As we get later into the college football season the murky water that was the 2014 NFL Draft and potential prospects is starting to become clear. A class of running backs has stood out early and improved their draft stock as they hope to start another streak of a running back going in the first round. While some players have risen up the boards, others now have stumbled down because of legal issues, poor performance and injuries.
Risers
Bishop Sankey, Running Back, Washington Huskies
One of my favorite running backs before the year started, Sankey has only made me a bigger believer with his dominating performances this season. His toughest matchup may have come this week against a strong Stanford Cardinals defense and he delivered.
The nation’s fourth-leading rusher seemed to have no problem playing on the road against Stanford. For the fourth time this season he broke the 120-yard mark and added two rushing touchdowns to give him seven on the year. This was a big game for the previously undefeated Huskies in a Pac-12 battle against undefeated Stanford. The game came down to the last minute and while the Huskies fell short, you couldn’t have asked for much more from Sankey. Following a trend that dates back to last season, Sankey was the workhorse for the Huskies’ offense carrying the ball 27 times on the night. His 125 rushing yards was actually the second lowest total for him this season and could be the lowest if not for his short four carry for 77-yard game in a blowout win against Idaho State. Sankey is a natural at running back with excellent vision, patience and knows how to get the most out of every carry. While he may not emerge as a first-round pick he could be the first running back off the board in May.
Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Clemson Tigers
In the battle for supremacy amongst college wide receivers it was a back and forth discussion between Marqise Lee and Watkins in the preseason. But now as we settle into the college football season the debate is no longer, Watkins is clearly the best receiver in the 2014 draft class.
Watkins is without a doubt the best wide receiver prospect to come out since A.J. Green in 2011. If you want further proof of how good Watkins is already just look at what he did this week against. Watkins hauled in four receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown, the touchdown came on a beautiful 91-yard catch and run that resulted in a big touchdown. Watkins has blazing speed and the ability to outrun everyone but he is more than just speed. He shows great awareness and instincts to find the football and get it while showing a nice job with concentration and holding onto the football. Watkins continues to develop his route-running skills and is elevating his game every week. As long as he stays healthy Watkins will be the first receiver selected on draft day and should hear his name called with a top-10 pick.
Lache Seastrunk, Running Back, Baylor Bears
It has been a great year for many of the top running backs and few are having a better season than Seastrunk. Baylor’s offense has been unstoppable this season scoring 69, 70, 70 and 73 in their first four games and Seastrunk has been a big reason for their success.
Seastrunk was dominant again on Saturday against West Virginia and once again surpassed the 100-yard mark. On just 15 carries he racked up an incredible 172 rushing yards with his biggest run coming on a big 80-yard touchdown. Seastrunk hasn’t carried the ball more than 15 times this season but his 53 carries in four games have accounted for 589 rushing yards for a whopping 11.1 yards per carry. What makes his season even more incredible is the fact that Baylor’s offense has been playing so well to begin the season they haven’t needed Seastrunk in the fourth quarter as he has yet to record a single carry in the fourth quarter this season. Seastrunk is once again showing his big-play ability and his vision is steadily improving this season, he is starting to take a few more runs to the inside rather than forcing everything to the sidelines. Seastrunk isn’t a first-round prospect right now but if Baylor remains undefeated and Seastrunk stays hot a potential Heisman campaign could help him emerge as a late first or early second round pick.
Fallers
Colt Lyerla, Tight End, Former Oregon Duck
Every person is different and sometimes it just doesn’t work out for a particular player at a university. Rarely does a high-profile student athlete drop out of a premier program but that’s exactly the case with Lyerla.
It was announced early this week that Lyerla was no longer a member of the Ducks’ football team and would no longer be attending University of Oregon. Clashes with head coach Mark Helfrich over comments made to the media about Lyerla missing games and internal problems all led to this point. Entering the 2013 season Lyerla was the best tight end prospect in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft. He was a raw prospect who scouts hoped to see growth from as a receiver this season but drops became a problem and Lyerla wasn’t a focal point for the Ducks’ offense. Lyerla played in just two games this season hauling in one reception for 13 yards in his first two games. But things started to go downhill in Week 3 against Tennessee when Lyerla wasn’t active for the game. Lyerla said after the game that he was ill all week and unable to play, but Helfrich followed after the game by saying Lyerla was benched for “circumstances” but wouldn’t go further in detail. It was the spark that ignited the feud between Lyerla and Helfrich and now has led to Lyerla walking away from the program. Lyerla has already said he plans to train for the 2014 draft but his draft stock has plummeted. Originally seen as a first-round pick, Lyerla will now face questions about his commitment, maturity and be questioned for quitting on his team. As teams crackdown even more on off the field issues, Lyerla’s draft stock is sure to plummet into the later rounds.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Free Safety, Alabama Crimson Tide
Here we have another case of a player falling on to this list not because of poor performance but because of a suspension While this player will come back this season his suspension will likely be lengthy and his draft stock will suffer because of it.
Clinton-Dix was the unanimous top safety prospect before the season started and was elevating his value up even more with some big games. He was looking like a top-15 pick and a player fans were already coveting for their teams. But the team suspended their star safety last week for taking money from the team’s strength and conditioning coach Corey Harris. Clinton-Dix reportedly had his car broken into and money stolen so Harris loaned him $200 for a trip back to Florida. While Clinton-Dix later repaid Harris it is against NCAA rules for a player to accept money from anyone. Alabama reported the incident and suspended Clinton-Dix indefinitely and placed Harris on administrative leave. Taking money as a college student will mean nothing to NFL teams and scouts, after all they will be paying Clinton-Dix millions when he arrives at the NFL. But missing a chunk of games will slash his draft value as he misses out on more opportunities to prove himself. Clinton-Dix should return this season and when he does he will have a chance to rebuild some of the stock he lost because of the suspension. In the end this will likely cost Clinton-Dix a few million dollars and he now may be a late-first round pick.
Chuckie Keeton, Quarterback, Utah State Aggies
Sometimes it’s not a suspension or poor performance that sinks a prospect’s draft stock but instead an injury. Many times they are small injuries that will keep him out for a few weeks but in the case of Keeton he will be out much longer.
Keeton will miss the rest of the 2013 season after tearing his ACL and MCL in his left knee. He suffered the injury last week against Brigham Young University late in the first quarter on a scramble, his knee twisted awkwardly and he had to be helped off the field. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Keeton who was having an incredible season for the Aggies and establishing himself as one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in this year’s class. In his five games leading up to this past week he had thrown for 1,362 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes to just one interception. He was making plays with his legs also carrying the ball 52 times for 224 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Keeton faced plenty of questions before the year about how far along he was throwing the football but he was making strides this season. He was considered to be on a similar path to that of Colin Kaepernick and while he would need time to develop with NFL coaches, he had the potential to be very good once he was a finished product. Now the time he would have spent improving his mechanics, pocket presence and accuracy will have to be focused on rehabbing from a serious knee injury. The track record for players returning to full strength after a devastating knee injury has improved, but it is still far from a guarantee. Keeton will now face even more questions next year not just about his skills as a quarterback but if he can stay healthy.