Bowl Game Week Two saw me watch five games full of 2023 NFL Draft prospects.
Each week, I will look back at the top prospect performances from the games I watched the previous week.
BOWL GAME WEEK TWO PROSPECT REWIND
IDAHO POTATO BOWL: EASTERN MICHIGAN VS. SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State has several prospects who could be priority free agents for teams after the draft. 6th-year corner Nehemiah Shelton is a long (very lean) prospect. Shelton had five tackles against EMU. He will play in the Shrine Bowl. Joining Shelton at the Shrine will be Viliami Fehoko. Fehoko is a 6’4” 265-pound edge defender. He had four tackles and a hurry in the Potato Bowl.
Elijah Cooks was a top wide receiver for Nevada the last few years prior to transferring over to San Jose. Cooks has battled injuries throughout his career. However, he is a decent route runner with nice hands. Cooks caught 6 of his 11 targets against Eastern Michigan and now proceeds to the Hula Bowl.
LB Kyle Harmon (8 tackles, 1 sack, 3 PBU) and EDGE Cade Hall (4 tackles) also should find their way into a camp this summer.
EMU RB Samson Evans gets tough yards between the tackles. He finished the bowl game with 82 yards and two touchdowns.
ARMED FORCES BOWL: AIR FORCE VS. BAYLOR
The top Air Force prospect, TE Kyle Patterson, did not play.
Falcons’ fullback Brad Roberts ran for 116 yards on 37 carries with two TDs against Baylor. I always struggle to see how a triple-option fullback can make the transition to NFL running back. I don’t see the conversion happening successfully here either.
Baylor Top-100 DL prospect Siaki Ika opted out of this game. A smart business decision for Ika. The thought of getting kneecapped for three hours was probably not appealing.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL: HOUSTON VS. LOUISIANA
Houston QB Clayton Tune played his last game for the Cougars before heading off to the NFL by way of the Senior Bowl. Tune completed 19/28 of his passes for 216 yards and three scores. Joining Tune in Mobile will be WR Nathaniel Dell. Tank caught six balls for 44 yards and two scores. Dell is a tremendous WR but may be an even better return man.
I will continue stanning for Louisiana TE Johnny Lumpkin to add weight and transition to offensive tackle. Lumpkin is a tremendous blocker but is limited athletically as a receiver. He did catch two passes (14 yards) and a TD against the Cougars.
HAWAII BOWL: MTSU VS. SAN DIEGO STATE
This was my first viewing of Middle Tennessee edge rusher Jordan Ferguson. Ferguson has had a tremendously productive CFB career. There were times during the Hawaii Bowl when he just seemed to disrupt every play. Ferguson recorded five tackles, a TFL, a PBU, and one interception against the Aztecs. He also caught a TD pass! Ferguson is currently slated to play next in the Hula Bowl.
San Diego State DL Jonah Tavai is a nice interior disruptor. Tavai recorded 1.5 sacks against the Blue Raiders. I still think that Jesse Matthews can be a solid possession receiver in the NFL. Matthews caught seven passes for 99 yards (15 targets). I wouldn’t hate it if he transferred to a place with a better QB next year.
QUICK LANE BOWL: BOWLING GREEN VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
I don’t think a single player from this game gets selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. During his bowl lead-up column, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler brought up New Mexico State LB Chris Ojoh. Ojoh had seven tackles and a forced fumble against Bowling Green.
Check back next week for my prospect rewind on the next week’s bowl games.
See my week one bowl rewind here.