2015 NFL Draft: Trio of NFL hopefuls help UK push No. 1 Miss St.

Za'Darius Smith has power and awareness on the defensive line. (Getty Images)

With Halloween beckoning, strong performances from edge rushers Alvin 'Bud' Dupree and Za'Darius Smith the Kentucky Wildcats gave Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State Bulldogs a scare Saturday in Lexington before ultimately losing 45-31 to the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

The Wildcats showed plenty of scratch in this one, repeatedly answering Mississippi State's scores with big plays of their own. They closed the game to just 38-31 with less than three minutes remaining but an onside kick attempt was picked up by Mississippi State's Christian Holmes and returned 61 yards for the game's final score.

Those unfamiliar with the improvements made at Kentucky this year might chalk up Mississippi State's struggles with the Wildcats as a fluke. Scouts watching the tape, however, will see a different story as Dupree, Smith and redshirt sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles all demonstrated legitimate NFL traits and have Mark Stoops' squad on the rise.

The 6-foot-4, 267 pound Dupree is NFLDraftScout.com's top-rated senior defensive end and made his debut on my personal Big Board last week. Boasting long arms, a quick burst and the agility to evade cut-blocks, Dupree (pronounced Doo-prey) projects well as traditional 4-3 defensive end or in the stand-up outside linebacker role he currently stars for the Wildcats.

Dupree, who entered the game as the SEC's reigning sacks leader with 19 career QB takedowns, was often asked to drop into coverage or flatten out his rushes in an attempt to keep Prescott from scrambling. The alignment robbed him of opportunities to rush upfield and build upon his impressive resume but helped the Wildcats apply some big hits to Prescott. Though he didn't have the opportunities to rush often, Dupree showed an explosive burst to close when he did, teaming with Smith to supply a vicious high-low hit on Prescott late in the second quarter that resulted in a wobbly thrown interception.

Dupree fed off an increasingly raucous Kentucky crowd but wasn't reliant on them to beat Mississippi State's tackles off the ball when asked to do so. Dupree varies his rushes, lulling opponents to sleep with one speed and surprising them with an occasional extra burst to generate big plays at critical moments.

In pursuit, he shows the ability to stalk ball-carriers, catching up and closing emphatically for the type of big hits (even from behind) that can result in forced fumbles.

Dupree's production, length and closing speed have scouts buzzing. Smith was the more consistent of the two, however, demonstrating not only strength to hold up at the point of attack but terrific effort in pursuit. Official statistics weren't available immediately after the game, but Smith was in on a lot of stops.

Smith doesn't possess his teammates' explosive burst but he's a well-built 6-foot-5, 264 pounds with long arms and heavy hands to fight through blocks. His power and awareness helped him seal the edge and keep Prescott from running wild, as he'd often done in 2014.

Though the Wildcats effectively contained Prescott, they had no answer for Bulldogs' running back Josh Robinson. Aptly nicknamed 'The Bowling Ball,' the 5-foot-9, 215 pound redshirt junior used his natural low-center of gravity, balance and vision to rumble for a career-high 194 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that helped the Bulldogs pull away.

Pressure from Dupree and Smith and some impressive runs and throws from Towles kept the game close. Towles, a 6-foot-5, 236 pounder with surprising speed and a big arm, showed off exciting talent that will have every scout taking notice.

His production was certainly aided by a missed tackle on a 67-yard touchdown pass to Demarco Robinson in the first quarter but Towles showed impressive grit, velocity and ball-placement in this contest, completing 23 of 42 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns. Towles was a one-man wrecking crew for Kentucky, running it himself on 23 of Kentucky's 32 rushing attempts for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Towles matched Prescott big play for big play, shaking off seven sacks supplied by Mississippi State's stout defensive line.

Ultimately, though, Prescott and Robinson's ability to break tackles pushed the Bulldogs to the victory.

Mississippi State's talented backfield duo simply refused to be tackled, spinning and staggering their way through the Wildcats' defense for most of their production after initial contact. Prescott completed just 18 of 33 passes for 216 yards and just one passing touchdown. He also ran for two scores, the third consecutive game in which he's reached the end zone at least twice.

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