The Colorado State football program has risen to tremendous heights in the last few years. They’ve become one of the best teams in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams built such a strong program they saw their architect poached by an SEC team. Jim McElwain, the former CSU head coach, was tabbed to run the Florida Gators next season.
The Rams begin the days following the McElwain with a bowl matchup against Utah. Colorado State fell short of Boise State, and that’s why they missed out on a championship game. However, they still performed better in their conference than Utah, who was a middling Pac-12 team.
Regardless, both teams have several potential NFL players, including some who could go surprisingly high. As a bonus, the top senior prospects on both teams could see plenty of time in one-on-one matchups against each other.
By: Matt Harmon
Colorado State
Ty Sambrailo, LT, #78
The draft community continues to recognize what a strong prospect Ty Sambrailo is. He was recently honored with an invite to the Senior Bowl, and is project to come off the board within the first two rounds. Sambrailo doesn’t have much to prove, but could use a little more attention nationally. He’ll get the chance to earn that if he wins the matchup with Utah’s defensive end, Nate Orchard. Sambrailo has the mauler’s attitude that can wear out opposing rushers.
Garrett Grayson, QB, #18
The CSU senior quarterback’s strong final season at the helm could not have come at a better time. It appears the 2015 NFL Draft’s quarterback class will leave a lot to be desired, especially the senior crop. Grayson could parlay that weakness, and his good season as a passer, into a shot at being a mid-round pick. He has a chance to gain a ton of positive momentum, if he excels in the pre-draft process. Grayson can start that charge in the Las Vegas Bowl. Make sure to watch how well he drives the ball, and plays off script. Those are questions scouts will have when determining whether he can ever elevate beyond the level of an NFL backup passer.
Bernard Blake, CB, #23
By far the least known of CSU’s senior prospects, Bernard Blake has every bit of a chance to end up a keeper. The feisty senior corner plays with an edge that will appeal to many who watch him. He sticks to receivers, and is not afraid to engage in a little hand fighting off the line of scrimmage. His aggressive edge often gives him an edge at the catch point, and he leads the team with 11 pass breakups. Blake’s stock appears to be rising in scouting circles, as he received an invite to the East-West Shrine game.
Utah
Nate Orchard, DE, #8
If there’s a prospect that could end up in the top two rounds of the NFL Draft, it’s Nate Orchard. The senior defensive end has been a monster pass rusher, amassing 17.5 sacks for the Utes. Orchard does most of his damage from defensive end, but is known to occasionally drop back to play linebacker. That ability will certainly intrigue NFL teams. They’d also like to see Orchard beat Sambrailo, should the two match up at any point.
Eric Rowe, CB/SAF, #18
The past few years’ draft classes have featured some intriguing safety depth. Utah’s Eric Rowe will look to bolster the mid-round group this year—although, he could play cornerback, if needed, and saw time at both positions in college. Rowe has started for Utah since he arrived on campus as a true freshman—outside of two games he missed due to injury. A long track record of playing, and at multiple positions, will be a big boost to his stock. Rowe will look to exploit any mistakes Garrett Grayson might make, rare as they may be.
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