Draft Bulletin

Matt Szczur, WR, Villanova

The top offensive player of the week was USC RB Allen Bradford but due to the fact that he has already been a player of the week we have deferred to Matt Szczur. Villanova went into Texas to face the #3 team in the country and they dominated in their big upset win. Szczur who has missed most of the season due to injury was still not 100% in his second game back. Despite that, he still was unstoppable. Szczur had 11 catches for 128 yards and a TD. In addition to that he also had 68 yards rushing. Stephen F. Austin did not have an answer for him all game long. The only time he was contained was when he was on the sideline trying to recover. Szczur is a big time talent. He has good size and really good speed and quickness. He uses his quickness to create separation (on this level a ton of separation) but he still has deep speed to stretch the field vertically as well as horizontally. He has really good hands and runs like a RB. He is a big time player who no doubt can be a solid NFL player the only question is whether he will pick football or baseball. He is also a big time baseball prospect.

Week 13: Cameron Kenney, WR, Oklahoma

Cameron Kenney hasn't contributed a whole lot this season but he picked a great time to break out and make a huge contribution. He entered the gave with only 5 catches in conference play but he finished the game with 6 catches for 141 yards and two TDs. He didn't enter the game until midway through the second quarter. Oklahoma's offense and in particular, Kenny Stills, was struggling a little bit. Kenney came in and provided a spark. He ran good routes and caught the ball well. He helped the offense get on track and caught a TD to finish out the first half. Late in the fourth quarter it seemed like Oklahoma St was gaining all the momentum but Kenney came up with another big play, a 86 yard TD catch to help spark the Sooners and help them finish strong. Kenney had become an afterthought but this game and the ability to elevate his play in a big game has put him back on the radar as someone who could be invited to camp. Kenney has shown good speed and has good athletic ability. He is someone who can potentially fill a lot of roles which also makes him attractive to the next level.

Week 12: Titus Young, WR, Boise St

Boise St was really impressive this past week against a good Fresno St team. Titus Young was his typical dominant self, leading the Broncos with 8 catches for 164 yards and 2 TDs. The yardage makes him the school's all-time leader in career receiving yards. Young has been dominant all season. He has had at least 4 catches and 69 yards in every game this season. While that might not seem like big numbers, keep in mind that Boise St has dominated just about every game. It is rare for the starters to play much of the fourth quarter if at all. Young has good speed and runs good routes, he is able to consistently get separation. He gets to top speed quickly which is why he is able to get behind DBs so easily. He rarely drops the ball and he is able to get yards after catch. The only thing he lacks is size, but that isn't a big deal. Receivers that lack size need two things- toughness and strength. Young displayed both of those this past week. He showed toughness making catches over the middle of the field. On one play he took a big hit but he didn't flinch. On his second TD catch he showed great strength. He made a one handed catch and was able to hold on to the ball with one hand despite hitting the ground while the defender had his hands on the ball. As with Boise St in general, Titus Young is a little underrated and he figures to be a really good player in the NFL.

Week 11: Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada

The top offensive performance of the week was turned in by Jeremy Kerley of TCU but since he has already been named player of the week we have deferred to Colin Kaepernick. It is obvious that Kaepernick has a lot of natural talent. The thing that caught my attention this past week is how he performed in a tight game against a scrappy Fresno St team. When watching QBs there are two main things that I watch: how do they perform with defenders in their face and how do they perform with the game on the line. This past week Kaepernick played very well with the game on the line. Late in the first half Fresno St scored to go up 17-7. Nevada got the ball and started on their own 27 yd line. Kaepernick led the team down the field, converting on two third downs and completing all but one pass. This set up a short TD run by Taua with one minute left in the half. Nevada then got the ball back with 44 seconds left and Kaepernick hit a 19 yard pass to set up a one yard run by Taua with 34 seconds left in the half. They had totally changed the game in the last 4 minutes of the half. In the fourth quarter Nevada found themselves down again. Nevada got the ball and Kaepernick led them down the field to the 8 yard line, again completing all but one pass. This time Taua was stuffed and Nevada lost the ball on downs. The next time Nevada got the ball, Kaepernick led them down the field for the game winning TD. Again he only had one incompletion and he converted on two third downs. Overall, Kaepernick accounted for 324 yards of total offense. He has all the physical skills, this performance showed that he has the mental capacity and the leadership abilities to play QB on the next level.

Week 10: Andy Dalton, QB, TCU

In the biggest game of the season Andy Dalton was nearly flawless as he led the Horned Frogs to a dominating victory over the undefeated Utah Utes. Outside of the season opener against Oregon St., TCU hasn't really been challenged much at all. This was a rivalry game in the most hostile environment they would play in this year and they calmly took care of business. Dalton has shown good leadership and command over this offense which has scored under 30 points only once this season. His numbers say it all, in the biggest game of the season in the most hostile environment he completed 21 of 26 passes for 355 yards and threw 3 TDs and had no INTs. Dalton has been solid this year, making good decisions and making good throws. He has good size and decent arm strength. On the next level he figures to be a solid backup who could eventually develop into a starting QB.

Week 9: Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon

In Oregon's huge matchup with USC, it was Jeff Maehl who helped lead the offense for the Ducks. All cylinders were firing and Maehl was at the center of it. He ended the game with 8 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs. Those numbers in them self are impressive but it was what was behind those numbers that was even more impressive. Each of Maehl's TDs came right after USC took the lead. A lot of his damage was done against Shareece Wright, who is a really good prospect. While he was not only the go to guy in the passing game he also made numerous contributions away from the ball. He threw the key block for LaMichael James' first TD run which went for 42 yards. That touchdown run was set up by Oregon flipping field position with a good punt that pinned USC inside their own 10 yard line. The player that downed the ball was non other than Jeff Maehl. While not the biggest or fastest, Maehl is a smart player with good hands. He runs good routes and has a knack for making big plays. He gives good effort in all aspects of the game. While he will never be a number one receiver on the next level, he can be that jack of all trades type of player that all championship teams possess.

Week 8: Ben Lamaak, C, Iowa St

The Iowa St Cyclones pulled off the upset by beating Texas and one of the main reasons why they were able to do it was because they were able to run the ball effectively. Alexander Robinson ran for over 100 yards and most of them came right up the middle, behind Lamaak. Lamaak did a really good job getting on blocks and sticking to them. He consistently sealed the hole and was quick enough to get to the second level. He has good toughness and battles. He does a decent job anchoring in pass protection. He isn't an elite athlete but typically gets the job done. He has had a good year and is working his way up to being a draftable prospect.

Week 7: Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville

For the second week in a row Bilal Powell ran for over 200 yards. This past week was against Cincinnati which has a decent defense. Powell is really climbing the draft board, this is his third straight 100 yard game. His 85 yard touchdown this past week is the third touchdown of 70 yards or more this season. He ended the game with 2 TDs and averaged 8.7 yards per carry. Powell has good size and can break some tackles but he also has pretty good feet for a big guy and can make defenders miss from time to time. He possesses good speed and really has a good burst through the hole. All these abilities in addition to good vision and balance are the reason why he is able to break so many long plays. While he entered the year as a priority free agent type, he is definitely in the draftable discussion and could climb pretty high in the draft depending on what underclassmen declare.

Week 6: Rodney Hudson, G, Florida St

Florida St was able to run all over Miami and one of the reasons was Rodney Hudson. He dominated in this game. He dominated Marcus Forston and Colin McCarthy who are both decent pro prospects. In a big, important rivalry game Hudson was just about perfect. While he isn't really big, Hudson is quick and strong. Despite Forston being much bigger, he stout in the run game turning and moving defenders out of the way. In pass protection he anchored well and didn't give up any ground. He is really athletic and was solid pulling and blocking on the run. He also did a really good job getting to the second level and commonly obliterating McCarthy. While he lacks the ideal size, his production over top competition throughout his career suggests that he will be a solid pro.

Week 5: Allen Bradford, RB, USC

Allen Bradford has gone a little under the radar, heck he hasn't even been the starter. That will all change after this past week where Bradford ran for 223 yards and 2 TDs against Washington. He was unstoppable, the only issue USC had was that they didn't have the ball last. He showed good speed and vision. This year he looks like he has better feet which make him able to change direction and make defenders miss. He was already hard to tackle due to his great combination of size and speed. He has good balance and runs with good forward lean. Despite not being the starter he leads the Trojans in rushing yards by almost a couple hundred yards despite getting less carries; but never mind just his own team, he is averaging 9.8 yards per carry which is second only to Taylor Martinez in the FBS. That puts him ahead of popular names like Denard Robinson, Mark Ingram and LaMichael James.

Week 4: Chad Spann, RB, Northern Illinois

Chad Spann tore apart the Minnesota defense, leading the Huskies to an upset over the Golden Gophers. Spann rushed for 223 yards and scored 2 TDs. He averaged 14.9 yards per carry. Spann is a very underrated player. His lack of height combined with his strong lower body makes him very difficult to bring down. Combine that with good speed and you end up with a lot of missed tackles. Spann is always falling forward or breaking tackles. He also has good vision and instincts. His overall game reminds me some of Ray Rice.

Week 3: Jeremy Kerley, WR, TCU

Jeremy Kerley was dominant this past week. He beat Baylor a number of ways on his way to over 200 all-purpose yards and two TD catches. He was really difficult to tackle in the open field, showing a really nice spin move that left the defender grasping air. Kerley is really quick and fast. He makes defenders miss in the open field both as a receiver and a punt returner. He catches the ball well and consistently makes big plays. He has the ability to contribute in a number of ways on the next level.

Week 2: Clint Boling, T, Georgia

Coming into the season I was a little unsure as to whether Boling could stay outside at T on the next level. This past week he made a good case to do so. For much of the day he was lined up over Cliff Matthews who is a quality pro prospect himself. Boling basically shut Matthews down all game. His only plays came when they lined him up on the other side of the line. While not an elite athlete, Boling does a good job of keeping himself between the QB and pass rusher. He has good size and decent feet. When looking at the schedule there are two weeks where Boling could face NFL caliber opponents. He definitely passed week one. The next big test will be in a couple weeks against Mississippi St.

Week 1: Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma St

Kendall Hunter absolutely dominated Washington St in week 1. At halftime he had over 200 yds rushing and 3 tds. The numbers are nice, even against a weak defense like Washington St but the numbers were not the most impressive thing. Last year Hunter was battling injuries. This year he is healthy and he looks like a completely different RB. He was really explosive. He showed good power and the ability to break tackles and take it the distance. He has quick feet and good vision, catches the ball well and really did a good job of pass protection. This past week he looked like an elite player. It will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy and keep this up for the entire season.