Six Oregon Football Players To Watch as 2014 Season Kicks Off

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Karina Skauge, GoLocalPDX Contributor

mannion

Sean Mannion. Photo Credit: Karl Maasdam, Courtesy Oregon State University

With University of Oregon coming in as No. 4, with 1,314 points (PTS), on the 2014 NCAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, No. 3 on the preseason AP Top 25 Poll with 1334 PTS, and No. 4 on the preseason ESPN Power Rankings with 285 PTS, it’s no wonder some of the players would also show up on the 2014 Top Pac-12 Players to watch for next year's NFL draft.

And U of O isn’t alone in boasting some top players to watch.

Oregon State also shows up on the 2014 NCAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, although with only 4 PTS and on the AP Poll with 10 PTS. Still, some of its players are also listed among the 25 on the Top Pac-12 Players to watch.

The 25 players listed were pulled from the Top 100 College Football Players ranked by ESPN writers and analysts, who cover every conference nationally. The Top 100 Football Players influenced the rankings of the Top Pac-12 Players, though the latter is culled from a smaller group of Pac-12 conferences. Voted on before preseason began and published as the preseason started, these players will attract lots of attention as they head into the 2014 season.

Now in week 3 of the season and both OSU and U of O having 2 wins and 0 losses, it's no wonder rankings would jump just a bit, moving U of O up to No. 2 on the AP Poll with 1415 PTS and No. 1 on the ESPN Power Rankings with 308 PTS. There's a possible championship in the Duck's future, as well as a Heisman trophy in the offing for QB Marcus Mariota.

OSU Should Make Gains in Ranking

While Oregon State didn't make much a jump in the rankings, they have managed to get receiving yards in the 600s, as well as Sean Mannion's yardage in the 600s, and rushing yards in the 300s by week 3, so it'll be a shock if they don't jump the polls later on in the season.

Some past Top Pac-12 Players who have made it to the NFL: OSU’s Jordan Poyer, a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns; OSU's Scott Crichton at defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings; U of O’s Dion Jordan, a defensive end with the Miami Dolphins; and U of O's Kenjon Barner, a running back for the Carolina Panthers.

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Related Slideshow: Oregon’s Top Pac-12 College Football Players

Here are some of the Oregon players who have managed to make it into the 2014 Top Pac-12 Players List.

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#22 Byron Marshall

College: University of Oregon

Position: Running Back

In 2013 he had 168 carries, 14 touchdowns, 13 catches, 155 receiving yards, and 1,038 rushing yards. It’s no wonder he makes it as #22 on this list. Not only do these stats make him a player to watch, but also a player with a lot of potential to climb the rankings.

Photo Credit: Scott Enyeart (Own Work) Live Link (Image Cropped)

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#19 Isaac Seumalo

College: Oregon State University

Position: Offensive Lineman

This Offensive Lineman managed to block QB Sean Mannion who set the Pac-12 single-season record with 4,662 yards passing. With his abilities to block in the manner of which he did makes him a prime candidate to possibly win the Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy, and/or Rotary Lombardi Award.

Photo Credit: Karl Maasdam (Own Work) (Image Cropped) Courtesy Oregon State University

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#10 Hroniss Grasu

College: University of Oregon

Position: Center

As a junior in 2013 he became one of three Oregon native players to be named All-Pac-12 two seasons in a row. He has managed to lead the offensive line to the conference’s number 1 rushing attack. Entering his final year at U of O, Grasu has started all 40 games of his career at UO making him one of the Duck’s greatest players.

Photo Credit: Daniel Hartwig (Own Work) Live Link (Image Cropped)

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#6 Sean Mannion

College: Oregon State University

Position: Quarterback

Ranking here for breaking the Pac-12 single-season record with 4,662 yards thrown, 35 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, this is a player the NFL is watching closely. Already sitting at #10 on the conference’s all-time passing list, it’s going to be a breeze for him to pass Matt Barkley’s record of 12,327 yards thrown.

Photo Credit: Karl Maasdam (Own Work) (Image Cropped) Courtesy Oregon State University

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#4 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

College: University of Oregon

Position: Cornerback

In 2013 he was the second Ducks player to have 84 tackles with 3 interceptions, and 9 passes defended. He is a force to be reckoned with. It has been unanimous that he is to be the 2014 Preseason All-American. It’s also been hinted that he may not last too long in the 2015 NFL draft.

Photo Credit: Daniel Hartwig (Own Work) Live Link (Image Cropped)

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#1 Marcus Mariota

College: University of Oregon

Position: Quarterback

With stats such as completing 63.5% of his passes with 3,665 yards, 31 touchdowns, only 4 interceptions, rushing a total of 715 yards with 9 touchdowns, this makes him a hot candidate for the NFL. He has managed to make U of O one of the Pac-12 favorite college teams as well as a national title contender. He has also set a U of O single-season record throwing 4,380 total yards and set a Pac-12 record by attempting to throw 353 consecutive passes without interception. He is also in the running to win the Heisman Trophy as a 1A option.

Photo Credit: Scott Enyeart (Own Work) Live Link (Image Cropped)