Brandin Cooks, Oregon State Beavers (November 23, 2013)

Brandin Cooks – © USA TODAY Sports Images

December 24, 2013 Bowl Games: 2014 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch

by BigBlueInteractive.com Contributor Sy’56

BOISE STATE

#65 Matt Paradis – C – 6’3/300

Fifth year senior that made the move to offensive line in year two. Three year starter. I saw one game of his in 2013 and was impressed with the athletic ability at 300 pounds. He looks like a candidate for a zone blocking scheme that likes to have their centers pull out laterally and lead block. He maintains power on the move and should have little issue adjusting to the speed of the NFL. When it comes to one on one blocking against bigger, more physical nose tackles, I think Paradis struggles. I need to see some more tape before making a definitive statement there, however. Late day three prospect.

#78 Charles Leno Jr. – LT – 6’4/298

I only got one look at Leno this year, thus I’ll need to do more work on him in the coming months. I saw him against Washington and took down a few notes. He has a physical presence about him. Very good run blocker at the second level. He struggles in pass protection, however. The further out to the edge he got, the worse he looked. He was losing balance and often reaching for the defender. For his size and the minimal tape I have seen on him, I think he will move to guard at the next level. He has a decent shot at hearing his name called late day three.

Potential UDFAs to Look For:

#43 Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe – NT – 6’3/300
#48 Kharyee Marshall – OLB – 6’2/240

OREGON STATE

*#7 Brandin Cooks – WR – 5’10/182

Winner of the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top wide receiver. He had a huge year, going for 120/1,670/13 and 31 catches over 20 yards. Statistics aside, Cooks will be one of my top receivers in the class if he decides to forego his senior season. He is such an aggressive, efficient mover that runs outstanding routes. He can run himself open from the slot play in, play out. In addition, he has NFL-ready ball skills. He attacks the ball with his hands and showed the ability to make plenty of tough catches in traffic. It’s impressive to see a receiver at his height win so many one on one battles down the field. He has a lot of Steve Smith in him, especially after gaining 12 pounds of muscle to his frame last offseason. He is a guy that gets it, plain and simple. He’ll be an impact player.

*#95 Scott Crichton – DE – 6’3/265

Fourth year junior that has had a lot of success on the stat sheet but hasn’t impressed me on tape. He has not yet declared, but many think he will. He is a high-energy player that makes a lot of plays based on his relentless pursuit of playing through the whistle. While I love to see that kind of attitude this day and age, I think there is a lack of overall talent here. He has an average burst off the ball and doesn’t do much other than a pure bull rush. He has strong hands and good instincts, but I think he is the kind of player the really struggles to make an impact at the next level. I felt this way about Bjoern Werner (Florida State) last year, and I don’t think it will change between now and then.

#16 Rashaad Reynolds – CB – 5’11/187

Three year starter with good size and speed down the field. Part of the OSU track team in the 60M event. Reynolds is a tools-rich prospect that I think could sneak his way in to the 4th/5th round area. He has sloppy mechanics in man coverage. He backpedals too high without balance and his jams at the line are often soft and uncalculated. But he has the length and speed to attract the scouts eye He has the much-needed fluidity in his hips. In the games I saw, he was avoided by opposing QBs for the most part. Was that by design, or pure coincidence? I’ll try to find that out in the coming months but he has shown enough to prove he can be a player.

#77 Michael Philipp – LT – Oregon State – 6’4/328

4 year starter at left tackle in an offense that throws the ball a ton. Missed all of 2011 because of a torn ACL. Philipp has played at a high level the past two years. While he lacks the ideal length for tackle, I think he can stick there if need be. But where I think his future resides is inside at guard. Very powerful body that plays low and strong, Philipp knows how to move his feet and hips to get himself in to proper position. I’ve seen him struggle with quick lateral movers, which will be an issue in the NFL. With that said, I think he could be an end of day2/early day 3 guy that makes a roster and molds himself in to a starter down the road.

Potential UDFAs to Look For:

#69 Josh Andrews – LG – 6’3/304
#71 Grant Enger – RG – 6’6/291