In this year’s Texas Bowl, college football fans will get to see a rematch of former Southwest Conference foes. With Bret Bielema at the coaching helm, Arkansas has quickly formed one of the more dominant offensive line units in the country. At Texas, head coach Charlie Strong has worked tirelessly to change the culture and the players have bought in. Both programs are on the up and up after recent struggles on and off the field.
From an NFL Draft standpoint, there’s plenty of talent in this game highlighted by Arkansas DE Trey Flowers and Texas DT Malcom Brown. Be sure to continue reading for more notes on the top prospects to watch and their respective draft stock.
By: Alex Brown
Arkansas
Jonathan Williams, RB, #32 (JR)
Williams is a big back (6’0, 223 lbs) that has the lateral quickness and footwork to let the blocking develop, find a lane and accelerate upfield. His contact balance and pad level around tacklers are both major pluses, as he consistently makes the first tackler miss. In a two-back rotation with sophomore Alex Collins, Williams led Arkansas in rushing and also served as the primary passing down back. Williams’ combination of size, quickness and third down back experience could earn 3rd round grades from NFL teams.
Trey Flowers, DE, #86
Not gifted with a plus first step, Flowers is 4-3 strong side DE prospect that wins his one-on-one battles with length and strength. Able to stack and shed by landing his hands inside forcefully, Flowers looks the part of a well-coached player. His lateral movements aren’t great and he isn’t a plus athlete, but Flowers is capable of creating a pass rush with a direct bull-rush or countering off the initial point of attack. The biggest positive in Trey Flowers’ report is how consistently he’s able to locate break points and disengage as both a run supporter and pass rusher. Look for Flowers to come off the board in the 2nd or 3rd round.
Martrell Speight, WLB, #47
Speight entered the year under the radar but wound up having a breakout senior season that culminated in a Senior Bowl invite. As a linebacker prospect, Speight plays with outstanding instincts and closing burst in pursuit of the football. He’s able to work around blockers, sift through the trash and finish one-on-one tackles. At times, he’ll play from a middle linebacker alignment but primarily serves as Arkansas’ weakside linebacker. He definitely has starter ability and could be selected in the 4th round or earlier.
Others to watch:
A.J. Derby, TE, #11
Brey Cook, RT, #74
Tevin Mitchell, CB, #23
Texas
Malcolm Brown, RB, #28
Brown is a throwback running back -big, strong and capable of being a workhorse. He lacks exceptional burst or explosive qualities, but consistently finds a crease to accelerate through. As a 5’11, 222 pound back, Brown is built for the NFL game and more importantly runs behind his pads. Using a subtle shoulder dip through the first level and having natural power with his size, he’s also able to grind through arm tacklers. Brown isn’t the flashiest runner but is an effective one that could come off the board in the 4th round.
Cedric Reed, DE, #88
Reed combines plus length off the edge with efficient hand usage to remain disengaged and active on all downs. He’s not particularly explosive with his first step, but wins off the edge by either ripping to the outside or landing his hands inside to initiate a bull rush. Really has a sluggish first step and lack of quickness will limit his rush potential at the next level. With his frame, Reed could bulk into a 5-technique but he’s more likely to be viewed as a strong side 7-technique on a four-man front.
Malcom Brown, DT, #90 (JR)
The top prospect in this game, Malcom Brown wins with natural power, leverage and developed hand counters. Brown will play snaps at the 5-technique, 3-technique and 1-technique positions with consistent effect. As an NFL prospect, his size and ability to play the point of attack are best served at the shade nose tackle position. While he lacks a plus first step, Brown is still a very good athlete in terms of body control and lateral agility. He can work upfield through blockers or move laterally to defend zone stretch runs, and processes the game quickly for a down lineman. Brown’s draft stock would be squarely in the first round if he declared himself eligible.
Jordan Hicks, WLB, #3
Medically redshirted each of the past two years (torn Achilles tendon in 2013 and hip flexor injury in 2012), Jordan Hicks finally notched a healthy, productive senior season with a team-high 138 tackles. He’s great at sifting through the trash, working downhill with his run reads and finishing as a wrap tackler. Although he shows good closing speed on perimeter runs, I view him as more of a 4-3 ILB prospect with his ability to read and react downhill. He could be a productive NFL starter behind a defensive line that can keep him clean.
Others to watch:
Johnathon Gray, RB, #32
Jaxon Shipley, WR, #8
John Harris, WR, #9
Quandre Diggs, CB, #6
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