Which prospect needs a second-half surge?
Kiper: Bryce Love, RB, Stanford. There were two concerns about Love as an NFL prospect entering the season. Would his body hold up behind a worse offensive line, and would Stanford get him more involved in the passing game to show off his versatility? Those questions get a resounding "no" so far, as the 5-foot-10, 202-pound Love has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries, and he hasn't looked like his explosive self when he has played. Plus, he has six catches and hasn't been a receiving target.
The 2017 Heisman runner-up needs to get healthy to get back in the first-round range. We knew he didn't have the versatility as former Cardinal star
Christian McCaffrey, but he's still a great runner when at his best. I want to see him get healthy before the all-star bowl games in January and NFL combine in March. I have him as a Day 2 pick right now.
McShay: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri. I was low on Lock coming into the season, giving him just a third-round grade, but I got excited about his early play. In his first two games of the season, he showed a lot more poise and pocket presence, throwing eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in wins over UT Martin and Wyoming. Not bad for a guy learning to play a pro-style brand of QB for the first time in his life, including playcalling verbiage, protections and pre-snap reads of defensive structures.
But the past three games have not gone well, as he's thrown five interceptions and only one touchdown. Against Georgia, Lock didn't necessarily play poorly -- his receivers let him down in a big way -- but there were body language issues and frustration was obviously setting in. South Carolina was the most concerning of the three straight losses because his poor decision-making in the second half cost Missouri the game. This past weekend, Lock and the Tigers were simply overmatched versus Alabama but he also made some critical red-flag errors.
He's an attractive project with a huge arm, size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and athleticism, but I would struggle to invest a first- or second-round pick on Lock at this point. Missouri has some key matchups against Kentucky and Florida over the next three weeks.