Tony Pauline's top NFL prospects from Conference USA ft. UTEP QB Gavin Hardison
Conference USA was decimated by realignment, as Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Rice, Alabama-Birmingham and Texas San Antonio all left for the American Athletic Conference.
Former independent program Liberty joined Conference USA, as did I-AA programs Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State. The conference had three players selected during the 2023 NFL draft, but that number should be exceeded next April even with the defection of the league’s best teams.
Let's take a look at the top prospects from Conference USA:
Liberty
Liberty was one of the peskier independent teams in the nation under Hugh Freeze, but the head coach took his talents to Auburn. Not to worry, as the Flames hired up-and-coming coaching prospect Jamey Chadwell from Coastal Carolina. The program has two legitimate Day 3 prospects who could move into the draft's initial 100 choices when all is said and done.
I’ve had X'Zauvea Gadlin graded as a draftable player as far back as 2019, when he was the starting left tackle at Tulsa. Gadlin sat out 2020 and returned the following season only to be moved to guard in favor of Tyler Smith, the eventual first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.
Gadlin promptly broke into the starting lineup after transferring to Liberty last season and saw extensive action at both guard and right tackle. He’s a mobile blocker with outstanding movement skills and a next-level frame. He blocks with proper fundamentals, has a nasty attitude and controls opponents at the point of attack.
I’ve always liked his game and think he will be a very good zone-blocking guard on Sundays. People are underrating him at this point, so don’t be surprised if Gadlin duplicates Chandler Zavala and makes a surge up draft boards leading up to next April.
Cornerback Kobe Singleton is the other next-level prospect on the Flames depth chart. Singleton possesses outstanding length, next-level speed and solid ball skills. He has enough ability to play on the outside or line up over the slot receiver. Some scouts grade Singleton slightly higher than the sixth-round mark I’ve handed him.
Middle Tennessee
MTSU has been a solid lower-rung program for the past decade. The Blue Raiders have had a few competitive campaigns and occasionally peek their heads into the postseason.
The last time they had a player selected in the draft was 2016, when Kevin Byard was chosen in the third round. It was also the only time this century the program had a player selected during the draft’s initial 100 picks. There is a slight chance the former streak is broken next April, as the team has a pair of defensive backs scouts are watching.
Junior cornerback Decorian Patterson has the underlying skills NFL teams want at the position; he’s big, physical and athletic. He sticks with opponents everywhere on the field, tracks the pass in the air and battles to defend throws. Patterson also shows a terrific burst of speed and is strong enough to make the tackle in the open field. He needs to polish his game, but he has the upside to land in the late rounds of the draft once he enters the event.
Safety Tra Fluellen is well-liked in many areas of the scouting community. The senior is a tough, instinctive defensive back who correctly reads and anticipates the actions and flies around the ball to make plays. He comes with nice size, yet he doesn’t seem like a great athlete, which could leave him on the outside looking in when he enters the draft.
UTEP QB Gavin Hardison is a gamer! https://t.co/QbvyL4l5Bn
UTEP
UTEP has had just two players selected in the past 15 drafts, the last one being Will Hernandez in 2018. That streak could be broken next April.
Quarterback Gavin Hardison has been on my scouting radar the past three seasons, as I stamped him as a Day 3 selection after his sophomore season. He’s a nice-sized passer with a quick release and a live arm. He’s mobile, easily gets outside the pocket and makes big plays downfield throwing on the move. Hardison can make all the throws, though his accuracy and pass placement must improve.
Hardison is not averse to throwing the ball into coverage and makes wideouts work hard to grab errant passes. He has terrific upside that, if met, will result in soaring draft stock.
Western Kentucky
In many ways, WKU has been the class of Conference USA when it comes to the NFL draft. They’ve had players selected on Day 2 over the past two drafts and presently have a player scouts grade as a top-75 prospect.
Scouts I’ve spoken with placed a second-round grade on Hilltoppers wideout Malachi Corley, about three rounds earlier than I have him listed. Corley has a stout build, coming in just under six foot tall and almost 210 pounds. He plays heads-up football, sells routes, and extends to catch the ball away from his frame. Corley also does a terrific job running after the catch and offers return potential.
That being the case, I grade him lower than scouts, as I see no single physical skill in his game that really stands out. Corley is projected as a 4.53-second 40 guy, and he plays no faster than that. And despite his stout build, he does not consistently come away with the tough grab.
While I believe Corley has next-level skill, at this point I fail to see him as anything other than a Day 3 pick who projects as a fourth or fifth receiver on Sundays.
Just over a year ago, Bailey Zappe was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by the New England Patriots and had success when forced into action last season. The newest WKU quarterback prospect comes in the version of senior Austin Reed.
Reed took a similar path as Zappe to WKU via the small-school route, and he has a similar build. Reed does a terrific job seeing the field and using his targets and powers the ball through tight spots. His passes can be a bit erratic, and Reed is not a signal caller who picks up yardage with his legs. Still, he looks like a prospect who deserves late-round consideration.
For a breakdown of the top NFL prospects from the AAC, click here.