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The bowl season can make or break a player’s future in the NFL. Here is a list of five SEC players that need a big bowl game to help improve their potential 2016 NFL Draft stock.
1. Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas – OK, so the Senior Bowl isn’t your traditional bowl contest, but could be viewed as a one-game audition for Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams. The senior accepted an invitation to play on Jan. 31 in the Mobile, Ala., -based showcase, despite missing the season with a foot injury. Williams posted 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior in 2014 and forfeits his last remaining year of eligibility by playing in the Senior Bowl. He leaves Fayetteville with 2,321 career rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. His talent is unquestionable, but whether his cantankerous foot can carry him to the next level remains to be seen, starting with the Senior Bowl.
2. Jake Coker, QB, Alabama – Jake Coker has been a steady presence for Alabama, returning the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive year. A CFP national title would look stellar on an NFL Draft résumé, especially for a player who transferred from Florida State and basically has had only one year as a starter to prove his worth. Coker finished with a respectable 2,489 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has an opportunity that few of his peers possess in that he has a chance to validate his leadership abilities and talent against the sport’s elite on its biggest stage.
3. Kelvin Taylor, RB, Florida – Kelvin Taylor has some ways to go before equaling his father Fred Taylor on the gridiron. But the Florida running back can begin his quest to follow his father into the NFL with a big Citrus Bowl over a Michigan defense that ranks No. 18 in the nation against the run. The junior will forgo his senior campaign after rushing for a career-high 985 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. Taylor has three 100-yard games in the Gators’ final four contests, though he only managed 8 yards on 7 carries in the SEC Championship against Alabama. Taylor, who has already declared his NFL Draft intentions, needs to step up and prove himself in the spotlight.
4. Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia – Malcolm Mitchell returned between the hedges midway through the 2014 season from a torn ACL and has since started 20 straight games at wide receiver for Georgia. Once a strong candidate to represent the Bulldogs in the NFL, Mitchell needs a big TaxSlayer Bowl. The senior leaves Athens after a 2,236-yard career, but has just three 100-yard performances during his tenure at Georgia — including just one this year. Of his 15 career touchdowns, a mere four have come this season. Granted, some of his low numbers can be attributed to a Bulldogs quarterback system that never gained much traction this year. But a big game against Penn State would help greatly.
5. Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M – Competition for passes is tight at Texas A&M, even before both of the Aggies’ quarterbacks left the program at the end of the regular season. Josh Reynolds was expected to be the best among a crowded group at wide receiver, and by all accounts, had a decent year, hauling in 730 yards. But those numbers are down from the 842 yards he caught as a sophomore last year. The biggest dropoff in stats came in the touchdown department, where Reynolds struggled in the big-play department, catching just five touchdown passes all year long — down from 13 in 2014. If Reynolds (1,572 career yards, 18 TDs) has eyes on going pro after this season, a big Music City Bowl game against Louisville should help improve his draft value.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
