Four 2017 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in the Belk Bowl For Virginia Tech and Arkansas

[caption id="attachment_4305" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas in the Belk Bowl [Credit: Evan Morrison][/caption]We are less than one week away from the 2016 Belk Bowl between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Arkansas Razorbacks with the Hokies being seen as about 7-point favorites less than a week out for kickoff. Both teams have some intriguing draft prospects with the Hokies having their top NFL Draft prospects being juniors who could choose to stay at school. Neither team necessarily has a deep pool of potential NFL Draft propsects, but there will definitely be plenty of NFL Draft scouts in Charlotte with an eye on a few players in particular on each side with both the Hokies and Razorbacks having two players in particular that stand out in that regard. With that said, let's take a look at the top potential draft prospects to watch in this year's Belk Bowl.

VT WR(TE) Bucky Hodges

After his redshirt sophomore season, Bucky Hodges made the decision to return to Virginia Tech which surprised some with a lot of analysts believing that Hodges was gone for the NFL including myself. However, Hodges stayed and now faces the decisions on whether to stay or leave for the NFL once again this year with it seeming extremely likely that Hodges will be playing his last game in a Virginia Tech uniform in Charlotte. Hodges has played at wide receiver this year for the Hokies, but most NFL scouts still have him as a tight end though he likely will not be used in a traditional way in the NFL. Hodges is a unique matchup threat at 6'7'' with great speed and athleticism for a player with that type of size that has NFL scouts extremely intrigued with his physical traits. Hodges was named the All-ACC Third Team TE (despite playing WR) this season with 43 catches for 640 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns including an average of 14.9 yards per reception. Hodges did have issues with dropped passes, but has definitely improved his consistency with his play-to-play effort on the plays where he isn't a primary target while showing how teams can put him on the outside. Hodges has the potential to go in the mid to late first round with the second round seeming likely right now, but definitely has as big of a ceiling as any tight end may have in the upcoming draft, and scouts will definitely have their eyes on Hodges throughout the game.

VT WR Isaiah Ford

Isaiah Ford's future in Blacksburg is uncertain as he has had an impressive run with the Hokies becoming the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns while also earning All-ACC Second Team honors this season after having 73 catches for 1,038 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns as there isn't anything left for Ford to break other than push his record totals even higher. However, Ford has a great love for Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, and that may bring him back for one year instead of heading to the NFL Draft where he could be a second or third round pick. The biggest thing that people talk about with Ford is his speed as he is a guy who has the ability to blow the top off of a defense while also having great hands and seeming to catch almost everything in sight. Ford's hands are quite impressive as drops are rare for him while he is also one of the more refined receiving talents as he is a quality route-runners that can make the underneath, intermediate, and deep catches while finding plenty of different way to make big plays happen. Ford is a do-it-all receiver and while his ceiling is not that high, his floor is not that low either as Ford projects as a quality #2 receiver for a NFL team that will be ready to come in and contribute immediately with at least 50-60 catches. Ford is going to be a productive NFL player and there will be plenty of scouts of teams looking to add one or two more pieces to their offense that will have their attention heavily focused on Ford.

Arkansas DE Deatrich Wise Jr.

Deatrich Wise Jr. broke on the season as a junior as one of the SEC's top pass rusher with 8 sacks as he showed a lot of promise and decided to return with the hopes of having a bigger senior season. Unfortunately for Wise, that hasn't been the case as he has only had 3.5 sacks this season with a separated shoulder suffered Auburn limiting him over the final month of the season and hurting his performance. However, Wise is healthier now and has a chance in the Belk Bowl to make a much more positive impression on scouts to try to help begin to rebuild his draft stock. Right now, Wise seems like he could be as high as a second round pick with a floor of the fourth round while being built more as an edge rusher who would be a DE in a 4-3 defense or an OLB in a 3-4 defense. Wise will be an interesting matchup for Yosuah Nijman and Jonathan McLaughlin while being a potential difference maker for the Razorbacks given how he has now had some time to heal up before playing his final collegiate game. Wise will want to make a big impression on this game, and he will also likely be the defensive player that has the greatest attention of NFL scouts in Charlotte.

Arkansas OT Dan Skipper

Right now, Dan Skipper has a potentially wide range of potential draft picks from maybe as high as the fourth round to as low as the seventh round. Skipper had a strong senior season at left tackle for the Razorbacks as the SEC's Coaches and the AP both named Skipper to their All-SEC First Team while he even received a Second Team All-American honor from the AFCA FBS Coaches' association. Skipper has been a three-year starter for Arkansas with the Colorado native moving from right tackle to left tackle for his senior season. Arkansas's offensive line has had some issues this season, but Skipper has definitely been the bright on an offensive line that has shown its youth and inexperience this season. The one thing that makes Skipper a unique is his size as he is 6'10'' and 320 pounds with some wondering if he may be too big to play offensive tackle or play at all at the next level. While there are some 6'7'' or even 6'8'' offensive tackles, 6'10'' is almost unheard of next level, but Skipper has some of the necessary skills to be able to get down and effectively use his hands against shorter defensive linemen. Skipper seems likely to be a day 3 draft pick, but plenty of scouts will be intrigued with the unique size that Skipper brings and will definitely watch to see if his height is something he can use to his advantage or if it is a disadvantage. Stay up with The Tech Lunch Pail via Facebook and Twitter plus subscribe to our email updates