
14. Michigan-Mississippi State
7 of 20
There are multiple reasons to watch this game, though for draft talent may not be one of them. Michigan doesn't have much outside of guard Steven Shilling. Mississippi State, however, does have possible top offensive lineman Derek Sherrod, and linebacker K.J. Wright could make a splash.
13. Missouri-Iowa
8 of 20
Adrian Clayborn will be the story in this one. The Iowa lineman has slowly fallen down draft lists this season, and a good game against Missouri could help to reverse that trend. Missouri center Tim Barnes could make a leap if he holds other parts of the Iowa line.
Other people to watch include Ricky Stanzi, who's firmly in the middle of the draft right now, and defensive end Christian Ballard, who isn't being discussed much but could be a good second rounder.
12. Oklahoma State-Arizona
9 of 20
Probably the most obvious person to watch here is wide receiver Justin Blackmon. He's behind Green and Julio Jones, but with a dominant outing could put himself in the top third of the first round. Running back Kendall Hunter could make some noise as well. Arizona doesn't have much, but linebacker Brooks Reed has been moving up draft boards and could be a surprise over the next few months.
11. Tennessee-North Carolina
10 of 20
Tennessee may not have much, but they do have tight end Luke Stocker, who will like be picked in the first three rounds. The story is North Carolina's defense, mainly Robert Quinn, Bruce Carter, Marvin Austin, Quan Sturdivant, and Deunta Williams. All of them could be gone in the first half of the draft. Wide receiver Greg Little has been under the radar as well and could make some noise.
10. Florida-Penn State
11 of 20
One of the main people to watch is Penn State center Stefan Wisniewski, who could play himself into the first round in this game. Florida's Janoris Jenkins will likely be a mid-first round pick. Beyond that, guard Mike Pouncey and safety Ahmad Black could likely make a splash in the NFL.
9. Stanford-Virginia Tech
12 of 20
This will be a great game, but other than Andrew Luck, there's not much, and we've all seen what Luck can do. Other players to watch are Stanford defensive tackle Sione Fua, Virginia Tech tight end Andre Smith, cornerback Rashad Carmichael, and Tyrod Taylor, who I think will be the steal of the draft when we look back five years from now.
8. Oklahoma-Connecticut
13 of 20
This game should be surprisingly ripe with NFL talent. Running backs Jordan Todman and DeMarco Murray would be two of the best running backs on the board should the former declare. Aside from that, UConn has linebacker Lawrence Wilsonm and Oklahoma has safety Quinton Carter and linebacker Jeremy Beal, both likely second rounders.
7. Nebraska-Washington
14 of 20
The story here is Prince Amukamara vs. Jake Locker, of course, as the former will try to become the top cornerback in the draft and Locker tries to rebound and stay in the first round. Nebraska has a large pool of later draft picks as well, including wide receiver Paul Niles, and Washington has linebacker Mason Foster.
6. Arkansas-Ohio State
15 of 20
These two schools don't have quite as much high level talent as they used to, but they have great talent nonetheless. Ohio State has Cameron Heyward, who will try to bounce back into the first round, and they have loads of players who be drafted late. Arkansas has, aside from Ryan Mallett, DeMarcus Love and D.J. Williams, two offensive players who will be drafted early in the second round, if not the first.
5. Wisconsin-TCU
16 of 20
This game means more to the mid-major/major school rivalry, but nonetheless it has great talent. J.J. Watt is a first-round talent if he declares, as is tackle Gabe Carimi. TCU has a solid tackle as well in Marcus Cannon, and both teams have many late pick possibilities, including both quarterbacks, who could make a leap in draft boards after this game.
4. Auburn-Oregon
17 of 20
Despite the youth of most of these players, it's obvious that playing in the championship game will launch the stock of many of these players. Cam Newton and Nick Fairley have already launched into the first round, and while many of Oregon's players are young, after this game many will find their way high on mock drafts.
3. Miami-Notre Dame
18 of 20
These two teams always produce NFL talent, and now is no exception. Notre Dame has defensive lineman Ian Williams, and if one long snapper makes an NFL roster, it will likely be Jordan Cowart. Miami, meanwhile, is loaded. They have Allen Bailey, Orlando Franklin, Colin McCarthy, and Leonard Hankerson, let alone anyone who may declare, such as Brandon Harris.
If Notre Dame had any first rounders, this matchup would be first.
2. Texas A&M-LSU
19 of 20
This bowl game has a huge amount of top talent, although the later rounds are rather empty. The Aggies have everything on Von Miller, who is a first round talent and one of the best linebackers in the draft. Someone could always take a flier on now-backup Jerrod Johnson. As for LSU, Patrick Peterson is a top three draft pick, and Drake Nevis has launched himself into the first round.
If nothing else, this game could be good to see possible steals in the draft, since this one is top-heavy.
1. Alabama-Michigan State
20 of 20
This game has the workings of showing a lot of NFL talent, even though there's not too much noted right now. Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, and Julio Jones will be first-round picks if they declare, and tackle James Carpenter has played well. Michigan State has Greg Jones, Charlie Gantt, and Chris Rucker, and Jones could be a surprise pick after he would have been a first-rounder last year.
Much like the Cotton Bowl, this game will be to look for steals. The first 5-6 games are relatively even on NFL talent, so while this game may seem odd as a choice, if Michigan State shows up, then everyone's stock will skyrocket.
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