The Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston College Eagles will meet in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium. Both teams have some quality players that can make it in the NFL. Here are the top NFL Draft prospects in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl:
Iowa Hawkeyes
Joshua Jackson, CB
Joshua Jackson has only really gotten playing time this season and has made the most of it. He has seven interceptions and 18 passes defended. The junior is a ball-hawk at corner and makes a lot of plays. There will be concerns about him only playing a lot for one season, but he has jumped off the page this season.
He has good size for a corner at 6’1″ and 192 pounds. Jackson is in a class where there aren’t many great corners, so he may decide to leave for the NFL.
Projected draft range: 1st round-3rd round
Josey Jewell, LB
Josey Jewell (Photo by hawkcentral.com)
Jewell not only brings a lot of experience to the table, but also a lot of production. He has 422 total tackles in his career. This season, Jewell has 121 total tackles, which ranks fifth in total tackles per game in the country. He is an expert at stuffing the run, which will be his calling card going into the NFL Draft.
At 6’2″ and 236 pounds, Jewell is a good size for the NFL. While his run stopping isn’t going to be questioned, his pass coverage skills will.
Projected draft range: 3rd round-5th round
Akrum Wadley, RB
Wadley has two straight 1,000 yard seasons and has played behind a great offensive line. In his career he has 2,784 rushing yards with 1,021 of them coming this season. He also produces as a receiver out of the backfield with 329 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
At 5’11” and 191 pounds, Wadley is more of a finesse back than a power back. He will have a role in the NFL as a third down back with his pass catching ability. It is a deep class at running back yet again, so Wadley could fall a round or two more than most draft classes.
Projected draft range: 3rd round-5th round
Sean Welsh, G
Welsh has experience all over the offensive line at Iowa, but has played guard most, which is likely where he will end up in the pros. After the 2016 season, Welsh was named second team All-American by USA Today. He has cemented himself as one of the best interior line prospects in the draft.
He is 6’3″ and 288 pounds, which is a little bit undersized. What he lacks in size, he should make up for with his proven results at Iowa. Knowing the type of offensive line Iowa has, Welsh should be fundamentally sound.
Projected draft range: 4th round-6th round
Boston College Eagles
Harold Landry, DE
Landry came on to the radar with his 16.5 sacks last season. This season he could only muster five sacks. The senior could’ve left after last season and been a very high draft pick, but went back to Boston College for one more season. He is questionable to play in this game with an ankle injury.
Because he is only 6’3″, NFL executives will want to see what his arm length is measured at. If he has long enough arms, he should be able to fend off NFL offensive linemen well. His lack of production will also raise some eyebrows, but he saw a lot of double teams this season.
Projected draft range: 1st round-3rd round
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