Morning guys: Bowl season gets underway a little later today with 5 games. Most are pretty pedestrian, but the Las Vegas Bowl (3:30 PM; ABC) between Boise State and Oregon should be a pretty good one. That game also features maybe the most interesting guy to watch from a Giants draft perspective in Oregon LT Tyrell Crosby (#58). He's a really athletic OT who likely would have a been a high pick last year, but missed almost the entire year with a foot injury and ultimately returned to school. We (the GBN) currently has him rated as the
#7 OT and
64th overall prospect. Note that Oregon RB Royce Freeman, another potential Giants' target in the middle rounds won't play today as he has opted to start draft prep rather than risk injury. One other guy to watch today is Arkansas State ER Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (#11) in the Camellia Bowl (8 PM ET; ESPN). He's one of the more disruptive edge rushers in college football, although he is a bit of a tweener at 6-2, 245, but he's a two-time Sun Belt POY (that's not DPOY) who had 12 sacks this year. One other note of some interest to the Giants. Pitt junior OT Brian O'Neill announced yesterday he'll be entering the draft. We have him rated even higher than Crosby (4th OT and 32nd overall). Indeed, if one is planning on taking a QB with one's early first round pick but would also like to get a LT prospect O'Neill is a really interesting prospect. O’Neill is listed at 6-6, 305, but he actually was a WR in high school and originally came to Pitt as a TE before bulking up and moving to OT. He started 37 straight games for the Panthers including all 12 the past season at LT; in fact, he’s athletic enough that Pitt actually designed a few plays on which he actually carried the ball. Have a great day everyone.
Yes indeed!