Which prospects did we in the Field Gulls community like, and which did we hate, from the 2013-14 college football bowl games? And how have those rookies fared in 2014?
Method: An unscientific re-visiting of the bowl game community scouting threads with screenshots.
As a refresher, here is the community scouting form.
I'll go game by game to see which prospects we talked about as a community and what they went on to do as NFL rookies (if they made it to that point).
Community Scouting Thread 1
(posted 21 December 2013)
New Mexico Bowl
(Colorado State v. Washington State)
Las Vegas Bowl
(Fresno State v. USC)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
(Buffalo v San Diego State)
New Orleans Bowl
(UL-Lafayette v Tulane)
Beef O'Brady's Bowl
(E. Carolina v Ohio)
Thread 1 Prospects
Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State: Not surprisingly, Bucannon did effectively play his way out of where Seattle likely would have valued him. He has been a starter and a fine player for the Arizona Cardinals. His play has warranted all-Rookie consideration.
George Uko, DT/DE, USC: Uko was an undrafted free agent, who signed with New Orleans but ended up on Tampa's practice squad. He was activated for the first time this week.
Marcel Jensen, TE, Fresno State: I liked Jensen as a mid-to-late round draftee, as did Jared Stanger (as a late round/UDFA "gem"). He caught on as an UDFA in Jax, was activated early in the season and then was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Dion Bailey, S, USC: It's crazy how much "draft stock" rises and falls in one off-season. I think most of us liked Bailey but assumed that he'd end up in the round 2 range, and probably not where Seattle would look for depth. Of course Bailey went undrafted and ended up on Seattle's practice squad. Nice write up by Andyech.
Community Scouting Thread 2
(26 posted December 2013)
Little Caesars Bowl
(Pittsburgh v. Bowling Green)
Thread 2 Prospects
Tom Savage, QB, Pittsburgh: He had first round buzz for about 30 seconds. He transferred from Rutgers after Schiano left for Tampa. He arrives at Arizona, and they replace Mike Stoops' version of the spread with Rich Rod's run-oriented version. He transfers to Pitt to run Paul Chryst's offense and has a fabulous senior season. Houston takes him in the 4th round. He finally got his chance to start last week and got hurt in his first game. Didn't even finish the game. Now he's on injured reserve. How's that for a buzzard's luck?
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh: He could end up rookie of the year in the NFL. Donald in this game was a bit of a cautionary tale for me, as he didn't do much for long stretches. He left me feeling a little underwhelmed.
We would do well to remember that opposing coaches, given weeks to prepare, are going to do their best to force someone else to make plays. Donald took over the bowl game down the stretch. Athletic talent shows up in the 4th quarter.
Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh: He was a 5th round pick for the Cowboys and is currently 3rd string behind Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley.
Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green: He went undrafted and signed with the Rams, and it appears that he's been active all season.
Community Scouting Thread 3
(posted 27 December 2013)
Fighting Hunger Bowl
(BYU v. Washington)
Texas Bowl
(Syracuse v. Minnesota)
Thread 3 Prospects
Nothing to see here really. We all knew about RaSheed Hageman (DT, Minnesota) and Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, Washington).
Community Scouting Thread 4
(posted 28 December 2013)
Pinstripe Bowl
(Rutgers v. Notre Dame)
Belk Bowl
(Cincinnati v. N. Carolina)
Russell Athletic
(Miami v. Louisville)
Buffalo Wild Wing
(Michigan v. Kansas State)
Thread 4 Prospects
There were some wretched bowl games in this set, and not a ton of chatter on prospects.
Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers: A lot of us expected more from this guy, who (to be fair) has not been totally healthy after getting hurt in that bowl game. He went undrafted and has been on New Orleans' practice squad all season.
Coleman is another cautionary tale for me. "Be wary of big-play only college WRs." That's one position where, if a player comes out of a spread or pro-style offense, you want to see consistent drive-to-drive production. I have always believed this, but I looked past Coleman's "all or nothing" college production because of his tools. He may yet play to those tools, but he will need great deal of patience and coaching.
Devante Parker, WR, Louisville: Parker flashed in his bowl game but decided to return to school for his senior season. CBSSports.com has him rated as the 2nd best WR among those currently eligible for the draft.
Community Scouting Thread 5
(posted 30 December 2013)
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
(Ole Miss v. Georgia Tech)
Valero Alamo Bowl
(Oregon v. Texas)
National University Holiday Bowl
(Arizona State v. Texas Tech)
Advocare V100 Bowl
(Arizona v. Boston College)
Hyundai Sun Bowl
(Virginia Tech v. UCLA)
Autozone Liberty Bowl
(Rice v. Mississippi State)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
(Duke v. Texas A&M)
Thread 5 Prospects
Donte Moncrief, WR, Mississippi: Moncrief was a quality college WR who could be maddeningly inconsistent with drops. But, he made plays at every level. He had his fans on Field Gulls. The big question was his hands. That is hard to assess. For some guys the dropsies are a fatal flaw (e.g., Koren Robinson). Some guys can work through them. I have no idea how to tell the two apart. Moncrief (3rd round) has fought his way onto the Colts' depth chart and made plays.
Gabe Jackson, G, Mississippi State: The chatter on Jackson was about whether he was a legit fit for Cable's ZBS, or just a big dude. Jackson went in the 3rd round to Oakland and has started for them at LG.
Phillip Gaines, CB, Rice: I really liked him coming out of his bowl game. Kansas City selected him in the 3rd round. I know he played in nickel for them right away and he is currently listed as a starter.
All things considered, not to bad Field Gulls community. Although there were a decent number of prospects in the pre-New Year's Bowls the stars come out January 1 and after, and we'll get to those players next.