As college football season nears kickoff, we’ll be breaking down the best prospects by position in each FBS conference. Like last year, we will begin our survey of the nation in the east, by taking a look at prospects from the American Athletic Conference and FBS Independents, which this season loses Maryland and Louisville, but gains East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa for the 2014 season. Today’s focus is on offense.
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DE: Martin Ifefi, Memphis
A former defensive tackle, Ifedi now lines up for the Tigers on the edge as a 5-technique. One thing that is apparent when watching Ifedi is that he does not have great burst off the snap. Ifedi lines up with an extra cushion off the line of scrimmage, which helps him to gain momentum going forward on pass plays, but gets him knocked off the line of scrimmage versus the run. Memphis uses a lot of standup rushers on various defensive plays, which demonstrates a surprising fluidity to Ifedi’s game. Despite having played on the interior earlier in his career, Ifedi does not have much power or anchor for a defensive lineman, which is something that must improve this season.
DE: Silverberry Mouhon,* Cincinnati
Despite a long, lean frame Mouhon has good anchor strength and upper body power for a lineman under the 250 lb. threshold. Mouhon is able to engage at the line of scrimmage without getting knocked off the line by much larger opposing linemen. One concern with Mouhon is that he did not move off the snap on several plays, which could mean either of two things: that he lacks snap awareness, or that it is a designed play, which is less likely, as Mouhon also has trouble diagnosing plays as well. In spite of that, it’s hard to overlook Mouhon’s natural strength and the upside that can come with further development.
DT: Demetrius Anderson,* Central Florida
A transfer, formerly of Western Michigan, Anderson is the best pro defensive lineman for the Knights. Anderson flashes the ability to drive opposing linemen into the backfield in both the run and the pass game, thanks to his natural strength. However, Anderson does not have best instincts or snap anticipation, and can be one of the last men moving off the snap at times. Anderson can also be overaggressive getting into the backfield and can blow right past the ball carrier as a result. I would expect Anderson to remain at UCF until the 2015 season, where he can continue to develop his football instincts through reps.
DT: Joey Mbu, Houston
Possessing the size to play as a 1-tech or a nose tackle, Mbu received plenty of attention from AAC offensive lines last season. The sizable defender saw double teams largely in part because of his strength to defeat blocks and make plays. If there is one thing Mbu does very well it is play off blocks laterally to make stops at the line of scrimmage. While Mbu might not make a big impact behind the line, he could make a contribution as a rotational 1T in the NFL.
LB: Tyler Matakevich,* Temple
One of the most prolific tacklers in the nation, Matakevich’s numbers can be a bit deceiving. The reason Matakevich is able to make so many tackles is that he does not play behind the line of scrimmage. He lines up in the slot in nickel situations, which are many, leaving him free to make plenty of tackles past the line of scrimmage. While not special at taking on blocks, Matakevich saw plenty of looks in zone coverage and even showed he could get physical with receivers. In terms of the role he plays, he reminds me a lot of 2014 draft pick Christian Kirksey, and could play MLB for a team like the Eagles.
LB: Terrance Plummer, Central Florida
I came away not overly impressed with the play of Plummer, with the exception of his ability as a blitzer. Plummer is savvy and explosive getting upfield and bringing down the QB. However, his weaknesses as a run defender are apparent, as he lacks much power disengaging from blocks, and he can get lost in space in coverage at times. While Plummer might see a specialized role in the NFL, he doesn’t play enough phases of the game effectively to stick around at the next level for very long.
LB: Jeff Luc, Cincinnati
The former number one inside linebacker recruit and former Florida State Seminole, Luc has yet to live up to his billing coming out of high school. Luc lacks good instincts and he doesn’t have great range or ability to shed either. As a tackler Luc is not always in the greatest position to make a play, however he does play with good pop. Given, Luc was playing out of position on the outside last season, and as Greg Blair moves on, the middle is open for Luc to man in 2014.
CB: Lorenzo Doss,* Tulane
There’s no doubt that Lorenzo Doss is a ballhawk, as he’s piled up 11 interceptions in just two seasons since coming out of high school. Doss was a converted receiver, and can look like one at times. Doss isn’t too eager to jump into the run game, and doesn’t play much tight, physical coverage at Tulane either. Doss typically lined up at least five yards off the line of scrimmage, and likely will be a zone corner at the next level. I imagine that Doss won’t have the type of production in the NFL as college, given the level of competition and skillset, and see a David Amerson comparison for him.
CB: Byron Jones, Connecticut
If there’s one thing that jumps out about Jones, it’s that he is a very poor tackler. Receivers were frequently able to break out of his wrap tackles and he had trouble breaking down and pursuing in space. However, Jones shows better long speed and physicality in coverage than his conference counterpart Doss. Likewise, he is primarily a zone corner who might be able to crack the late rounds for a team that overlooks poor run defense in favor of coverage ability from their corners.
FS: Trevon Stewart,* Houston
A diminutive safety whose measurables are reminiscent of former Florida State defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, Stewart may be best suited to slide into a primarily nickel role in the NFL. Stewart already sees a fair amount of time covering the slot, and is nothing special versus the run. He does not show the aggressiveness filling downhill nor does he get to the ballcarrier with gusto, which doesn’t earn him any points as a safety. Stewart is a wait-and-see prospect who could get a late-round flier, most likely in 2016.
SS: Clayton Geathers, Central Florida
A leader both on the field and in the box score, Geathers is perhaps the biggest standout at the safety position for the Knights since Atari Bigby. While Geathers doesn’t get the best depth on his zone drops, he is an instinctive and safe bet as the last line of defense in the run game. He put up staggering tackle numbers, especially for a safety, and could make a run at All-American status, and almost certainly All-AAC. Oh, and his athletic bloodlines don’t hurt his stock as a prospect either.
Missed the Cut:
DE: Angelo Pruitt, Connecticut
DT: Elkino Watson, South Florida
LB: Reshard Cliett, South Florida
LB: Maurice Falls, East Carolina
CB: Bobby McCain, Memphis
S: Brandon Alexander, Central Florida
On the Horizon:
DE: Zelt Minor,** Southern Methodist
LB: Graham Stewart,* Connecticut
LB: Trent Martin,* Tulane
CB: Jacoby Glenn,** Central Florida
S: Michael Mudoh,* Tulsa
Inside next week’s War Room: 2014 Pre-Season ACC Draft Preview
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