2017 NFL Draft: Week 12 Prospect Stock Report

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Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Pat Elflein (65) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Stock Down: Offense

Pat Elflein (C – Ohio State): Pat Elflein is one of the top center prospects for the 2017 NFL Draft, however his performance against Michigan State in week 12 was not one of a draftable prospect.

With Malik McDowell out for the game, the interior of the Ohio State offensive line should have dominated the defensive tackles of the Spartans. Instead the quickness of the backups caused fits for Elflein, who committed three penalties in the game, two of which were holds.

With a much more talented pairing in Michigan’s Ryan Glasgow and Matt Godin coming up for the Buckeyes in week 13, Elflein must step up his game in order to keep QB J.T. Barrett upright for the biggest game of the season.

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Brady Gustafson (QB – Montana): Brady Gustafson’s college career is over after Montana fell to rival Montana State and failed to land a spot in the FCS Playoffs. After receiving comparisons to Carson Wentz prior to the season for no other reason except he was the top-rated FCS quarterback, Gustafson struggled to carry over any of that preseason momentum into the regular season.

Sure Gustafson had a streak of four-straight games with four touchdown passes, but those games were against below-average FCS defenses. He faced just three opponents ranked in the top 60 in terms of defensive passing efficiency. In those contests, he completed just 55 percent of his passes for an average of 221 yards per game. He also had a five to three touchdown to interception ratio.

His career ended with a clunker of a performance in the battle for the Great Divide Trophy. Montana State held him to just 192 yards for the game as Gustafson returned to the field after missing two games due to injury. He may receive an opportunity to play in a postseason all-star game, however the 6-foot-7 QB is currently on the outside of the 2017 NFL Draft looking in.

Pharaoh Brown (TE – Oregon): Senior tight end Pharaoh Brown suffered one of the worst-looking injuries of recent memory back in 2014 which nearly resulted in his leg being amputated. He would go on to miss the entire 2015 season before making his triumphant return this season. Despite having a career year in 2016, it’s now doubtful that he’ll be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Brown’s stock has plummeted after The Daily Emerald, published an article that detailed three separate violent acts Brown was allegedly involved in over the past two years. The article, which can be found here, goes into more detail, but the bullet points are that two of the fights involved teammates and another his girlfriend at the time.

Brown was already suspended for a bowl game back in 2013 for his involvement in a snowball fight (hard to believe, but true), but the accusations in this article are much more severe. Brown was held out of the win over Utah for what the school called a leg injury. His status for the season-finale against Oregon State is unknown.

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