2016 NCAA Graduating Senior Talent

CFL Talk
1

Per the so called "experts" this draft class is deep in quality defensive lineman but very thin regarding quarterbacks and just so so for running backs.

These are some of the "under the radar" players from non power conference programs that have played well in recent college all star games that CFL teams are likely eyeing

DL Tyrone Holmes 6-4 250 Sr. Montana Eagle Point, Ore. (Eagle Point)

FCS American FOotball Coaches Defensive End. Played well in the East West Shrine Bowl

QB *Jason Vander Laan 6-4 244 Sr. Ferris St. (Mich.) Frankfort, Ill. (Chicago Christian)

The first Quarterback to earn back to back Harlon Hill Awards (NCAA Division 2 Football's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) and only offensive player to be chosen for the AFCA D2 team in back to back years. Huge and very mobile.

DE *Josh Gordon 6-2 255 Sr. Minnesota St. Milwaukee, Wis. (Wisconsin Lutheran)

Only Defensive Lineman or Linebacker chosen for the AFCA Dvision 2 team in back to back years.

DB *Michael Jordan 6-0 200 R-Sr. Missouri Western St. Hazelwood, Mo. (Hazelwood Central)

Played in both the Dream Bowl and the East West Shrine Game. a repeat AFCA Division 2 DB selection
If he has anywhere near the career of "His Airness" the team he plays for will be extremely blessed.

DE 53
Cowser James Southern Utah
6'4"
258

Played in the East West Shrine Game, holds the Career Quarterback Sack Record for FCS (formerly Division 1AA) football. Great quickness off the snap.

DE AARON KARLEN WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT

Absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage in the Dream Bowl. 6-3 245 which may be a bit undersized but extremely quick with a 40 yard dash time under 4.6 seconds. Had 1.5 sacks, 4 QB Hurries, and 2 Tackles for Loss.

LB Robert Metz Dixie St ( Utah) 6-1 235

Registered 2.5 tackles for loss and a nose for the football in the Dream Bowl

2

what is Southern Utah like as a football school?

3

Southern Utah won the Big Sky Conference title this season, qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs and lost a nailbiter in the opening round to Sam Houston State who proceeded to win their next 2 FCS playoff games on the road and reached the FCS semi finals. Sam Houston State played in the FCS title game in 2014/15.

Southern Utah has 3 graduating Seniors who have pro potential

4

do you think they are outside of the NFL draft and will be overlooked?

5

I think they will be overlooked and not drafted. The overwhelming majority of NFL draft picks come from one of the 5 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Automatic Qualifying Conferences. ( Big 10, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, 12 PAC(actually the PAC 12 but I like 12 PAC better) & the Southeastern Conference) also known as the Power 5 plus Notre Dame. That’s a total of 65 teams. Most of the balance of drafted players come from one of the 5 Non Automatic Qualifying FBS Conferences (Mid American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, The American Conference and the Sunbelt Conference) also know as the Gang of Five. While there is a talent gap between the Power 5 and the Gang of 5, the real gap is financial.

Below the FBS is the Football Championship Subdivision or FCS, whose teams play for a national championship and at this time are not elgible to play in FBS bowl games or the FBS 4 team playoff. The better teams in this division are every bit the equal of most Gang of 5 teams and some Power 5 teams. Yet players from this division of College Football are rarely drafted by NFL teams. Last year 17 FCS players were drafted which is the most taken since the NFL reduced it’s draft to 7 rounds(256 players drafted)

Southern Utah is an FCS team.

The CFL has benefited greatly from the NFL radically reducing the number of rounds. As recently as 1976 the NFL draft lasted 17 rounds (X 28 teams= 476 players)
reduced to 12 rounds in 1977(336 players)
reduced to 8 rounds in 1993 (224 players)
Reduced to 7 rounds in 1994 ( 222 players) despite adding franchises the actual number of players draft dropped by 2.
Number of drafted players has gone back up to 256 with 32 franchises vs 28 but the actual number drafted has dropped nearly in half since 1976 and by nearly 1/4 since 1977.

Sorry for the knowledge deluge, but with the NFL draft coming to Chicago (where I live) in just 2 months and the start of CFL training camps only a few weeks after that, this should help

6

I would like to know about the backup QB's on each team and where they came from. Who is the Toronto backup now that Harris is gone? What was his college career like?