NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in the 2016 Hawaii Bowl

Most people will be celebrating the holidays with their families on Christmas Eve, but there is a bowl game to watch. The Hawaii Bowl will pit the Rainbow Warriors vs. the Blue Raiders. Hawaii doesn’t currently have any former players in the NFL, so will be looking for this year to change things. Middle Tennessee has five players in the NFL, most notably running back Benjamin Cunningham and linebacker Erik Walden. Here are some of the best prospects from these two teams this season:

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Marcus Kemp, WR

Projected Draft Range: Undrafted free agent

Marcus Kemp (Photo courtesy: youtube.com)

Kemp is an intriguing draft prospect, that not a lot of people have on their draft boards. Why is he intriguing? Production and size. He has 1,036 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, without the greatest quarterback play, making those stats hard earned. He stands at six feet four inches tall and weighs in at 200 pounds. His height can create match-up problems, even against some of the taller NFL corners.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

I’Tavius Mathers, RB

Projected Draft Range: Sixth round-undrafted free agent

Mathers has talent, good enough for him to play at Ole Miss, but he decided to transfer to Middle Tennessee. He didn’t get much opportunity at Ole Miss, but made the most of his chance for the Blue Raiders. His production jumped up to 1,504 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Mathers is capable of ripping off big gains with his longest run being 78 yards. He also has experience playing special teams at Ole miss, which will help his value.

Jeremy Cutrer, CB

Projected Draft Range: Fifth round-seventh round

Jeremy Cutrer (Photo courtesy: twitter.com)

Cutrer has great size at six feet two inches tall, which is great for teams that want taller corners now. He is only 170 pounds so his biggest focus before the NFL draft is adding muscle. He is good in coverage, good enough to be originally committed to LSU, before going to junior college. His biggest asset is his ability to play the run, with 56 total tackles and four tackles for loss.

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