Whose Bowl Performances Helped Their Draft Stock?

Filed in archive NFL Draft on January 4, 2008

Although a player's entire body of work is the most important factor when assessing his NFL prospects, their final bowl game does have a say in their stock going up or down. It is the last thing evaluators get to see before the player makes the jump from college to the NFL. With that in mind, here are a few players who may have improved their stock this bowl season.

Michigan QB Chad Henne: In the Wolverines 41-35 victory over the Florida Gators in the capitol one Bowl, the senior QB lit up the defending champs for 373 yards and 2 touchdowns. In a disappointing season in which his numbers were down across the board, Henne may have redeemed himself a bit with a good performance against a top SEC team.

Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart: Though he is only a junior, Stewart is thinking about entering the draft, and he couldn't possibly leave on a higher note. The Ducks obliterated South Florida 56-21 in the Sun Bowl, as Stewart ran for 253 yards and a touchdown. That left him with over 1,700 yards and 11 TD's on the ground for the season, with a yards-per-carry average of 6.2.

Texas RB Jamaal Charles: Charles, who just announced he was going pro, had a great game in the Longhorns' 52-34 win over Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. A speedster, Charles picked up 161 yards and two TD's on the ground in his seventh game this season of at least 150 rushing yards. He really came on late in the season, gaining at least 160 yards in four of his last five games, and scoring 10 TD's in the process.

Missouri Safety William Moore: Moore won the Cotton Bowl defensive MVP award, as Missouri beat Arkansas 38-7. He collected 13 tackles, a forced fumble, and intercepted a pass for a touchdown. His stock has skyrocketed as much as any player in the country recently, and this performance certainly helped.

(Photo: Flickr)