Evening College Preview 10/10

The weekend of good conference matchups continues Saturday evening with Big 12 and Big 10 Conference games that will get time on the television.

In the Big 12, the Texas Longhorns will host Colorado in a game they should have little trouble winning in Austin. Coach Mack Brown just has too much talent compared to the Buffs, who have only a handful of players considered NFL possible.

In the Big 10, it’s Michigan at Iowa, as the Wolverines will try to figure out a way to score some points against the Hawkeyes defense. UM coach Rich Rodriquez needs a big night from the best pro prospect that will be on the field, DE Brandon Graham (right).

Here are the players the pros are watching:

 

COLORADO AT TEXAS, 6:15 P.M. CDT ON ESPN

COLORADO

OT Nate Solder (#78) – 6-8, 305 pounds, JR-Redshirt: He began his career with the Buffs as a tight end; in face he was one of the most highly recruited tight ends in the country his senior year of high school. But he was moved to tackle and he’s a starter this year at left tackle. Big and athletic, he played basketball and baseball in high school. Solder runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and has a 34-inch vertical leap. Great character guy, he’s an accomplished artist, doing paintings and sculptures. Going into this season, he was viewed as a second-round projection but a big senior season could move him up, especially with his athletic abilities.

WR Scotty McKnight (#21) – 5-11, 185 pounds, JR-Redshirt: A productive receiver in the Buffs offense, he’s caught at least one pass in 29 straight games over the last three seasons. McKnight has career totals of 122 catches, 1,399 yards for 12 touchdowns. He also has a rushing touchdown. Good speed and overall athletic skills. He’s a tough guy, who missed most of the practices leading up to the Toledo game this year because of a concussion suffered while playing against Colorado State. But he played against Toledo and caught 11 passes, including one for a touchdown. McKnight has not handled kick returns, but that might be his future in the NFL. Smallish size will hold him back in the draft, where he’s now rated as a fifth-round talent.

TEXAS

We looked at the Longhorns pro prospects several weeks ago.

MICHIGAN AT IOWA, 7 P.M. CDT ON ABC

MICHIGAN

DE Brandon Graham (#55) – 6-1, 263 pounds, SR: All Graham lacks is the perfect ratio of height and weight that NFL teams are looking for when coming off the corner on the pass rush. He’s a good natural athlete, with real pass rush skills. In the past, Graham has shown the ability to drop into coverage, so he may be a perfect OLB in the 3-4 defense. Last year, he was Michigan’s MVP on a vote by his teammates and he’s got 18 total tackles so far this year with one sack. Overall, he’s played in 39 games with 92 total tackles and 20 career sacks. Graham also has forced seven fumbles. The Detroit native is considered a second-rounder.

CB Donovan Warren (#6) – 6-0, 185 pounds, JR: A good athlete with top-end speed on the corner (4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Warren had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in May ‘09, but recovered with no problem to start the regular season. He has started on the corner and also opened one game last year at free safety. Warren has opened all five games at left corner and has two interceptions and 28 total tackles. So far in his college career he’s played in 29 games with 27 starts, with 131 career tackles. Right now he’s seen by pro scouts as an early second-round choice.

ILB Obi Ezeh (#45) – 6-2, 243 pounds, JR-Redshirt: A very active LB working inside for the Wolverines, he’s already taken part in 48 total tackles in five games this year, including 14 last week against Michigan State. Over his career, Ezeh has played in 30 games with 213 total tackles, 14 tackles for minus yardage and three interceptions. Playing at middle linebacker, he’s got a real nose for the ball and while he doesn’t pack a punch on his tackles, he always seems to be in the right place. Ezeh is a fourth-round projection in the NFL Draft.

OT Steve Schilling (#52) – 6-4, 304 pounds, JR-Redshirt: Injuries over the last year have limited Schilling, as he suffered a sprained knee last November and then suffered an ankle injury. He’s made the transition from right tackle to left guard this season, starting all five games. The Washington native is a good athlete, with good feet, who can run a sub-5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Schilling is seen as a fourth-round pick.

IOWA

Here’s a look at the Hawkeyes prospects for the NFL Draft that we covered the weekend they played Penn State.