Week 5 NCAA Stock Watch

Stock Up

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

Of the top three quarterbacks of this years class, Hundley, Mariota, and Winston, I had put Hundley in a distant third. He has a lot of potential, but he is still raw and I wanted to see him string together a few more big games before I put him with the other two. Right now he is on the right track, passing for over 350 yards and 3 touchdowns his last two full games (he was injured early last week vs Texas). Against Arizona State this week Hundley finished the game 18 for 23 for 355 yards and four touchdowns along with another 72 yards and a touchdown on the ground. All game he looked composed and confident against a tough defense. Hundley still has some things to work on, namely struggling under pressure, but he seemed to push past that against the Sun Devils to have one of the best games of his career. In two weeks he will be going head to head against Oregon's Marcus Mariotta and if he can continue his hot streak he will see a dramatic rise in his draft stock.

David Cobb, RB, Minnesota

Other running backs had more impressive games last week, but none have improved their draft stock as much as senior David Cobb. Through four games he is third in the league in both rushing and all-purpose yards and has been an impact players on the Gopher's offense. Last week against Michigan Cobb ran for 183 yards and caught three passes for another 50 yards, giving him his third game this season with over 200 yards from scrimmage. Cobb isn't really an explosive player, but he is a productive back who can fight through defenders to pick up the extra yards. Cobb is currently thought to be drafted around round 6, but the pace he is on has improved his draft stock each week.

Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Shane Ray is a player to watch for Jaguar's fans because of his seemingly perfect fit for the LEO role. He is an undersized prospect that excels at getting to the quarterback and making plays. In five games he leads the league in both sacks with 8 and in tackles for loss at 11.5. He is a disruptive playmaker who gets to the backfield quickly and effectively, making him a good fit in the Jaguars defense. Last week against the Gamecocks Ray ended the game with two sacks and 8 total tackles. At this point it's hard to tell exactly where he could go in the draft. Some see him as a later round pick and others think he could go as high as the second round. Wherever he goes, he is a good sleeper pick for Jacksonville's defense and could add another good young pass rusher to the team.

Shaq Thomas, OLB, Washington

Thomas has been seeing his draft stock rise each week with big game after big game. This week against Stanford he ended with seven tackles, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Thomas plays fast and hard and he always seems to know where to be to make a play. He has good instincts against the run and excels in pass coverage due to him playing safety until making the switch to linebacker this season. He might end up sticking in the NFL as a safety, but his play could warrant a look from the Jaguar's due to our struggling linebacker corp so far this season. Thomas might find himself as a late first round pick this season two low for the Jaguars to pull the trigger, but he is an impact player who could help out the defense.

Stock Down

Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford

At one point Hogan was considered to be one of the better QB prospects after the big three mentioned earlier. He has but together some solid games so far, but against Washington this week he really struggled. He ended the game 17 for 26 for just 176 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He added another 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but he also lost a fumble. He was erratic all game and had a few more near interceptions on wildly thrown balls. He couldn't seem to push the ball downfield very well and had to stick to short routes to gain yards. The qb picture is still unclear at this point in the season, but if Hogan keeps playing like this it might be best for him to wait another year to declare for the draft.

Kasen Williams, WR, Washington

Williams came in to the season as a potential second round pick but he seems to be dropping fast. His first two seasons he put up great numbers and looked to be a playmaking receiver, but his Junior season ended early due to a Lisfranc fracture early in the season. He hasn't looked like the same player since he's come back, only catching 6 passes for 47 yards through five games. A Lisfranc injury is tough to come back from and it could be the cause of his struggles, but if that's the case his problems will likely follow him to the NFL.