Five players with something to prove this weekend

When I first started scouting college players, I was told by an influential NFL executive to pay the most attention to the games in which players faced off against other NFL-caliber talent. That's what you'll find below -- five prospects who have a chance to stand out this Saturday by raising their quality of play against the best competition.

An important note: These guys are all playing in highly competitive games against top-notch opponents, so I promise you the NFL draft is the furthest thing from their minds. This is merely a window into my evaluation process throughout the season.

Note: Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.

Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State Spartans

Overall Rank: 23 | Position rank: 4

The biggest knock on Cook coming into the season was his subpar accuracy (58.3 completion percentage in his first three seasons in East Lansing), and that manifested itself again in Week 1 against Western Michigan. Cook didn't throw any picks -- and the Spartans won comfortably -- but he connected on just 15 of his 31 throws. He'll get a chance for redemption against Oregon's defense, which allowed five passing touchdowns against Eastern Washington in Week 1.