NFL Draft: Stock Watch

Rising

TY Hilton WR Florida International
We've heard of TY Hilton before the season, but he was more or less a late round pick due to his kick return skills. But his play this year has really impressed and he has shown the ability to possibly contribute to an NFL offense. At Louisville he was a one man wrecking crew. His 200+ yards single handily helped the Panthers win their first game against a BCS team. The key for Hilton is the 40 yard dash at the combine. If he can run in the 4.29-4.40 range he could easily be a Day 2 pick like Titus Young was last year.

Nate Potter OT Boise State
I've always been a big fan of Nate Potter's. He has good size, length, and quick feet. All things you like out of a left tackle. The one thing he does not have is that overall brute strength. Going into this season some people considered him to be a guard at the next level. However Potter has been great so far and against Georgia he showed he has what it takes to be a LT in the NFL. He'd be a perfect fit in a zone blocking scheme that utilizes his athletic ability.

Dont'a Hightower LB Alabama
Its not so much him showing improvement on talent, but more about him showing that he is back to 100% after a knee injury two years ago. Two years later, Hightower is back to the explosive player he use to be when everybody thought he was better than Rolando McClain. Hightower is a versatile linebacker who can play both inside and out. He should be in that late 1st round area come draft time.

Dwayne Allen TE Clemson
Michael Egnew was thought to be the only TE that was worth drafting early, but after four weeks of play Dwayne Allen is showing everybody that you can put him into that category too. Freshman WR Sammy Watkins has been the star, but Allen has been the security blanket for QB Tajh Boyd. In their win over FSU it was Allen who kept coming up with big time catches on 3rd downs to extend drives. Add in Allen's blocking skills and you have yourself an all around TE. Allen should be a Day 2 pick at the least.

Nick Toon WR Wisconsin
The person that has benefited the most from Russell Wilson coming to Wisconsin is Toon. Toon finally has a QB that is able to get him the ball and he is thriving. Toon isn't a speedster, but he knows how to position himself and he has great body control. With his size (6'2 220) he is a red zone beast. Look for Toon to rise up draft boards and now he finds himself in the Day 2 category.

Falling

Stephen Gilmore CB South Carolina

Gilmore was considered to be one of the top CBs in this class (behind Dre Kirkpatrick) and a mid 1st round pick. However the more and more I watch him, the less and less I think of him. Gilmore is very passive in coverage. He plays off the receiver quite a bit and isn't very active in the run game. He seems like a player that doesn't like contact. He has also struggled against bigger receivers in jump ball situations. Not something you want out of a 1st round CB. I wouldn't touch him in the first round if I were a NFL GM.

Cordy Glenn G Georgia
He has started since his freshman year. He is a guard prospect, but the Bulldogs have moved him to tackle to take advantage of their best lineman. Glenn was thought to be the next guard that went late in the 1st round. However matched up against the "supposedly smaller weaker" Boise State Broncos, Glenn was over matched and whipped. Not what you would want out of a 1st round pick. Right?

Donte Paige-Moss DE North Carolina
Paige-Moss was suppose to be on the next Tar Heel defensive lineman who go in the first round. He has the athletic ability to be a feared pass rusher off the edge. However he has just been non-existent this year. You would think with Quinton Coples on the other side that Paige-Moss would at least be able get after the QB without much attention his way. But he hasn't. DPM is still a talented player and will probably have to move to the rush linebacker spot in the 3-4, but he's falling past the likes of Brandon Jenkins and Devin Taylor.

Shayne Skov LB Stanford
This has nothing to do with Skov's talent, or lack of production. But all about an injury. Skov is out for the season with a knee injury. Skov is the best defensive player on the Stanford team and his play was elevating him into the early 2nd round category. Instead, look for Skov to return to Palo Alto for his senior year and hopefully he can get back to 100%.

Tank Carder LB TCU
After a great Rose Bowl performance against Wisconsin, everybody seemed to jump on the Tank Carder bandwagon. They raved about his range and tackling ability. However this season Carder hasn't matched what he did last year. He looks slow and his production is down. He is either going to have to kick it into gear or he'll be a late round pick.

Mountain West Predictions

1. Boise State Broncos, 12-0 (7-0)
Even though they are moving into a tougher conference, the Boise State Broncos should find themselves as conference champions again. On offense they do loose their top two receivers in Austin Pettis and Titus Young, but 4 year starting QB Kellen Moore is the key to the offense and they should miss a beat. Defensively they return seven starters and should be solid in all three levels. If Boise State can get by Georgia in the opener and TCU at home they should have no problem running the table.

2. TCU Horned Frogs, 9-3 (6-1)

Under Gary Patterson the Horned Frogs have turned themselves into one of the primer non-BCS teams in all of college football. This year shouldn't be any different. Just like every other year their defense will be ranked in the top 5 nationally. They are lead by LB Tank Carder who is all over the field. However offensively they could have some struggles. Gone are Andy Dalton and Jeremy Kerley who were so crucial to their success. Casey Pachall will take over for Dalton at QB and he does have experience. But its going to be hard to replicate Dalton's success. Look for the Horned Frogs to be good this year, but they won't be challenging for any BCS games.

3. Air Force Falcons, 9-3 (5-2)

Troy Calhoun is one of the best coaches in the country and the problem is a lot of people don't really know that. This year the Falcons return 14 starters and should challenge for a top spot in the conference. A big game to watch is when TCU comes to Colorado Springs 2nd week of the season. They could catch the Horned Frogs still transitioning on offense and take a win. If they do that they could be in place to challenge Boise State for the conference title. If not they'll be right back in 3rd place in the conference.

4. San Diego State Aztecs, 8-4 (4-3)

In only two years Brady Hoke turned San Diego State around and had them pointed in the right direction. However Brady Hoke is the new HC at Michigan. Rocky Long who was the DC is now the HC. He is very familiar with the Mountain West when he had some success as the HC at New Mexico. SDSU is lead on offense by talented QB Ryan Lindley. He has to find some new targets on offense, but much like Kellen Moore at Boise State he'll be fine. However they have to replace a lot of starters on defense and could run into some issues there. But if Long can keep SDSU on the upswing, this could be a sleeping giant in my opinion.

5. Colorado State Rams, 7-5 (3-4)

After three mediorce seasons, HC Steve Fairchild has to be on the hot seat. After going 7-6 in his first season he has had two 3-9 seasons in a row. However this might be Fairchild's best team yet. They return 14 starters and for the first time in Fairchild's tenure a returning quarterback in Pete Thomas. The Rams also get both Air Force and San Diego State at home, so if they can pull off wins against those two teams they could have their best season in a while.

6. Wyoming Cowboys, 5-7 (2-5)

When former Missouri OC Dave Christensen was hired I thought it was a great move. His high octane spread offense could do wonders for the Cowboys. He took them to the New Mexico Bowl in his first season, but they fell back to a 3-9 record last year. But they were a lot better than their record indicated. This year they return 14 starters and have some of the best defenders back. But they will probably be starting a true freshman at quarterback and that alone could cause them struggle. Once Christensen can get a quality quarterback in they could really take off. But until then I don't see them improving much.

7. UNLV Rebels, 4-8 (1-6)

I did like the hiring of Bobby Hauck who was very successful while the HC at Montana. However the UNLV team he inherited is short on talent that won only 2 games last year. This year they should improve their overall record, but fall back in conference play. Last year they were able to beat both New Mexico and Wyoming, but this year they have to face both of those teams on the road. Look for the Rebels to endure another long season.

8. New Mexico Lobos, 2-10 (0-7)

Being a highly regarded recruiter and a good offensive mind would think that he'd have better success than they have. But this year is the crucial year for the Lobos. They return 15 starters including 9 on defense. Add in some highly regarded transfers and they could have some improved success. However don't expect much. New Mexico will be looking for a new coach for the 2012 season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Kellen Moore QB Boise State

Defensive Player of the Year: Tank Carter LB TCU
Freshman of the Year: LaDarius Brown WR TCU
Coach of the Year: Chris Peterson, Boise State


QB: Kellen Moore, Boise State
RB: Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State
RB: Doug Martin, Boise State
TE: Lucas Reed, New Mexico
WR: Josh Boyce, TCU
WR: Phillip Payne, UNLV
T: Nate Potter, Boise State
G: Kyle Dooley, TCU
C: Weston Richburg, Colorado State
G: AJ Wallerstein, Air Force
T: Paul Madsen, Colorado State

DE: Stansly Maponga, TCU
DT: Billy Winn, Boise State
DT: Jerome Long, San Diego State
DE: Josh Biezuns, Wyoming
LB: Tank Carter, TCU
LB: Carmen Messina, New Mexico
LB: Mychal Sisson, Colorado State
CB: Leon McFadden, San Diego State
S: Jon Davis, Air Force
S: George Iloka, Boise State
CB: Tashaun Gipson, Wyoming

K: Ross Evans, TCU
P: Pete Kontodiakos, Colorado State
KR/PR: Jonathan Warzeka, Air Force