Former NFL coach Mike Martz was named head coach of the National Team for the third time in the sixth NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He is 2-0 so far and will be looking to add another win on January 21st at 4:15 p.m. eastern time at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California.
Martz coaching staff will be made up of former players and coaches such as hall of famer Andre Reed, Torry Holt and Jon Kitna. They will have the opportunity to coach talented college seniors as they prepare for the NFL Draft in April. These are the key players to keep an eye for the National Team.
QB Greg Ward Jr.—University of Houston Cougars
Standing at only 5’11” and 185 pounds, Ward is undersized at the quarterback position, but his talent is unmatched. Over four years at the University of Houston Cougars, Ward threw for 8,705 yards, 52 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
He is impressive as a runner as well. In his junior season he ran for 1,108 yards and 21 touchdowns to go along with 2,828 yards passing and 17 touchdowns. He led the Cougars to a 13-1 record and won the American Athletic Conference Championship MVP
Ward may want to switch to wide receiver in the NFL to fit his frame. He is an outstanding athlete with speed. During his freshman and his sophomore year, Ward spent time at wide receiver and a return man. He caught 25 passes for 239 yards and eight touchdowns over the two years.
According to nfldraftscout.com, Ward runs a 4.49 second 40-yard dash and ranks 33rd out of 389 wide receivers in the NFL draft. Ward can be a Swiss Army knife type player for whichever team he lands on due to his dynamic skill set.
RB/WR Dontre Wilson—Ohio State University Buckeyes
Wilson was surrounded with hype when he first stepped foot on OSU campus out of DeSoto, Texas. He was rated a four star recruit and a player with a dynamic skill set. His career at Ohio State did not live up to expectations, but he is capable of being a dynamic player if he puts it all together.
At 5’10” and 195 pounds, Wilson served as a H-back where he was used all over the field. In 2016, he caught 27 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns while adding 78 yards rushing and one touchdown. In his college career, Wilson had 1,218 kick return yards to put him fifth on Ohio State all-time list.
He has talent with a lot of quickness, but scouts may question him on his off the field issues. In 2015, Wilson and three other OSU football players were suspended for the season opener against Virginia Tech. OSU cited the players were suspended for violation of athletic department policy.
DE/OLB Tashawn Bower—LSU Tigers
6’6”, 253-pound defensive end Bower picked a great time to have his best game.
In the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, LSU faced 2016 Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals. He managed to sack Jackson three times as LSU dominated Louisville 29-9. Coming into the game, Bower had only notched one sack on the year.
With his size, Bower can play standing outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme or defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. He has played both positions at LSU so it should be no issue for whatever positions he plays in the NFL.
S Jeremy Tyler—West Virginia University Mountaineers
In his time at WVU, Tyler was described as their handyman at safety. He played all three-safety positions: bandit, spur and free safety at WVU. Tyler knows how to play in the box and is also able to roam around at free safety.
At 5’11” 207 pounds, Tyler has great size at the safety position. His versatility at the safety position is something a team can use as Tyler provides depth. At WVU, Tyler played behind current NFL safeties Karl Joseph and K.J. Dillon when both players attended the school and he learned valuable information by watching them.
“Preparation is very key, so I watched how those guys prepared for games and how they took care of their bodies,” Tyler said. “They film studied everyday just to try and get to know their opponent and just realizing what you need to work on and what your body needs to work on. That’s what I picked up from watching them.”
Tyler intercepted opposing quarterbacks twice in 2016 to go along with eight pass deflections and 56 tackles.
RB Khalfani Muhammad—Cal Golden Bears
If its one thing Muhammad has, it’s speed. He finished seventh in the Pac-12 Championship 100 meter finals. His fastest 40-yard dash clocked out at 4.27 seconds according to nfldraftscout.com.
The knock on Muhammad is his size. He is 5’8” and weighs 172 pounds. NFLdraftscout.com ranks Muhammad 22nd out of 193 running backs available for the NFL Draft.
Muhammad was named a 2016 All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention by the coaches. In 2016, he finished the regular season with 827 rushing yards on 152 carries; both were team and career highs. He also added two touchdowns on the ground.
He was more of an all-purpose player for his team. Muhammad was a factor catching 17 passes out of the backfield for 132 yards. Returning kickoffs, he had a total of 584 yards on 24 returns. Muhammad 4,575 career all-purpose yards ranks third all-time while his 87 kick returns and 1,931 kick return yards both rank second on Cal’s all-time list.
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