NFL Draft Watch: Big games for Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott see draft stocks soar
NFL Draft Watch is your weekly guide for college players worth keeping an eye on leading up to April's draft.
On the Rise
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
A dangerous dual-threat quarterback, Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott shredded LSU’s defense Saturday night, finishing with 268 yards and two touchdowns in the air while adding 105 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The performance saw him garner high praise from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, who said:
(Prescott) put on the kind of show that leads scouts to fall in love with a prospect capable of standing out on the biggest and brightest stages. Not to mention his brilliant display of athleticism and playmaking ability as an explosive dual-threat quarterback on the perimeter.
While NFL scouts are concerned with his abilities as a pocket passer, Prescott will surely emerge as an intriguing pro prospect come April if he can continue to perform at this level.
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Yes, Amari Cooper may have been on last week's list, but the Crimson Tide wideout was superhuman Saturday.
Following last week's eight-catch, 135-yard, one-touchdown performance against Southern Mississippi, Cooper dazzled against Florida, catching 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
Saturday officially saw Cooper emerge as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and there's a good chance he will be a high first-round selection in the 2015 draft.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
It's almost unanimously agreed upon that Georgia running back Todd Gurley is the best running back in college football, but nothing disrupts the status quo like a 253-yard, five-touchdown performance.
That's exactly what Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon did against Bowling Green on Saturday.
While we don't anticipate the junior dethroning Gurley atop most teams' big boards, he's certainly given scouts enough reason to consider making him the second running back selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.
On the Decline
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
Like Cooper, Jameis Winston was included on last week’s list, but things have gone from bad to nuclear with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
Following his game-long suspension against Clemson - a game in which Winston still managed to make a spectacle of himself by showing up on FSU’s sidelines in full pads - NFL scouts and critics chimed in on how much the sophomore quarterback’s draft stock has plummeted.
Simply put, Winston’s value could not be any lower than it is now, and at this point it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see NFL teams shy away from him altogether considering the league’s current climate.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State
A year after putting up career highs in receptions (81), yards (1,262) and touchdowns (11), the senior wide receiver has failed to produce for the Wildcats in 2014.
After catching a single pass for nine yards and a touchdown in the first game of the season, Lockett managed to put together a nice six-catch, 136-yard performance against Iowa State, but last week’s game against Auburn left cause for concern.
In a game that saw the Wildcats lose by less than a touchdown, Lockett saw a perfectly placed pass in the end zone from quarterback Jake Waters bounce off his shoulder pads and into a defender’s arms.
He did manage to catch six passes for 45 yards in the game, but Lockett will have to put together a string of quality outings if he hopes to stay on NFL radars come April.
Michael Orakpo, LB, Texas State
In July, Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman highlighted Michael Orakpo as one of college football’s Top 20 freaks.
Feldman said Orakpo, 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, could bench press 560 pounds, has a vertical jump of 41.5 inches, and has been timed running a 4.53-second 40-yard dash.
With a unique blend of size and agility, it was clear Orakpo would have scouts talking at the NFL Combine.
However, Orakpo saw his season come to an end after tearing his ACL and MCL against Navy.
His injury, coupled with red flags he garnered from his time at Colorado State, has surely put Orakpo’s NFL future in jeopardy.