The College Football Playoff National Championship game is on Monday night. Who will NFL Scouts be watching?
Here are a few prospects that NFL Scouts will be keeping a close eye on during the College Football National Championship game on Monday night.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota is the obvious first choice for players that scouts will be closely watching in Monday’s national championship game. The quarterback from Oregon is almost a lock to go No. 1 overall, without having gone through the combine or interviews with any teams yet. Why Mariota is receiving so much attention already for the first overall pick is because of his unique blend of an accurate arm and a deadly ability to scramble around for extra yards. A scouting report of Mariota, from the excellent website WalterFootball.com…
"Mariota has had a number of great performances this year, including the Pac-12 Championship victory over Arizona. He also impressed against UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Michigan State. In the Ducks’ mid-season loss to Arizona, Mariota had opportunities for big plays, yet missed a number of throws with poor accuracy and ball placement.Therein lies the concern with Mariota as a system quarterback. He has good height and the strong arm to be a pocket passer, but he isn’t consistent yet. Mariota doesn’t always scan through the field, and there are times where he looks to run when his first read is covered. Mariota can also miss some throws with placement that is off and doesn’t consistently fire the ball into tight windows as Oregon’s offensive scheme leads to a lot of wide-open receivers. That will have to change in the NFL as he will have to get better at pulling the trigger with accurate passes into a small opening."
You can also check out Mariota for yourself at draftbreakdown.com. Here is the film of him from the Rose Bowl game against FSU.
Like the scouting report says, Mariota’s system at Oregon leads some to believe that he will struggle without it at the next level. But when I turn on the tape and watch Mariota, I see a franchise quarterback, and I think Tampa Bay, sitting with the number one pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, would be silly not to take him.
One thing is for sure — Tampa and the entire league will be watching to see how Mariota plays on Monday night.
Michael Bennett
Bennett is arguably Ohio State’s best defensive player, and scouts will be watching when he takes the field on Monday. Right now, he projects as a 1-2 round pick by CBS Sports.
A quick overview of Bennett as a prospect, from CBS Sports…
"The defensive line is the strength of the Buckeyes’ defense, although Bennett has struggled to make a similar impact as a senior as he did the previous season. A highly active interior rusher with range and quickness, Bennett finished the 2013 season with 42 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks and three forced fumbles.Watching him on tape, Bennett has seen more snaps as the one-technique and is often occupying multiple blockers, which is a large reason for his decline in production in ’14."
Check him out for yourself against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl earlier this year.
As the scouting report says, Bennett hasn’t had the production that many expected him to have coming into the season. A strong performance in the national championship game, with all the NFL scouts watching, could propel Bennett into the back-end of the first round.
Oregon’s defensive ends — DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead
If you have watched Oregon at all this season, you probably have heard these guys names. Armstead and Buckner have created headaches for opposing quarterbacks all season long, and they are looking to finish strong this season against Ohio State. Both are juniors who have dominated for the Ducks this season.
Everything I’ve seen lists both these guys as 1st-2nd round prospect types. Their play on Monday night will go a long way towards deciding whether they go at the higher end of that range of the lower end.
Take a look at Armstead in the video below.
He doesn’t really impress in that video, but he has a chance to make another statement against Ohio State. For more on Armstead, check out this post from our friends at With the First Pick.
Last but not least…
Devin Smith
As a senior, wide receiver Devin Smith has a lot riding on his performance in this game. It is his last chance to show NFL scouts what he can do in life action, and also a chance to go win a National Championship for his team.
A few words on Smith, from Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com…
"With Cardale Jones making his first career start at quarterback, Smith, a senior, stepped up and helped the sophomore get comfortable in short order. Smith (6-foot-1, 199 pounds) is big, fast and physical. He has great ball skills to go up and get it. All of those attributes were on display Saturday night.I don’t see him going any lower than the second round of the draft, and I look forward to taking a closer look at him during the lead-up to the draft.Smith isn’t mentioned in the same category as guys like Alabama’s Amari Cooper, Louisville’s DeVante Parker and West Virginia’s Kevin White. Smith might not be as well-rounded as those players, but he’s a gifted vertical receiver and has a lot of good tools to work with as he prepares to develop his game for the next level."
Smith played well in the Ohio State win over Wisconsin, and if he breaks out for another big performance on Monday, he could vault himself into the conversation with Amari Cooper, Kevin White and others in that first tier of wide outs.
Enjoy the game Monday night, everyone!
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