College Football Spotlight: Part I

If you are a college football enthusiast like myself, chances are you know kickoff for this season is a mere 73 days away. Tailgate Saturdays and prime matchups are so close you can almost taste it. However, this season will be without the big named prospects such as Leonard Fournette and Deshaun Watson, names that millions of fans have grown to love. So, who is going to dominate the spotlight this year? In this article we will take a look at quarterbacks and a few running backs to keep an eye on this fall.

Quarterbacks

One thing to know is there’s a reason behind the Jets and Browns not taking their franchise QB in this year’s draft. To be honest, the options were slim and teams were still requiring a king's ransom for QB’s that have made a total of 13 career starts (Mitch Trubisky). 2018 is vastly different because there are multiple QB prospects that have the size, speed, and arm strength to leave the big boards quite early in next year’s draft. To be honest General Managers will face several tough decisions, as some prospects (like Lamar Jackson) could be the next Michael Vick or be complete busts. While some GM’s may want to take that risk, the top prospect to watch for at the quarterback position is Josh Allen from Wyoming. Josh Allen has the size to play at the next level, measuring in at 6'5" and 233 pounds. He also has incredible mobility and the ability to extend plays, which is so desperately needed in today’s game.

This past season, Allen rushed for over 500 yards and took 7 carries to the house. While he doesn’t rely on his ground attack to be effective, his size and speed are attributes that have NFL scouts comparing him to Carson Wentz. Oh and another thing, Josh Allen has a cannon of an arm. This past year, Allen threw for over 3200 yards and 28 touchdowns. While his interception number was higher than most NFL scouts would like at 15, scouts have generally written this off at the idea that Allen does not let plays die. He’ll need to do a better job of avoiding those turnovers and stick to passes, like this one against UNLV:

Josh Allen will be a top 5 pick in this year’s upcoming draft. If Allen declared this past year as a redshirt sophomore, he likely would have been one of the first QB’s taken. However, coming back will only help Allen, as he is due for a breakout year in 2017.

Another quarterback to keep an eye on is Josh Rosen of UCLA. I honestly first heard of this guy when I found out he had a hot tub in his dorm room. I don’t think that was allowed in my dorm in college, but then again I wasn’t a top quarterback prospect starting as a freshman for UCLA, so maybe that's why.

All jokes aside, Josh Rosen had scouts looking at him from the moment he stepped onto the UCLA campus. After a rookie campaign in which he completed over 60% of his passes and threw for 23 TDs, people started to take notice. At 6'3" 215 pounds, Rosen isn’t massive — and that leads to some concerns about his durability, especially after his sophomore season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. If Josh Rosen can stay healthy and regain his arm strength after surgery, expect him to rival Josh Allen for that top spot in next year’s draft.

Running Backs

For how shallow the talent was at QB in this year’s draft the running back class made up for it. With both Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffery being taken in the first round, it’s fair to wonder if any RB’s will be taken as high in the 2018 draft. So far, two of the biggest names at the position are both coming out of the Big Ten — Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and Akrum Wadley (Iowa). As biased as I am, I can’t get over the potential Akrum Wadley has. Teams constantly loaded the box against Iowa’s non-existent pass offense this past season, and all Akrum did was produce. Come to think of it, Akrum’s performance against Michigan on prime time television was one of the best performances I saw all year from any running back. While Akrum is not a prototypical 3 down back in size (5'11" 197 pounds), he has added 8 pounds this past year to get ready for the increased workload. Wadley is guaranteed to increase his carry total from the 168 he received last year, and draft scouts are anxious to see the results. Had Wadley declared last year, Mel Kiper had him ranked as his 6th overall running back. What makes Wadley so special is his ability to create big plays between the tackles. His patience and his ability to keep his feet underneath his pads makes him almost impossible to tackle. Running backs who are smaller like Akrum have been able to succeed in the NFL by being able to run between the tackles and keep their feet square.

Wadley also possesses the ability to make smaller defenders miss. This is why he was able to post multiple TDs this year on runs of over 50 yards, including a 75-yarder against Nebraska and a 54-yard game winning run against Minnesota. His outright speed along with his elusiveness have many in the college ranks wondering just what this man can’t do.

I fully believe Akrum Wadley’s name will be called in the first 2 rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. Iowa is returning all the pieces of their Joe Moore Award winning offensive line and under new Offensive Coordinator Brian Ferentz, expect Wadley to get 20–25 touches a game. Expect big things from this Big Ten player, as long as he is able to handle the new workload.

While I can’t contain my fandom for Akrum Wadley, the top overall running back in next year’s draft will undoubtedly be Saquon Barkley. Barkley bursted onto the scene in the Rose Bowl, where he recorded 194 rushing yards and two TDs. At 5'11" 223 pounds, Barkley is more prototypical in size for an every down back in the NFL. However, some areas of concerns is his lack of consistency throughout the season. While Barkley did produce two 200-yard games as well as the 194 yards in the Rose Bowl, he also produced games of 14 (yes, 14 total yards) on 12 carries as well as 58 yards on a total of 33 carries. However, Barkley’s lack of consistency is covered up by his absolutely unreal build and physical make up. Being able to squat over 500 pounds and still run a sub 4.5 40-yard dash is something no NFL team can scoff at. Barkley also has shown an incredible ability to change directions for someone of his size.

If Barkley can continue to work on his patience and produce consistent numbers, he will undoubtedly go in the first round of this upcoming draft.

Look for Part 2 over wide receivers and tight ends coming soon!