By Adam Abramson
I've been a big proponent of DeSean Jackson on this blog.
It would be silly to question to his talent and you would not be crazy to rank him amongst the top wide receivers and playmakers in the country.
However, he has not done enough to be a Heisman candidate yet. Desmond Howard has him as the favorite through this point in the season, which is way off base. Here are some facts:
- He's not in the Top 100 for all-purpose runners. Two other guys with the last name Jackson are.
- He has eight punt returns this year for 95 yards and a touchdown. Yes, the touchdown was awesome, but so was Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal's against Clemson on Saturday, his second of the year.
- He's No. 94 in the country in receiving yards per game with 62. Of the Top 100 in this category, 29% have just one or two receiving touchdowns. Jackson is one of them.
- In five games, Jackson has 28 catches for 312 yards. That's 11.1 per catch. Of the 46 guys in front of him in receptions per game, only nine have a lower YPC average.
I know Cal doesn't have the most prolific passing attack, but neither does Vanderbilt and Earl Bennett is a Top 15 receiver, statistically speaking. Georgia Tech didn't last year and Calvin Johnson was a Top 15 receiver as well - he didn't even sniff the Heisman.
I know Jackson changes the way defenses prepare for Cal, but defenses change the way they prepare for a lot of guys. Jackson isn't the only one.
I was guilty of it, so I'm lumping myself into this, but it's unfair to say someone is a Heisman favorite, or even a hopeful, based on hype and playmaking ability. Sure DeSean Jackson is primed to bust one loose at any second, but the fact is that he hasn't.
With that said, click below for a look at this week's picks.
Michael Hart, RB Michigan
He's back and wasted no time working his way up the chart. He came back this season to win, and while that's not working out as planned, he's putting up monster numbers. The No. 2 running back in the country posted almost 10 yards per carry and scored 60% of Michigan's points in a 33-22 win over E. Michigan. Remember how big the Ohio State-Michgian game was for Troy Smith's campaign? Same might go for Mr. Hart this year.
Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
The freshman is not going away. Last week it was 10 catches for 154 yards and three scores. He's seriously putting up video game numbers and Texas Tech is 5-1. He has 15 catches more than anyone else in the country, 347 more yards and 8 more receiving touchdowns. His schedule is set to get significantly tougher, so we'll see how he responds. I think I need to put a call into Texas Tech for an interview…
Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas
Based on total body of work, McFadden might be the front runner in most polls and you can't really argue it because he's putting up great numbers this year. I honestly think if Arkansas beats Alabama, McFadden is being talked about non-stop, even with that loss to Kentucky. He has just 93 kickoff return yards this year, but he's still No. 11 in all-purpose yards. Oh, don't forget, he's splitting carries with one of the most talented backs in the country and he's still No. 3 in rushing.
Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois
Illinois has exploded onto the scene this year because of this guy. He's averaging 6.8 yards per clip and has finds the end zone twice a game. I'm not sure if Ron Zook was aware of what he had in this guy in Week 1 when he gave the ball to him just 11 times in the team's only loss to Missouri. But this guy is deserving of 25 touches a game. Also, his legs are the size of tree trunks.
I'm not going to pick a quarterback for the fifth slot. So many guys are playing decent right now…someone needs to rise above the pack. Guys I considered for this week: Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Dennis Dixon (Oregon), Andre Woodson (Kentucky) and Graham Harrell (Texas Tech…someone has to be throwing all them TDs to Crabtree).