Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Facing a bit of a lull after picking up four quick commitments for its 2014 class, Kansas State finally announced its fifth commitment of 2014 Monday when San Antonio DE C.J. Reese announced his intention to be a Wildcat. The 6’4″, 260 lbs lineman has never actually visited campus but intends to enroll next year anyway (of course there’s nothing precluding him from visiting this spring, summer, fall, or next winter). The junior also had offers from Colorado, Nevada, and SMU.

Reese possesses good speed for a lineman with a 4.87 40 yard dash. The Wildcats did a decent job one the defensive line in recruiting this year, but it’s always helpful to get an early start on the wave of players. The key going forward will be keeping him in the K-State mindset. Speaking back in February, Reese reminisced that “I can still remember Vince Young scoring. It was incredible and really caught my attention so I’ve grown up a big Texas fan,” he said. “My uncle also went to UT so I’ve been around the school since I was a kid. It’s my dream school.” This is the perpetual problem of recruiting at K-State – everyone in Texas is a Texas fan. If he really blossoms next fall and catches the Longhorns’ eye, it could be a scramble keeping him in purple.

I Love the Manhattan Fans ! Y’all showed me a lot of love the other day ! Glad to be a Wildcat

April 2012 only saw one player from K-State find a home through the NFL draft – and even that was a stretch, as Bryce Brown saw little playing time and quit the team his first year after transferring to Manhattan before conference play started. 2013 should be a much more profitable year for departing Wildcat players. Over the next two weeks, Jug of Snyder will be assessing the players entering 2012 with draft hopes and how they finished their careers with K-State. For our seventh and final installment we go to a player that couldn’t even walk without significant pain last year and now has an opportunity to play at the highest level, defensive end Adam Davis.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s a great one. Following surgery between his sophomore and junior years, Adam Davis slipped a disc and pinched a nerve in his back. He stated that “couldn’t bend over because if I turned the wrong way it hit my nerve and sent pain down to my legs.” That he would even be able to live without pain was a question, and Davis acknowledged the very real chance of never playing football again. That summer was devoted to intense physical therapy, yet he was still able to transition from Hutchinson Community College to Kansas State in impressive fashion that fall while teaming with Meshak Williams for 11 sacks (Davis had four). During his senior year, Davis had 55 tackles – 15 for loss – to go with seven sacks, and four forced fumbles for the Wildcats.

Davis’ production was a continuation of two excellent seasons at Hutchinson  During his freshman season he recorded 14.5 sacks, the third most in school history for s single season. Injuries prevented him from similar success his sophomore year, although his eight sacks allowed him to leave HCC second all-time in career sacks. It was this production that made K-State elated to get Davis to head East down I-70 and enroll in Manhattan.

If Davis was healthy for all four years of college, his production would have been off the charts. However, his unrealized potential is just as enticing as it is worrisome to future football employers – players will a difficult time staying healthy in school often only have their problems compounded once they’re faced with the rigors of the NFL. Davis also left the Baylor game this past year with an injury the put the Wildcats in a tough spot, eventually leading to the team’s only regular season loss.

Adam Davis has incredible quickness but is undersized at 260 pounds – he likely won’t find a spot to continue playing defensive end at the professional level. However, similar to Meshak Williams, his power and speed may allow him to find success as an outside linebacker. Another problem facing Davis is his height – he’s been listed as either 6’0″ or 6’1″, but either way his vertical stature is far less than ideal. Davis is currently unlisted by most draft sites, and will need a strong performance during pre-draft drills to find his name called this April. However, more than one player has performed themselves into the NFL. He has demonstrated impressive game speed, and should impress at the three cone drill. Expect multiple teams looking for additional depth to give him a look, and, assuming he can put together a strong performance, find himself in someone’s training camp this summer. This is particularly true as the Saints recently announced New Orleans will be the latest team transitioning to the 3-4, putting a continued emphasis on loading up on ‘tweener’ linebackers.

Previous Draft Stock articles:
Arthur Brown
Collin Klein
Chris Harper
Braden Wilson
Nigel Malone
Meshak Williams

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

While the Kansas State baseball team must assist 19 players in adjusting to Division I, one player the team has little concern about is junior outfielder Jared King. King was recognized by Perfect Game as a Second Team All-American on Monday as just one of two Big 12 players to received All-American status by Perfect Game. King was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore and became selected to the First Team American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Midwest Region.

King is the returning regular season Big 12 batting champion, hitting .378 in 2012. He led the Wildcats with 15 doubles, 27 multi-hit games, and 12 multi-RBI games. He also recorded seven home runs and 47 RBIs. His career batting average is .346 after hitting .333 his freshman year when he was a Freshman All-American.

Following wins over TCU and Oklahoma last week, the Wildcats have moved to number 11 nationally in the Associated Press poll. With an overall ranking of 15-2 and an undefeated conference record, Kansas State has steadily moved its way into the national spotlight after two early season hiccups against top 10 opponents. The team’s first loss was to Michigan in Madison Square Garden, the last undefeated team in the nation. The Wolverines currently hold the number two spot. The team’s second loss was to Gonzaga in Seattle, who fell two spots to the number ten spot – just above K-State.

Kansas State holds one marquee win this year – a 67-61 triumph over Florida in Kansas City. The Gators have since climbed to number eight following two wins this week over former Big 12 members – a 21 point blow out win over Texas A&M and a 31 point evisceration of then #17 Missouri.

Big 12 member Iowa State received votes but not enough to make it into the rankings, netting the 35th most points in the poll. However, the big story this week will center in Manhattan. KU climbed to number three after Louisville lost to Syracuse – although they needed a big second half comeback against Texas this Saturday. The Jayhawks visit The Octagon of Dome Tuesday in a pairing of the Big 12′s only ranked teams (as well as the last two teams undefeated in conference play). Three teams from Kansas were included in this week’s poll, as Wichita State made its first appearance thanks to a nail biting victory over Creighton.

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney McGruder was once again the Wildcats’ top scorer, but Kansas State managed to spread the wealth as four starters scored in double figures during the team’s 69-60 win over Oklahoma Saturday afternoon. With the win, K-State improves to 15-2 on the season and 4-0 in conference play, setting up a huge game on Tuesday when the Jayhawks visit Manhattan. While many expected KU to contend for – and win – the Big 12 title, few predicted that January 22 would feature the last two undefeated teams remaining in league play. KU came from behind to defeat Texas, 64-59, just an hour earlier.

The Wildcats once again failed to eclipse the 70 point mark, but were able to hit the shots that mattered down the stretch in downing an Oklahoma team that flustered the Wildcats during the 2011-12 season, as Lon Kruger’s crew went 2-0 against K-State last year. In addition to the 20 points netted by McGruder, Will Spradling contributed 15 while Angel Rodriguez and Shane Southwell each finished with 12. After shooting an incredible 53 percent three point percentage against TCU, K-State was once again on fire from downtown, hitting 10 of 24 to finish .417 on the night. However, the team was also able to find success from the charity stripe, hitting 15 of 22 free throws thanks to 18 Oklahoma fouls. The Wildcats only managed to hit four of ten free throws against the Horned Frogs.

The best differential for the Wildcats? Turnovers. They were able to force 16 Sooner turnovers, while only coughing up the ball eight times themselves. The worst? Rebounding. The Wildcats came into the game ranked 28th nationally with 40 rebounds per game, but only managed to pull down 24 boards compared to Oklahoma’s 36 rebounds. The Sooners were particularly effective on the offensive end, pulling down 11 offensive rebounds to K-State’s five.

The Jordan Henriquez off the bench experiment continues to find mixed success for the Wildcats. Henriquez was ineffective on the scoring end, hitting only one of three shots and only doling out one assist. However, he continues to be a an imposing presence on defense, collecting three blocks in 20 minutes. Equally important, Henriquez only committed one foul – he’s struggled recently to hold his ground against bulkier opponents. Henriquez now has 28 blocks on the season, and will be expected to bring that intensity when called to keep KU’s 7-0 center Jeff Withey in check.

Kansas State is currently ranked #16 in the nation, and should break into the top 15 when the new rankings are released on Monday. Oklahoma was also undefeated in Big 12 play coming into the game, standing at 3-0 with an overall record of 12-3 and an RPI ranking of 15.

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With seniors Arthur Brown, Justin Tuggle, and Jarell Childs being sent off this spring, Kansas State is faced with the prospect of replacing one of the school’s most accomplished linebacking units. And while the 2013 unit has some significant shoes to fill, it may have secured the personnel to fill them. It starts with senior Tre Walker, who returns from a knee injury against Texas Tech that knocked him out for the season. The inspirational leader has 118 career tackles and an interception for his career and will take a center role in the unit this year.

In December, the future got a little brighter when ILB and four star recruit Nick Ramirez from Lee’s Summit West High School changed from Missouri to Kansas State. Then on Tuesday, three-star prospect OLB De’Vondre Campbell announced his intention of joining the Wildcats as well. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Campbell reportedly runs a 4.49 40, and will provide even more speed to a team known for its combination of quickness and hitting ability.

Campbell is another JUCO prospect and comes from Hutchinson Community College. During his past year at Hutch, Campbell recorded 80 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and an interception. Campbell announced an early intention to sign with Tennessee in May, and during once signing season began in December SB Nation announced that he had signed with Texas. However, none of these predictions proved correct. He will matriculate to Manhattan after choosing the Wildcats over offers from Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Teams are expected to make the majority of their free throws. They are, after all, free throws. Three point attempts are a bit more challenging, and knocking in over a third of your attempts is about all a coach can really demand (although hitting more is nice). That’s because you’re shooting from farther back, in motion, angled against the backboard, and typically with a hand in your face. Teams should be better at free throws than three pointers.

The Jug only brings this up because last night in Fort Worth, Kansas State managed to nail 53 percent (9-17) of its three point shots but only 40 percent (4-10) of its free throws. Leading the way in this trend was Rodney McGruder, who went three of six from downtown but oh for two at the charity stripe. Truly wild stuff.

The game’s final score read 67-54, as the 13 point lead K-State took into halftime was never in doubt during the second quarter. And while the Wildcats have become accustomed to low scoring affairs, the game wasn’t anywhere close to normal last night. K-State has never been a consistent free throw shooting team, but it typically finds itself engaged in physical match ups with a lot of personal fouls. And while 21 were meted out to K-State players (an average night), the Horned Frogs were only whistled ten times. It was the result of a deliberately slow tempo that saw consistent perimeter passing – eventually leading to open looks that allowed the 9 for 17 three point shooting.

On the other end, K-State’s defense was able to frustrate an impotent TCU team into shooting only 38 percent en route to 54 points. The one aspect of the game TCU was able to limit the Wildcats was rebounding – K-State recorded only 30 boards Wednesday night although it averages 40. However, the Horned Frogs only recorded 28 themselves, as the low overall total was a result of the slow and deliberate tempo observed throughout the night (you can’t get a lot of rebounds when there aren’t a lot of shots being made).

As K-State advances to 14-2 and 3-0 in Big 12 play, Rodney McGruder looks to have officially made this his team. It took a little longer than fans would have liked, but he put up an impressive stat line for the third straight night. Against TCU he compiled 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 32 minutes of play. And although he missed both of his free throws, his shooting was otherwise so efficient (9-15, .600) that his performance can’t be denied. K-State has a rough week ahead, as it faces the two remaining teams with undefeated records in Big 12 play (3-0 Oklahoma this Saturday, and 3-0 KU on Tuesday). Both games in Manhattan.

April 2012 only saw one player from K-State find a home through the NFL draft – and even that was a stretch, as Bryce Brown saw little playing time and quit the team his first year after transferring to Manhattan before conference play started. 2013 should be a much more profitable year for departing Wildcat players. Over the next two weeks, Jug of Snyder will be assessing the players entering 2012 with draft hopes and how they finished their careers with K-State. For our sixth installment we go to to the anchor one of the Big 12′s best defenses, defensive end Meshak Williams. 

OLB Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens is a sack machine, and one of the best known pass rushers in the NFL. Meshak Williams is a poor man’s Terrell Suggs, and will be a force if the right team that plays a 3-4 scheme is smart enough to draft him. Suggest this to your friends that didn’t follow K-State this year, and they’ll simply shake their heads at the idea that an undersized defensive end for the Wildcats could be mentioned in the same breath. So safe your breath instead, and when Williams anchors a defense to the playoffs in 2016, point those disbelieving fans over to JugOfSnyder.com, where we will calmly be waiting.

K-State fans remember Suggs from the 2002 Holiday Bowl against Arizona State, when he harassed Ell Roberson all night long and won the defensive MVP award despite the Sun Devils yielding 34 points to the Wildcats in a loss. The measurements are similar: both Suggs and Williams stand at six foot, three inches. Williams currently plays at 245, and would likely add another 15 pounds at the next level, putting his playing weight at 260 lbs. Suggs plays at 260. Despite being drafted 10th overall, Suggs faced several questions about his ‘tweener’ size – too big and slow to play linebacker, but not nearly big enough to line up at defensive end. Williams faces the same questions.

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The Jug doesn’t merely project Meshak Williams to be the second coming of Suggs merely because they’re the same height and Suggs was a questionable pick at number ten before transforming into a consistent Pro Bowler. Williams has a quicker 40 time (4.74) than Suggs (4.84), which allays any concerns about speed. His on-field production spoke for itself. He was bright spot for the defense during K-State’s loss in the Fiesta Bowl, recording one sack to go along with nine tackles. He finished first in the conference with 10.5 sacks overall while forcing three fumbles. His domination led to being selected to the All-Big 12 first team, and was selected as the league’s defensive lineman of the year. He also recorded a blocked field goal during his senior season.

Williams has not received a significant amount of attention from the media regarding his potential on the next level.  CBSSports.com ranked him No. 400 overall and the 37th-best defensive end in November (approximately 250 players are selected over the course of the draft’s seven rounds). However, there is no doubt Williams will have his named called to the podium in April. NFLdraftscout.com has since listed him as the number 15 OLB after he closed the season as strongly as he started. The OLB ranking as recognizes the potential for his position switch. However, Williams is very quick and will perform better than his peers at the three cone drill and other combine exercises. Although the national media outlets have a difficult time feting this out on tape during the regular season, his tangibles will allow Williams’ stock to rise when measured against the rest of the draft class.

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After starting conference play with two absolute nailbiters, the Wildcats travel to Dallas to take on the TCU Horned Frogs that should allow the Wildcats to catch their breath and rotate more players into the action. Following  two straight Saturdays of nervousness (73-67 over Oklahoma State, 65-64 over West Virginia), the road should be a little easier against what a TCU squad that is shaping up to be the worst in the Big 12.

At 9-7, TCU has failed to register a good win this season and began conference play 0-3, including two double-digit losses (the other being a nine point loss to Texas Tech). At 55 points per game, the Horned Frogs ranked 335th in the NCAA. Their most dangerous player is senior guard Garlon Green, who has shot lights out this year with 43.3 percent accuracy from behind the arc (as a sophomore he shot .484).

Expect Kansas State to dominate the boards in this matchup, as the Wildcats average a full seven more rebounds than the Horned Frogs. Center Jordan Henriquez is finally demonstrating his potential while coming off the bench and may solidify himself as one of the Big 12′s most devastating defensive forces in this game. Many eyes will also be trained on senior guard Rodney McGruder, who started the season slowly given his All-Big 12 status, but demonstrated his potential against #22 Oklahoma State by scoring 28 points. McGruder is averaging just north of 30 minutes per game, but has logged at least 35 minutes in his past five starts.

The State of Kansas has been the Big 12′s lone bright spot this basketball season, as #4 KU and #16 K-State are the only ranked teams in the league. Baylor was expected to contend this year but has crawled to an 11-5 start while Oklahoma State cracked the rankings before a one-point loss to Gonzaga, followed by a 1-2 start to conference play, dropped the Cowboys from the polls. Although Texas filled many with high hopes at the beginning of the year, the Longhorns are currently the only Big 12 team without a winning record and will continue to be owned by the Wildcats for the foreseeable future.

April 2012 only saw one player from K-State find a home through the NFL draft – and even that was a stretch, as Bryce Brown saw little playing time and quit the team his first year after transferring to Manhattan before conference play started. 2013 should be a much more profitable year for departing Wildcat players. Over the next two weeks, Jug of Snyder will be assessing the players entering 2012 with draft hopes and how they finished their careers with K-State. For our fourth installment we go to to the two-time semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back, Nigel Malone.

In a league designed to pick on defensive backs, JUCO transfer Nigel Malone hit the ground running in the Big 12 and picked off quarterbacks all year long, recording seven interceptions his junior year. This total led the conference, although Malone developed a reputation as a big risk/reward player by allowing several big catches in addition to his interceptions. He also finished 2011 with 58 tackles and 10 pass break-ups.

Malone continued to be an interception machine his senior year, hauling in another five. He also posted nine passes defended and 51 tackles. His play earned an invitation in to the East-West Shrine Bowl, the second Wildcat invited alongside QB Collin Klein. He was awarded with his second straight All-Big 12 First Team selection this year.

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Malone’s tangible skills are not overly imposing, as he measures in at 5’10″ and 185 lbs. However, Malone has never shied from contact due to his like of size and willingly engages running backs in the open field. He also lacks a good 40 time, which has been clocked at 4.54 seconds. However, he plays with an awareness that allows him to come down with big plays – in only two years of play he worked his way to second on K-State’s all-time interception list with 12, placing him ahead of Pro Bowler Terrance Newman who spent four years in the system (although only two as a starter). Yet this success is tempered by the number of passing yards the Wildcats allowed against subpar offenses. Worst examples: the team allowed 323 passing yards against lower division Missouri State, while North Texas’s Derek Thompson went 25 of 28 for 208 yards and no interceptions. Games like this only enhanced Malone’s reputation as a high risk/high reward player.

In a talented secondary class, Malone may be on the outside looking on the third day of the draft – although a team may give him a look. Yet whether Malone is signed through the draft or as a rookie free agent, expect at least one team to give K-State’s most exciting defensive back a strong look. As more offenses adopt quicker, versatile passing attacks, a greater premium is being placed on smaller defenders that can rapidly react to plays with the capability of tackling in the open field. And as more defensive backs are being kept on scout teams in response, Malone is expected to have a place in the NFL for at least the next two years.

Previous Draft Stock articles:
Arthur Brown
Collin Klein
Chris Harper
Braden Wilson