FanHouse Brad Lester

Each week, FanHouse's Rollercoaster Report will take a look at several NFL Draft prospects to find out which players' stocks are on the rise, and who's stuck in freefall.

More than 300 prospects begin workouts at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday in hopes of improving their draft stock. But what about the guys that didn't get the invitation to Indianapolis? The event features the best of the best, of course, but that does not mean there's no value to be found in the players staying home this weekend.

After the jump, a breakdown of five college stars that could hear their names called in April, despite being left off the Indianapolis invite list, and another handful who missed out on the combine for a reason.

Each week, FanHouse's Rollercoaster Report will take a look at several NFL Draft prospects to find out which players' stocks are on the rise, and who's stuck in freefall.

More than 300 prospects begin workouts at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday in hopes of improving their draft stock. But what about the guys that didn't get the invitation to Indianapolis? The event features the best of the best, of course, but that does not mean there's no value to be found in the players staying home this weekend.

After the jump, a breakdown of five college stars that could hear their names called in April, despite being left off the Indianapolis invite list, and another handful who missed out on the combine for a reason.

Auburn held its final practice on Thursday prior to this weekend's top 10 match up with Florida. Tiger's coach Tommy Tuberville says he's been pleased with practice all week. "It's been a good week," said Tuberville. "Lots of enthusiasm. Guys are focused."

Auburn players and coaches know this is a do or die game. A loss to Florida and the Tigers can start looking into plans to Shreveport or Atlanta. Auburn hasn't lost two straight at home since 1999 when they fell to Mississippi State and you guessed it, Florida. Those losses came during Tuberville's first season at Auburn...

Running back Brad Lester is very questionable for Saturday's game. He's still battling a groin injury and hasn't been able to run much this week. Tuberville says that Lester still has a chance to play, but it doesn't look good. The question now is who comes in for Lester?

ESPN is reporting during its Thursday night football telecast that Auburn running back Kenny Irons will not play Saturday against Buffalo. It has been speculated on FanHouse all week that Irons may sit for Saturday's contest. He is suffering from a sprained toe and ankle as a result of last Saturday's win over LSU.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville hinted yesterday that Irons probably wouldn't play. "I'm not going to play him unless he is 100 percent, with all the other guys we've got," Tuberville said.

This will give backup tailback Brad Lester a prime time spot to shine. Lester has been impressive off the bench this season. We should also see the debut of heralded running back Ben Tate. The Newark, Maryland native has been on campus since January and took part in Spring drills. He set the Maryland high school record for yardage in a season and career. He's expected to step in as Lester's backup and get plenty of carries.

Quarterback Brandon Cox's role will be greatly diminished Saturday. He's still suffering from a deep leg bruise and will probably only play a few series. That will make room for backup quarterback Blake Field to play most of the offensive snaps.

It was also announced Thursday that cornerback Jonathan Wilhite will not play against the Bulls. He suffered a hamstring injury last week.

Note: Auburn tailback Kenny Irons is on the cover of this week's Sporting News. Irons is shown running through the LSU defense in Saturday's 7-3 win over the purple tigers. The picture used is the one accompanying this article.