NFL Draft: Week 4 Prospect Stock Report
Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison (3) sacks Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Defense: Draft Stock Down
Antonio Morrison (ILB – Florida)
The fact that Morrison is even on the field after undergoing two knee surgeries in the offseason proves that he’s a competitor. However, if he’s going to be on the field, he needs to play much better than he did against Tennessee to earn a roster spot in the NFL.
Morrison finished with six tackles and a sack, but those numbers should have been much higher. It’s very possible his knee is still bothering him, because he looked slow and sluggish on multiple occasions. While that can be forgiven if he plays faster when fully recovered, missed tackles generally aren’t forgiven or forgotten. Both RB Jalen Hurd and QB Joshua Dobbs were able to evade tackle attempts by Morrison in the game.
The Gators still have to face running backs Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and Dalvin Cook this season, so Morrison better improve his form or Florida will be in for a long second half of the season.
Jordan Simone (SS – Arizona State)
After losing to Stanford, USC traveled to Arizona State and took their frustration out on the Sun Devils. By halftime the Trojans had already taken a 35-0 lead. Three of the five touchdowns were the result of mistakes by the generally reliable Jordan Simone.
Maybe it was the heat or maybe he just underestimated the speed of the USC receivers, but whatever the reason, Simone had a terrible game. The first score of the game came on an 80-yard pass from Cody Kessler to Adoree Jackson. Jackson is one of, if not the most explosive player in college football. His opponents, especially in the Pac-12, should know this. For some reason Simone thought he could jump inside and prevent Jackson from getting to the edge. Not only did Jackson get the edge, but he took the ball 80 yards to the house. On the second score, the exact same thing happened, except this time Steven Mitchell was the receiver. Finally, with three seconds left in the first half, USC made it 35-0 when JuJu Smith-Schuster outran Simone to the corner of the endzone.
That last score, I’m fine with. A safety shouldn’t be matched up with an opponent’s number one receiver at the goal line. However the first two were mental breakdowns Simone can’t make. He entered the year as a potential late-round pick, but this game could come back to haunt him.
Next: Cody Kessler a fit for Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles?