First, we covered the Hula Bowl. Now we are here to bring you our breakdown of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which is one of the bigger NFL Draft prospect games they have every year. Some quality mid-late-round players come out of this game. Peyton Hendershot, Daron Bland, James Houston IV, and Malcolm Rodriguez were a few players who played in the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and made an impact for their team this season. Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

Jack’s 2023 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Awards:

Offensive Player of the Game: Holton Ahlers, QB, East Carolina

In the Hula Bowl, I thought Ahlers played well but did not think he should’ve won the MVP. However, in the NFLPA Bowl I did think Ahlers deserved the MVP. He looked really good, making good throws, and flashing his ability to run. As I mentioned in the Hula Bowl article, I had heard that Ahlers was not a good runner, yet once again he proved people wrong showing that he has a better ability to get it done on the ground than people think. Ahlers also showcased his ability to command the offense the whole game, especially during his 2 min drill. Ahlers looked much improved from the Hula Bowl and showed why people think he’s a mid-round gem. 

Defensive Player of the Game: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State

Jason Taylor looked unbelievable in this game. He was flying around the field as if his life depended on it. Taylor seems to be a high-motor and effort player, which I love. Taylor had a few pass breakups early, but late in the second quarter he probably made the play of the game. During his 2 min drill my Offensive Player of the Game, Holton Ahlers, launches a deep ball to his WR, who in many people’s eyes was going to score. That was until Taylor runs him down from behind and punches the ball out preventing the TD. Later in the second half, Taylor ran down on a punt and made a tackle. Taylor is a player I’m looking forward to scouting now, and even if he’s not fully ready as a safety, he will find work during his rookie season on special teams. 

The Most Impressive Position Groups: Defensive Line

I thought the defensive line was the best position group for the second straight prospect bowl game. I will cover them later in the article, but the QBs were under pressure a lot throughout the game. 

Players Who Stood Out Positively:

Quarterbacks:

• Sean Clifford, Penn State: I’m not going to lie, when I saw Clifford got invited to this game after his Hula Bowl performance I was shocked and expecting a disappointing performance, but he proved me wrong… a little bit. His first play was a scramble for a few yards, and I thought to myself here we go again. His first drive looked like it was straight out of the Hula Bowl, but his second drive looked much better. Clifford only finished 4-8 for 77 yards but looked much better throwing the football than a couple of weeks ago.

Running Backs:

Unlike the Hula Bowl, I felt like in this game the RBs did not control the game. I felt like the ball was in the air much more, but that didn’t stop a few guys from having pretty good days.

• Ronnie Brown, Shepherd: They called Brown “the fastest guy at the game” stating on several occasions that if he were to break off a screen or run, no one was going to be able to catch him. Despite being called the fastest guy there I thought that Brown showed his ability to be tough and get downhill. They also said that he was good as a receiving back, although it was difficult to tell as Brown only had one catch. Brown also played gunner on a punt for his team and made a tackle. 
• Titus Swen, Wyoming: Swen was a player who didn’t get his opportunity until I believe either the late 3rd or 4th quarter. When he got in though, damn did he look good. He was probably the best RB at the game. He was a really tough downhill runner who hit the hole with a big burst. He wasn’t afraid of contact and bounced off defenders, showing a bit of elusiveness and quickness to his game. He was just a tough runner and he refused to go down. Despite not playing much until the end of the game Swen finished with 8 carries for 73 yards and 4 receptions for 22 yards. 

Wide Receivers:

The receivers definitely played well in this game with many big plays downfield. There were probably a couple that I could’ve written about, but there was one in particular that to me stood out among the rest

• Mitchell Tinsley, Penn State: Tinsley is not the name you think of when you think of Penn State WRs. Tinsley is overshadowed by teammate Parker Washington. Despite only catching 3 passes for 36 yards, I thought Tinsley showed that he is a reliable receiver with good hands and RAC ability. I also found out that Tinsley actually led the Nittany Lions in receptions and tied for most touchdowns, while being second in receiving yards to only Washington. I think Tinsley could be a nice day three pick when it’s all said and done.

Defensive Line:

• Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State: Matlock was disruptive the whole game and even had 1-2 sacks. He looked pretty good from what I saw.
• Jeffrey Johnson, Oklahoma: Johnson was one of the DTs I was impressed with at the Hula Bowl and was happy to see he got invited to this game. I don’t know if I saw a play where he wasn’t being doubled. Johnson will more than likely be an early-down and goal-line player at the next level but was able to overpower some of the IOLs trying to block him on pass downs. 

DE/EDGE:

• Thomas Rush, Minnesota: Rush has the perfect last name for an edge rusher. He was giving the tackles a tough time anytime he was in. He was another player that I think had 2 sacks, but it wasn’t just sacks, he was disruptive and put pressure on the QBs all game long. Really impressive day.
• Garrett Nelson, Nebraska: I think Nelson had a sack, but I’m not 100% sure. He had a similar day to Rush in regard to the pressure he was putting on the QBs.

Defensive Backs: 

• Steven Jones Jr., App State: I don’t know if Jones was playing the whole game or just in the second half, but he had a pretty good second half, more particularly in the 4th quarter. He made a nice tackle on a screen and had a few pass breakups. Could be a nice day-three pick but will have to look into him. 

Player’s I Had Mixed Feelings About

Quarterbacks:

• Malik Cunningham, Louisville: Cunningham’s bowl performance reminded me of Malik Willis’ Senior Bowl performance. He showcased the running ability we all knew he had but struggled throwing the football.

Linebackers:

• Krishon Merriweather, Texas Tech: I was impressed with Merriweather throughout the game. He seemed like he was always around the ball, and even had a FR and I believe a FF, but I’m not 100% sure. The reason I have mixed feelings about his day is that he got ejected late in the 4th quarter for a late head-to-head hit on the QB. No one ever gets ejected from one of these games. It’s an extremely bad look for Merriweather.

Player’s Who Stood Out Negatively

Quarterbacks:

• Adrian Martinez, Kansas State: Martinez actually looked pretty good in the Hula Bowl. The same can’t be said for this bowl. Martinez looked good when using his legs to run or extend plays but didn’t quite have the passing day I was hoping to have. As I stated earlier in the article, the NFLPA Bowl passing game was much better than in the Hula Bowl, so it was interesting to see Martinez have a worse day than in the Hula Bowl. 

Running Backs:

• Emari Demercado, TCU: I did not watch many TCU games, but I had heard that Kendre Miller was TCU’s RB1. Despite that, I felt like Demercado was the better of the two backs or at least when I watched TCU games it felt like I saw Demercado more than Miller. Demercado was a big disappointment in my eyes. It’s possible my standards were a bit too high, but I mean he did finish with 0 yards on 4 carries and 9 yards on 1 catch. Hopefully, he tests well because this did not help his draft stock at all. 

Linebackers:

• Micah Baskerville, LSU: Baskerville was a prospect I discovered towards the end of the CFB season. I thought he looked good. Without scouting, I thought he could be a day two or three gem. I felt like he was a bit quiet in this bowl game. He made a couple of nice plays, but it wasn’t standout. Like Demercado it may have just been high standards, but maybe not.