The bowl season gives fans and scouts alike a chance to analyze NFL Draft prospects against solid competition. Bowl scheduling allows all eyes to be on each game. Here are the NFL Draft prospects in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl.
Cade Zimmerly, IOL
Zimmerly joined Bowling Green in 2021 and PFF named him to the All-Freshman team. Since that point he has continued to start on the Falcons’ offensive line, helping them go to two straight bowl games the last two seasons.
At 6-foot-1 and 290 pounds, Zimmerly is undersized for an interior offensive lineman. The right call for him is to go back to school and continue to add muscle to his frame. If he does decide to leave, he is a projected undrafted free agent.
Projected Draft Range: Undrafted Free Agent
Connor Bazelak, QB
Bazelak started his college career out at Missouri where he played for three years. He then transferred to Indiana for one season before joining Bowling Green. In his career, he has passed for 9,079 yards, 47 touchdowns and 34 interceptions on 62 percent completion. This season, he has passed for 1,709 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 61.2 percent completion.
He has solid size for an NFL quarterback at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. Bazelak did decently at Missouri, but didn’t show great development over the last two seasons of his college career. He will likely be an undrafted free agent, but could develop on a practice squad.
Projected Draft Range: Undrafted Free Agent
Other Draft Prospects: TE Harold Fannin Jr. (UFA), CB Davon Ferguson (UFA), WR Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (UFA)
Tyler Nubin, S
Nubin signed on with Minnesota in 2019. He started getting more serious playing time in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. In his career, he has 207 total tackles, 13 interceptions and 11 passes defended. This season, he has tallied 53 total tackles, five interceptions and four passes defended.
At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Nubin has solid size for an NFL safety. He has solid athletic ability and range. Nubin has good ball skills as well with his 13 career interceptions. While he is an older prospect, his draft stock is pretty good.
Projected Draft Range: 2nd Round Pick-4th Round Pick
Spann-Ford joined Minnesota in 2019 and has developed into a key player on their offense. He has 95 receptions for 1,061 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. For the 2023 season, he has 25 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
He has good size at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds. With his size he can block pretty well, but may struggle to separate from coverage at the NFL level. He is likely going to be picked late in the 2024 NFL Draft and may need to play special teams to mak a roster.
Projected Draft Range: 5th Round Pick-7th Round Pick
Other Draft Prospects: EDGE Danny Striggow (6th-UFA), EDGE Jah Joyner (UFA), CB Justin Walley (UFA), RB Sean Tyler (UFA), WR Corey Crooms (UFA), LB Braelin Oliver (UFA), WR Chris Autman-Bell (UFA)
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