Somehow, college football season is close to complete. This will be the last installment of this weekly article for the season. The twists and turns of a tumultuous 2020 season will go down in college football lore. We must commend the players, coaches, officials, athletic directors, and university administrators who made this season possible for all of us to watch. While this year there will only be 26 bowl games played and many regular seasons were abbreviated due to the pandemic, they still gave the college football we so desperately needed.
As usual, your author will not address the outstanding performances displayed by consensus top-tier prospects. Justin Fields, DeVonta Smith, and Trevor Lawrence all enjoyed great performances, but their draft stocks have not been altered by these performances, as they have been essentially locked as consensus top-15 picks for weeks now. There were some youngsters this week who stepped up in primetime on a national stage during their bowl games and made their case to be viewed as top prospects next season. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest risers and fallers from the last dozen completed bowl games before anticipation of the coming National Championship game between Alabama and Ohio State!
TRENDING UP
Jo’Quavious Marks – RB – Mississippi State
Freshman RB Jo’Quavious Marks helped lead his team to a hard-fought victory over a talented Tulsa squad in the Armed Forces Bowl. Marks led the normally pass-happy Mississippi State offense with his 11 carries for 72 yards and a rushing TD. He added four receptions for 30 more yards out of the backfield.
While Mississippi State has struggled in their first season under Mike Leach and the implementation of his air raid offense, Marks has performed when he’s been given opportunities. He finishes his freshman year with 70 carries for 312 yards with three TDs on the ground and 60 receptions for 268 yards out of the backfield. Marks has great burst and acceleration through the hole and is already an accomplished receiver. While he will never lead any list in rushing yardage in this offense, over the next two seasons he will be a player to watch as his variety of skills at the RB position will be coveted by NFL teams, provided he continues to add strength and weight and he stays healthy.
Josh Downs – WR – UNC
With Dyami Brown choosing not to play in North Carolina’s Orange Bowl game to prepare for the draft, it left an opportunity for another WR to step up. That WR was freshman Josh Downs. Downs led the Tarheels in receiving with an inspiring effort that ultimately fell short, as Texas A&M pulled away in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter to defeat UNC. On the day, Downs caught four balls and posted 91 receiving yards and two TDs.
This was Downs’ only real opportunity for meaningful reps this year, as before this game he had logged just three receptions on the season. Still, in his breakout game, Downs displayed the ability to get behind the defense and create big plays. He looks to be a featured part of the offense for NFL QB prospect Sam Howell next season and should have the opportunity to set himself apart from many other WRs in the field.
Paddy Fisher – LB – Northwestern
Seeing his statistical totals decline in his junior season after back to back explosive 100+ tackle seasons ripe with impact plays as a freshman and sophomore, senior LB Paddy Fisher needed a big 2020 campaign. While he got off to a slow start, he came on and began to dominate again as the season progressed. In his final game with Northwestern, Fisher helped shut down a potent Auburn rushing attack in the Citrus Bowl.
Fisher finished off his collegiate career with a team-leading 12 tackles, six of which were solo, and one TFL. Fisher was once viewed in the middle of his sophomore season as a surefire 2nd-round pick but has seen his stock shift all over the draft board. Finishing an abridged season with 86 tackles, one INT, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and a dominant performance against Auburn is exactly what he needed to move his name up the ranks of NFL scouts again. Fisher projects as an early-down run stuffer and will need to show he can play coverage against NFL-caliber players. Look for him to be drafted on day three this April and IDP dynasty owners can use a late-round flier selection on him if he lands in a good situation.
TRENDING DOWN
Kyle Trask – QB – Florida
No player had a more disastrous bowl appearance than Kyle Trask. After all of his top weapons on offense chose to opt-out of the Cotton Bowl, Trask chose to stick it out for one last opportunity to play with his teammates. Trask threw a pick-six on the Gators’ first possession, and a couple of errors by his receivers led to two more interceptions later in the first half. Before half time, Dan Mullen was inserting sophomore back-up QB Emory Jones into certain situations in drives.
It is not known if Mullen was trying to protect a rattled Trask or if he was just trying to get a glimpse of his future QB in a game that was decided early and that it was apparent his team had no motivation to play. The result of the performance for Trask was 158 passing yards on 16-of-28 passing with zero TDs and three INTs. After dominating the SEC all season, this was the worst possible thing that could have happened. Trask was viewed by many analysts as a first-round pick, but will undoubtedly fall out of the first round now. Look for a team to take a shot on Trask in the mid-late second round, and he will be landing-spot dependent for dynasty Superflex rookie drafts.
Zamir White – RB – Georgia and Seth Williams – WR – Auburn
Both of these talented prospects had opportunities to firmly stamp their name among the elites at their position with a dominant performance in their bowl game. Instead, Zamir White was shut down by a fierce Cincinnati defense, and the Northwestern Wildcat defense led by the aforementioned Paddy Fisher stifled the Auburn offense. Zamir White finished the Peach Bowl with just 12 total touches logging 11 carries for just 35 yards and a TD and one reception for five yards. In the Citrus Bowl, Seth Williams logged five receptions for 72 scoreless yards.
White is a sophomore and Williams is a junior, so we could see both players back in school next fall, but these performances were certainly a letdown. The hype these players have been carrying in the past qualifies them for early-round consideration in the NFL Draft. However, these players will have to perform to merit that type of consideration. These bowl games were missed opportunities for the caliber of player these guys wish to be. Zamir White is expected to return to school, but Seth Williams could go either way. Both players look to be mid-round picks at this time.
Tyler Davis – DT – Clemson
Clemson watched their National Championship dreams get steamrolled by an Ohio State offense that was firing on all cylinders. A stand-out performer as a freshman last season, interior defensive lineman Tyler Davis did not put up the numbers many expected he would this year. While he missed four games, the new addition of this year’s freshman stud defensive tackle Bryan Bresee certainly had something to do with it. This Sugar Bowl opportunity was Davis’s chance to stand out and reassert himself as one of the nation’s top interior pass-rushers.
Unfortunately, Ohio State’s offensive line handled Clemson up front for most of the game. Buckeyes’ QB Justin Fields was sacked just twice (neither of which were Davis) in over 30 dropbacks, and Clemson’s defense surrendered 385 yards through the air and 254 yards on the ground. Davis finished the game with just three solo tackles. While he possesses an immense amount of talent, Davis needs to return to his freshman form next season to regain that first-round draft grade many analysts were sticking to him after his exceptional freshman campaign.
PREVIOUS WEEKS’ DRAFT STOCK WATCH
Draft Stock Watch: Week 1, Draft Stock Watch: Week 2, Draft Stock Watch: Week 3, Draft Stock Watch: Week 4, Draft Stock Watch: Week 5, Draft Stock Watch: Week 6, Draft Stock Watch: Week 7, Draft Stock Watch: Week 8, Draft Stock Watch: Week 9, Draft Stock Watch: Week 10, Draft Stock Watch: Week 11, Draft Stock Watch: Week 12, Draft Stock Watch: Week 13, Draft Stock Watch: Week 14, Draft Stock Watch: Week 15, Draft Stock Watch: Week 16, Draft Stock Watch: Bowl Week 1
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