Bowl Watch: Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert

There's two bowls games on Friday: Ohio State vs. Clemson in the Orange Bowl and Oklahoma State vs. Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Each team has a potential first rounder on its roster, but we're focusing on Cowboys senior cornerback Justin Gilbert tonight given the Vikings' need at the position in the offseason.

The numbers:

Sophomore (2011): 59 tackles (47 solo), five interceptions (ranked 14^th nationally), 10 pass defended, one fumble recovery, one tackle for loss… 26 kickoffs for 703 return yards and two touchdowns

Junior (2012): 63 tackles (56 solo), zero interceptions, nine pass defended, one forced fumble, two tackles for losses (Defensive MVP of 2012 Fiesta Bowl)... 32 kickoffs for 827 return yards (second highest total in school history) and one touchdown (All-Big 12 second team return specialist)

Senior (2013): 40 tackles (35 solo), six interceptions (tied sixth nationally), two touchdowns, seven pass defended (All-Big 12 first team defensive back)…16 kickoffs for 425 return yards and one touchdown

Projections:

ESPN's Todd McShay (1.0 Mock): Top 17 pick (order not updated since season ended)…first cornerback taken

CBSSports.com's Rob Rang: 30^th overall to the Carolina Panthers…third cornerback taken behind Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard and Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler: 25^th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals… third cornerback taken behind Dennard and Ekpre-Olomu

Gilbert's stock has been rising all season after a junior year where he remarkably didn't record an interception. He picked off Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill during his sophomore season and some felt he had a shot at leaving early.

Perhaps another young cornerback isn't what the Vikings need with Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson, but there is a need at the position. The six-foot, 199-pound cornerback hasn't missed a game over the last three seasons.

What to watch: