The 2016 Cactus Bowl will feature athletes at skill positions. Boise State has had some of their skill position players have successful careers, like Doug Martin and Jay Ajayi. Baylor has had a new surge of skill position players at the NFL level. The most successful ones have been: Corey Coleman, Kendall Wright and Terrance Williams. Players in this game will be hoping to have careers like the people who paved the way for their schools. Here are the players to watch in this game:
Boise State Broncos
Projected Draft Range: Third round-fifth round
Jeremy McNichols (Photo courtesy: Yahoo)
McNichols is a do-it-all back for the Broncos. He is undersized at five feet nine inches, but has a solid weight of 212 pounds. At the very least, McNichols will be a solid third down back at the next level. He has had two season of over 450 yards receiving, making him a good target out of the backfield. His vision and quickness are his best attributes and he uses them to find holes and rip off big gains. With a deep running back class, McNichols versatility as a running back is a competitive advantage.
Baylor Bears
Projected Draft Range: Fourth round-sixth round
Fuller has good size at six feet four inches tall and 310 pounds. He is very strong and can move his man off the ball in the running game. Fuller will need to demonstrate mobility and pass blocking in order to improve his draft stock from this range. The good news is he has a lot of tape this season, due to how many plays Baylor runs. With all of the plays, the offense has really been effective, which should help his case.
Projected Draft Range: Sixth round-undrafted free agent
Orion Stewart (Photo courtesy: cbssports.com)
If a team is looking for a do-it-all safety in the later rounds of the draft, Orion Stewart’s name might come up. He isn’t afraid to tackle with 76 total tackles on the season. He has blitzed well and recorded three tackles for loss. Stewart is a ball-hawk with five interceptions on the season. Making his stats more impressive is that he has one of those interceptions returned for a touchdowns. He has good size for a safety at six feet two, but needs to add strength for the next level.
Projected Draft Range: Sixth round-undrafted free agent
Cannon isn’t the tallest receiver at six feet tall and 180 pounds. He is quick and fast which will be his best assets. Cannon will be able to create separation at the NFL level, but may not do it as often as in college. The main thing that Cannon will need to work on is his route running. Teams that want a guy who can develop into a receiver with time in the later round will look in Cannon’s direction.
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