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By Russ Lande
For Sporting News
Quarterbacks Jake Locker of Washington, Nathan Enderle of Idaho and Christian Ponder of Florida State have had mostly inconsistent '10 seasons.
The trio had mostly mixed results again Saturday, although Ponder did show more flashes of greatness.
Locker made some huge plays at Cal to keep Washington in the game, but he again showed he is far from a finished product. Locker clearly played his best when throwing on the move but still struggled as a pocket passer. He just does not look comfortable and does not use good technique and footwork when throwing from the pocket.
Still, Locker likely will be a high first-round pick in April — not that he deserves to be — because of his vast potential, but unless he improves significantly as a pocket passer he won't live up to the hype.
Enderle, as usual, flashed the athleticism and arm strength that excite NFL personnel men, but he also continued to struggle with his accuracy at Fresno State. No one questions that Enderle has the physical talent to be an NFL starter, but he must become much more consistent in his fundamentals, accuracy and decision-making to have a long-term NFL career.
While Enderle and Locker struggled somewhat, Ponder played perhaps his best game of the year in the big win against rival Florida. Although Ponder's arm strength is still not top level, he showed the good decision-making, timing and accuracy as a passer that intrigues NFL scouts.
Ponder shows the intangibles coaches covet and on Saturday he was accurate and decisive--the two most important traits for an NFL quarterback.
Two Wolves move up
All the talk leading up to the Boise State-Nevada game was regarding quarterback matchup. Boise's Kellen Moore and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick each made big plays throughout the wild game, but two Nevada defenders slowed down the Broncos' big-play offense just enough to win and enhance their draft stock.
Nevada end/linebacker Dontay Moch and defensive end Ryan Coulson constantly disrupted Moore's passing and made plays vs. the run.
Moch is one of the better lesser-known players in college. He is muscular and well built and is productive as at end and outside linebacker and inside linebacker. On Friday night, he showed the quickness, competitiveness and strength to push blockers into the QB. He also displayed the speed and closing burst to chase down ballcarriers in pursuit. He could be drafted as high as the third round.
Coulson is an even lesser-known prospect with a knack for making big plays. Coulson began college at linebacker but switched to end as he added weight, and he became a starter halfway through last season and has had a breakout senior season. He lacks Moch's elite power and speed but has good strength and uses his hands well to take on and defeat blockers. He consistently defeats blockers at the point of attack and makes the tackle.
Coulson's instincts, competitiveness and deceptive speed enable him to make tackles in pursuit. He is not an explosive speed/edge pass rusher, but he is active and fights though pass blocks.
Moore and Kaepernick certainly will be drafted higher than Moch and Coulson--assuming Moore leaves school early to enter the '11 draft--but both Moch and Coulson showed Friday night that they too have NFL-caliber tools.
On the outside
Although overshadowed by top-10 prospect Cameron Jordan, Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed on Saturday displayed the talent to be a good NFL starter, too. Mohamed is a smooth and fluid athlete who looks comfortable vs. the run and in coverage.
Against Washington, Mohamed displayed excellent instincts and showed surprising speed chasing down ballcarriers all over the field. Mohamed also showed the quickness and agility to avoid blockers and blow up plays in the backfield. He caused Locker's fumble Saturday that was returned for a TD. Mohamed is not an elite prospect, but on Saturday he showed he has good athleticism, instincts and speed. He likely will be drafted in the third or fourth round.
Small school report
With the playoffs under way on the lower levels, two players--Mount Union wide receiver Cecil Shorts and Northwest Missouri State QB Blake Bolles--shined this weekend and improved their draft stock.
Shorts (6-0, 190) has good size and is a deceptively good athlete with the quickness, agility and burst to make would-be tacklers miss. He is versatile, able to make plays from different alignments. Shorts has stepped up his play in '10 and should be drafted in the last half of the draft.
Bolles (6-3, 198) is an athletic quarterback who makes as many big plays with his feet as with his arm. On Saturday, he proved he has the passing skills to get a shot in the NFL. He is a smart QB who makes good decisions and does not force passes into bad spots. He showed more poise in the pocket Saturday, leading Northwest on a late 80-yard drive and throwing the game winning TD pass with 17 seconds left. He might not be drafted, but he certainly will get multiple invitations to camp.
For Sporting News
Quarterbacks Jake Locker of Washington, Nathan Enderle of Idaho and Christian Ponder of Florida State have had mostly inconsistent '10 seasons.
The trio had mostly mixed results again Saturday, although Ponder did show more flashes of greatness.
Locker made some huge plays at Cal to keep Washington in the game, but he again showed he is far from a finished product. Locker clearly played his best when throwing on the move but still struggled as a pocket passer. He just does not look comfortable and does not use good technique and footwork when throwing from the pocket.
Still, Locker likely will be a high first-round pick in April — not that he deserves to be — because of his vast potential, but unless he improves significantly as a pocket passer he won't live up to the hype.
Enderle, as usual, flashed the athleticism and arm strength that excite NFL personnel men, but he also continued to struggle with his accuracy at Fresno State. No one questions that Enderle has the physical talent to be an NFL starter, but he must become much more consistent in his fundamentals, accuracy and decision-making to have a long-term NFL career.
While Enderle and Locker struggled somewhat, Ponder played perhaps his best game of the year in the big win against rival Florida. Although Ponder's arm strength is still not top level, he showed the good decision-making, timing and accuracy as a passer that intrigues NFL scouts.
Ponder shows the intangibles coaches covet and on Saturday he was accurate and decisive--the two most important traits for an NFL quarterback.
Two Wolves move up
All the talk leading up to the Boise State-Nevada game was regarding quarterback matchup. Boise's Kellen Moore and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick each made big plays throughout the wild game, but two Nevada defenders slowed down the Broncos' big-play offense just enough to win and enhance their draft stock.
Nevada end/linebacker Dontay Moch and defensive end Ryan Coulson constantly disrupted Moore's passing and made plays vs. the run.
Moch is one of the better lesser-known players in college. He is muscular and well built and is productive as at end and outside linebacker and inside linebacker. On Friday night, he showed the quickness, competitiveness and strength to push blockers into the QB. He also displayed the speed and closing burst to chase down ballcarriers in pursuit. He could be drafted as high as the third round.
Coulson is an even lesser-known prospect with a knack for making big plays. Coulson began college at linebacker but switched to end as he added weight, and he became a starter halfway through last season and has had a breakout senior season. He lacks Moch's elite power and speed but has good strength and uses his hands well to take on and defeat blockers. He consistently defeats blockers at the point of attack and makes the tackle.
Coulson's instincts, competitiveness and deceptive speed enable him to make tackles in pursuit. He is not an explosive speed/edge pass rusher, but he is active and fights though pass blocks.
Moore and Kaepernick certainly will be drafted higher than Moch and Coulson--assuming Moore leaves school early to enter the '11 draft--but both Moch and Coulson showed Friday night that they too have NFL-caliber tools.
On the outside
Although overshadowed by top-10 prospect Cameron Jordan, Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed on Saturday displayed the talent to be a good NFL starter, too. Mohamed is a smooth and fluid athlete who looks comfortable vs. the run and in coverage.
Against Washington, Mohamed displayed excellent instincts and showed surprising speed chasing down ballcarriers all over the field. Mohamed also showed the quickness and agility to avoid blockers and blow up plays in the backfield. He caused Locker's fumble Saturday that was returned for a TD. Mohamed is not an elite prospect, but on Saturday he showed he has good athleticism, instincts and speed. He likely will be drafted in the third or fourth round.
Small school report
With the playoffs under way on the lower levels, two players--Mount Union wide receiver Cecil Shorts and Northwest Missouri State QB Blake Bolles--shined this weekend and improved their draft stock.
Shorts (6-0, 190) has good size and is a deceptively good athlete with the quickness, agility and burst to make would-be tacklers miss. He is versatile, able to make plays from different alignments. Shorts has stepped up his play in '10 and should be drafted in the last half of the draft.
Bolles (6-3, 198) is an athletic quarterback who makes as many big plays with his feet as with his arm. On Saturday, he proved he has the passing skills to get a shot in the NFL. He is a smart QB who makes good decisions and does not force passes into bad spots. He showed more poise in the pocket Saturday, leading Northwest on a late 80-yard drive and throwing the game winning TD pass with 17 seconds left. He might not be drafted, but he certainly will get multiple invitations to camp.