Let’s play some Jeopardy.

OK, the category is “college football.”

Here is the first answer: The Walter Camp Football Foundation named this player from the Pac-10, who had three interceptions on Saturday, as the National Defensive Player of the week.

If you queried, “Who is Mike Nixon, Alex?” then, stunningly, you are wrong.

Instead, the accolade ended up with UCLA sophomore safety Rahim Moore.

And he certainly played a critical role in the Bruins’ 33-10 win over San Diego State.

So, what tipped the scales in his favor?

Did he score on any of his picks?

No.

Did he block a punt?

No.

Well, wait a minute, Nixon managed to do both, with three interceptions of his own. Yet somehow, the folks at the WCFF failed to recognize his performance as the best in the land.

I’m confused.

These days, I think the term underrated gets thrown around too much, but it is definitely appropriate in Nixon’s case.

His prowess is recognized in the Pac-10 — I am sure the conference’s other coaches can vouch for that — as well as on campus, but in terms of the national scope, this guy is barely a blip on the radar.

Sure, he is not the most imposing figure to play linebacker, but the intangibles that Nixon possesses are off the charts.

Easily the most intelligent football mind on the defense, Nixon has been described as a coach on the field by ASU defensive coordinator Craig Bray. And ASU coach Dennis Erickson half-jokingly told Nixon to pursue coaching when his playing days are over.

Sorry, Coach, he’s using that brain to go to law school instead.

On the field, however, he uses it in combination with his physical attributes to be the epitome of a ball hawk. His five interceptions last season led the Pac-10, and he is well on his way to surpassing that total this year.

Understandably, I am perplexed that Nixon’s draft buzz is more of a muffled hum.

So, why do draft analysts have a hard time with projecting his talent to the NFL?

First, it is hard to pin him at a position.

Nixon is a little undersized to play linebacker in the league, and if he moved back to his high school position of safety, he would be in the slower tier at that position.

But both of those positions, especially linebacker, rely heavily on a player’s instinctual ability. And at the moment, I do not know of a player in the country with better instincts than Nixon.

All the negative critics out there will say, “That performance was against Idaho State. Big deal.” But he is capable of going off like that against any team on the Sun Devils’ schedule.

At the very least, it would be nice to flip on ESPN and see someone who consistently makes an impact get some respect.

Reach the reporter at emschimm@asu.edu.