Week 1 CFB Observations: 2015 Draft Eligible

[Mike_Blahnik]

Todd Gurley: Wow. Hope to see him more involved in passing game in future weeks. I was encouraged by his usage, seems like the Georgia staff is intent on keeping him fresh. More tread left on the tires for us next year.

Devin Funchess: Wow. I was at this game and Funchess is a smooth mover. Hands looked good, but I would expect good and bad weeks as the competition ratchets up.

Melvin Gordon: Perplexing usage but had wow moments. I saw one or two pretty good pass protection pick-ups. Looked as good as ever with the ball in his hands.

Jameis Winston: Liked what I saw, in general. I'm admittedly not a QB guru so I would be interested in reading more educated assessments. He continues to show me shades of Steve McNair.

Karlos Williams: Explosive but seemed to be too quick to run for the edge. Early and often against OK State I thought he left yards on the field by not planting his foot and cutting up-field into the teeth of the defense.

Rashad Greene: Wow. Might be a better football player than prospect, but he looked like the 4-yr starter he is last night, in a good way. Will be an interesting Rorschach test for dynasty rookie drafters next year.

Those are my notes from the three games I've watched closely. Please weigh-in with your thoughts related to any of the above or with any observations from games/players I've yet to watch.

Cheers,
Mike B

[ABWchance]

If all those guys I only saw Funchess and he looks like a beast. I'm curious to see what an NFL team does with him (WR vs. TE) but that third TD catch snagging it away from two defenders was a thing of athletic beauty.

Other guys I saw that looked good:

Kenny Hill - the guy looked poised for his first game. SC D may be way worse than thought so I look forward to seeing him against other competition. I'm also wary that Sumlin produces system QBs.

Amari Cooper - looked back to his freshman form. Quick burst, separation. Looked good

Kevin White - 6'3" and 210 and played like a dominant receiver vs. Alabamas D. Hadn't heard of him before but I'm keeping my eye on him this season.

Brett Hundley - I think most of his problems were poor O-line play but he didn't look sharp and his offense looked bad. Not a good start for one of the top QBs in the country.

[NewtotheBiz]

I'll throw in some who aren't 2015 eligible, but most of these are.

Brett Hundley: Victim of a poor surrounding cast IMO. His WRs dropped countless balls. Offensive line looked really bad in pass pro. He looked good escaping the pocket and using his legs to get yards. Still room to improve as a passer, but his WRs did him no favors in this game.

D'haquille Williams: Guy looked as explosive and effective as Cordarelle Patterson did against No. Carolina St. Two years ago. Speed, strength, and underrated route running. If Auburn commits to throwing the ball, he will be a stud, one-and-done player. I have been saying that Sammie Coates might not even be the best WR on his own team, and Williams may be confirming that for me. That is no knock on Coates either. I just think Duke can be special.

Todd Gurley: Man amongst boys. Clemson had no answer for him, and few teams will honestly. To top it off, we got a look at Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb is cut from the same cloth as Gurley. Just a big, fast athlete who can take the punishment of the SEC.

Amari Cooper: He looks to be fully healthy and got open about anytime he wanted to. He probably doesn't possess elite NFL talent, but he has solid WR2 potential with WR1 potential. Size and skill-set reminds me of Michael Crabtree a bit.

Kenny Hill: Johnny Football who? Just kidding, but pretty impressive start for a kid who barely won the QB job at aTm. He benefits from some fabulous skill players and a stud OLine, but he looked sharp. Want to see more of him.

Derrick Henry: He's a beast. TJ Yeldon looked better than he did last season at times as well, but Henry is in another league IMO. People that size aren't supposed to move like that at that speed.

Patrick Towles: QB at Kentucky. He looked impressive in his first start, albeit against the Sisters of the Poor (UT-Martin). As an SEC fan, I look forward to following his career.

Mike Davis: Looked tentative and outclassed, but I know he's better than he played, so we will see how he does in future games. He was one of my favorite backs last season because he projected as a true 3-down back. Hopefully he gets back on track and this was an aberration.

[Lotto4Life]

Mike Davis: Looked tentative and outclassed, but I know he's better than he played, so we will see how he does in future games. He was one of my favorite backs last season because he projected as a true 3-down back. Hopefully he gets back on track and this was an aberration.

Davis was hurt, so I'm going to give him a pass.

[NewtotheBiz]

Mike Davis: Looked tentative and outclassed, but I know he's better than he played, so we will see how he does in future games. He was one of my favorite backs last season because he projected as a true 3-down back. Hopefully he gets back on track and this was an aberration.

Davis was hurt, so I'm going to give him a pass.

Yeah, he definitely gets a pass on one game, esp playing hurt.