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For many players, the bowl season is the final chance to show NFL scouts what they have on the field before months of interviews and workouts in shorts. For fans, it's the last chance to take a look at the prospects that will make up the majority of the 2014 NFL Draft.
On Saturday, there will be four bowl games: The New Mexico Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and New Orleans Bowl. Here are the prospects that should be paid the most attention:
New Mexico Bowl - Washington State vs. Colorado State, 2 p.m.
Player | Pos. | Height | Weight | Proj. via NFLDraftScout.com | |
WSU | Deone Bucannon | S | 6-1 | 215 | 2nd |
CSU | Weston Richburg | C | 6-4 | 300 | 2nd-3rd |
CSU | Crockett Gillmore | TE | 6-6 | 255 | 6th |
WSU | Damante Horton | CB | 5-10 | 178 | 7th-FA |
CSU | Shaquil Barrett | OLB | 6-2 | 250 | 7th-FA |
Las Vegas Bowl - Fresno State vs. USC, 3:30 p.m.
Player | Pos. | Height | Weight | Proj. via NFLDraftScout.com | |
FSU | Derek Carr | QB | 6-3 | 218 | 1st |
USC | Marqise Lee* | WR | 6-0 | 195 | 1st |
FSU | Davante Adams** | WR | 6-2 | 216 | 1st-2nd |
FSU | Marcel Jensen | TE | 6-5 | 270 | 3rd-4th |
USC | Devon Kennard | OLB | 6-3 | 255 | 5th-6th |
FSU | Austin Wentworth | OT | 6-5 | 306 | 5th-6th |
USC | Demetrius Wright | S | 6-1 | 195 | 7th-FA |
USC | Kevin Graf | OT | 6-6 | 295 | 7th-FA |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Buffalo vs. San Diego State, 5:30 p.m.
Player | Pos. | Height | Weight | Proj. via NFLDraftScout.com | |
BUF | Khalil Mack | OLB | 6-3 | 248 | 1st |
SDSU | Nat Berhe | S | 5-10 | 200 | 7th-FA |
BUF | Alex Neutz | WR | 6-2 | 205 | 7th-FA |
SDSU | Bryce Quigley | OT | 6-5 | 300 | 7th-FA |
New Orleans Bowl - Tulane vs. UL-Lafayette, 9 p.m.
Player | Pos. | Height | Weight | Proj. via NFLDraftScout.com | |
TUL | Ryan Grant | WR | 6-0 | 192 | 5th |
TUL | Cairo Santos | K | 5-8 | 160 | 7th-FA |
* Junior
** Draft-eligible sophomore
The top prospects of the day worth watching for Jaguars fans are Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr and Buffalo pass rusher Khalil Mack. Both are potential first round selections for the Jaguars, especially if the team wins one or both of the last two games of the season to drop in the draft order some.
Derek Carr, the younger brother of former-draft bust David Carr, has had a tremendous season with 48 touchdowns and seven interceptions, nearly leading the Bulldogs to a BCS bowl berth. He'll face a tough test against the USC defense though, that finished the regular season 16th in total defense.
If the Jaguars elect to pass on a quarterback in the first round, the most logical second choice would be a LEO to help the team's deficient pass rush. Mack fits that role perfectly and has been a dominant force during his time with the Bulls. With just one tackle in the backfield on Saturday, he'll break Jason Babin's NCAA record for career tackles for loss, as they are currently tied with 75.