Tag: Dante Wright

Mountain West Football: First Look at 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Jake Haener, JL Skinner, Dom Peterson and many more from the Mountain West could be on the minds of NFL scouts until next year’s draft.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Next year’s class of Mountain West football prospects could be a diverse bumper crop.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Who could be the next men up?

Air Force

It’s always tricky to guess which Falcons might be enticed to chase the NFL dream after their time at the Academy, but running back Brad Roberts might consider it if he can duplicate his 2021 season. It isn’t often that a fullback leads Air Force in rushing, let alone the entire Mountain West, but that’s what Roberts did in piling up 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns on a conference-high 297 carries. He’s a bruiser with enough acceleration to warrant a look as a short-yardage back in the NFL, if nothing else.

In the mix: Zion Kelly, CB; Kyle Patterson, TE; Vince Sanford, LB

Boise State

Pass catchers beware when Broncos safety JL Skinner is in the vicinity. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he’s earned a reputation as a hard hitter with the range to make plays just about everywhere on the field. In 2021, he collected 92 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, so another big year patrolling the defensive backfield is all but guaranteed to put him on a few big boards by this time next year.

In the mix: Hank Bachmeier, QB; Stefan Cobbs, WR; George Holani, RB; Shane Irwin, DL; Scott Matlock, DL; John Ojukwu, OT

Colorado State

Wide receiver Dante Wright wasn’t always at 100% during the 2021 season, but he remained one of the Rams’ most reliable targets and could be the primary beneficiary of Jay Norvell’s Air Raid offense. The former freshman All-American hasn’t lost any of his potency — he caught at least four passes in every game he played last year and has done so in all but two career games — and could very easily be 2022’s Deven Thompkins if everything breaks right.

In the mix: Cam’ron Carter, LB; Dequan Jackson, LB; Melquan Stovall, WR

Fresno State

Most college football fans remember Jake Haener‘s late-game exploits against UCLA last September, but the Bulldogs quarterback built a strong case throughout all of last year as the best signal-caller in the Mountain West. In throwing the ball nearly 38 times a game, Haener completed 67.1% of his passes for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns, also managing a reasonable 1.8% interception rate. While he may not fit the typical NFL quarterback mold (6-1, 195 pounds), his moxie and arm should give scouts plenty to keep an eye on.

In the mix: Dontae Bull, OT; Jalen Cropper, WR; David Perales, DE; Evan Williams, S

Hawaii

Since breaking into the starting lineup as a true freshman back in 2018, defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala has been a quiet force in the trenches for the Warriors defense, earning a pair of all-Mountain West honorable mentions in 2019 and 2020 and, according to Pro Football Focus, posting a career-best 75.3 grade last season. His ability to eat up space is something not just anyone can be taught, so he might be an example of how the stat sheet doesn’t tell you the whole story.

In the mix: Ilm Manning, OT; Dedrick Parson, RB; Solo Vaipulu, G; Micah Vanterpool, OL

Nevada

Defensive tackle Dom Peterson didn’t have to rejoin the Wolf Pack for one last season, but you can bet fans will be glad he did. Perhaps the best interior defender anywhere in the Mountain West, Peterson has now made 40 starts for Nevada and picked up 22 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. Not only could another dominant year put him in the conversation as the program’s best defensive lineman ever, it could entrench him as a prospect to watch.

In the mix: Aaron Frost, OL; Toa Taua, RB; Tyson Williams, S

New Mexico

After leading the Mountain West with four interceptions in 2020, Lobos safety Jerrick Reed II put together another solid campaign last fall and led the team with 92 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, moving around the defense to do whatever it took to make stops and bolstering his bonafides as a sure tackler with reliable hands.

In the mix: Donte Martin, CB

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Air Force Explodes In Second Half To Beat Colorado State 38-21

Colorado State did not have enough to defeat Air Force.

Rams Offense Gets Stuck In Neutral And Defense Out To Dry

Air Force Defeats Colorado State For The Fourth Year In A Row

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A Complete Breakdown

The Colorado State defense did its part for as long as it could. They were disciplined, getting off the field on third down and even created a couple of turnovers but the Colorado State offense didn’t help them out. Every time the Rams defense stuffed Air Force, the Rams offense would come out and lay an egg. As the game wore on the defense wore down and they eventually broke.

The offensive breakdown can be pointed to one place, the offensive line. While quarterback Patrick O’Brien took some unnecessary sacks, a few times he was running for his life as the Air Force pass rush blew through a porous Rams line. In the end, Air Force recorded eight sacks. They had 14 all season coming into the game.

Missed Opportunities

The Rams let Air Force hang around for too long. While an Air Force fumble on their opening drive led to a 63 yard scoop and score for linebacker Mohamed Kamara, the Rams were unable to capitalize on solid defensive performance early.

The insult to injury was the 99 yard pick six by Air Force defensive back Zane Lewis as O’Brien was trying to pull Colorado State within a score late in the fourth quarter.

After going up 14-0, the Rams were then outscored 38-7 and likely saw their slim bowl game chances disappear into the cold Fort Collins night.

TWO SIDES OF A QB

Patrick O’Brien was at best, off. While the opening drive of the game was a 14 play gem capped off by nice throwback tight end screen for a touchdown, O’Brien was more off than he was on the rest of the game. He fumbled a few times, took unnecessary sacks and looked to be trying too hard to place the ball rather than throwing it.

In O’Brien’s defense, the pass protection deteriorated as the game went on but O’Brien was able to make some throws late to keep things interesting. In the end, O’Brien did not look like the same quarterback we saw against Fresno State or UNLV.

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