This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2020 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2020 NFL Draft Stock Up
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin As we reported in the Hot Press, Taylor has a lot of teams projecting him to the opening night of the 2020 NFL Draft. A survery of nine team sources revealed six of them have Taylor as a first-round talent while three have him with a second-round grade. A couple of teams said they had Taylor as the top back for the 2020 NFL Draft. One said they thought Taylor could go in first half of Round 1, and another said he could be a top-20 pick. Most thought Taylor would go in the first round, but he could slide because teams decide to address another position without as much depth as they feel they can still land a good running back on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“[Taylor’s] a first-round talent,” said an NFC director of college scouting, “If the runners slide like the offensive tackles and wide receivers slightly did last year, then he’ll go top of [Round 2].” It will be interesting to see if the depth at the position pushes Taylor down or he ends up going where his talent level suggests he should, but Taylor is a prospect on the rise.
Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota Johnson was the Gophers MVP in their huge bowl upset over Auburn, totaling 204 yards on 12 receptions and two touchdowns. He had a leaping one-handed touchdown catch and a 73-yard scoring strike that was critical for Minnesota knocking off Auburn. That tape will definitely help Johnson’s draft grade because he dominated the Auburn secondary.
Johnson is not a speed demon or a twitchy stop-start receiver for the next level. He is, however, a tough wideout who runs good routes, has solid natural hands, is dangerous after the catch, and very tough. Johnson has good size and enough quickness to contribute. He could be a solid possessional and No. 2 receiver. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Johnson looks safe to get selected on Day 2.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama Jeudy put on a show for pro evaluators in what was his final college game, dominating Michigan as the best player on the field from start to finish. On Alabama’s first possession, Jeudy used his game-changing speed to burn the Michigan secondary on a deep post to get wide open for an 85-yard touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Jeudy got open in zone and used his run-after-the-catch skills to create more positive yardage for a gain of about 20 yards. Jeudy made a key conversion early in the fourth quarter by running a good route to get wide open for a first down. On the next play, Jeudy ran a deep cross and made the catch before turning upfield for a gain of 58 yards. He totaled 204 yards on six receptions with a touchdown against the Wolverines. The bowl tape against Michigan will help Jeudy to be a top-five pick next April in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Lamical Perine, RB, Florida Perine was a clutch player and a key contributor to the Gators producing an 11-2 record in their second year under Dan Mullen. Florida’s young and inexperienced offensive line struggled a lot in 2019, so Perine did not find good rushing lanes, but he came through with big plays that impacted the scoreboard and win/loss columns. That was given more proof with Perine scoring three times to lead Florida to an Orange Bowl win over Virginia. He ran for 138 yards on 13 carries with two scores and caught five passes for 43 yards and a score. Perine enters the NFL without as much wear-and-tear because he did not have a single college season with 140 or more carries. Perine is a good pass protector and receiver who could be an excellent value pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa Robinson is a sleeper cornerback who could rise during the draft process. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has excellent size, good speed, and early-round athleticism. The senior totaled 38 tackles with four interceptions and 13 passes defended in 2019. Team sources say Robinson could be a mid-rounder and good value pick, but he could bubble up during the draft process.
2020 NFL Draft Stock Down
Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State Team sources all agree Arnette is very talented with an excellent skill set, which he finally played up to as a senior. Evaluators say he produced the tape of a first-round pick in 2019. However, teams have serious character concerns with Arnette, and that has some teams grading him well into Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. Some sources say the off-the-field issues are scary, although others say he was better in that department as a senior. Still, Arnette needs to interview extremely well in the leadup to the 2020 NFL Draft to prevent character from causing him to slide.
Shaun Wade, CB/S, Ohio State Some in the media have projected Wade to being a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but in speaking with multiple sources from different teams, he has been given second-day grades. Team evaluators like his size, upside, and positional flexibility. However, they feel Wade is inconsistent in coverage and lacks urgency. They really don’t how Wade wouldn’t consistently finish in coverage. Across the board, team sources thought Wade should go back to Ohio State for 2020, and some thought he would, while others believed he would enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Some scouts would like to see Wade play outside more in 2020, and that is very possible with Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette moving on to the NFL. Some teams graded Waded in the bottom of the second round, but said they would be more comfortable taking him in Round 3.
Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama Some team sources soured on Diggs due to his 2019 tape. They feel he has average instincts and some other technical issues that need development. They say he is a decent press-man guy, but doesn’t anticipate routes that well and bites on a lot of double moves. They noted Diggs was often late getting his head turned around to track the ball in flight and is a bit straight line without natural feel in coverage. Diggs started out his college career playing some wide receiver and missed a lot of time during his 2018 season with an injured foot, so it is understandable that he might need some developmental time.
Marco Wilson, CB, Florida In speaking to team sources, they were disappointed in how Wilson played in 2019. They felt he is just a guy and has holes in his game. As a result, he is getting some grades well into Day 3. One team said they will probably have him in the fifth round of their board, but the initial reaction to his tape is to give Wilson a sixth-round grade. He should return to Florida to improve as a senior before going to the NFL.
Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty While Gandy-Golden earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, multiple team sources say they graded Gandy-Golden in the mid-rounds because of speed concerns. Three teams said they had Gandy-Golden graded as a third- to fourth-rounder, and one team said they had a second- to third-round grade on him. One director of college scouting said they loved everything about Gandy-Golden, but the concerns about him separating in the NFL caused them to have him on Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft. Therefore, Gandy-Golden’s performance in Mobile and his 40 time at the NFL Scouting Combine are going to be very important. In order to rise, Gandy-Golden needs to show he can create space from cornerbacks and has the quickness to get downfield.
The 2020 NFL Draft is loaded at wide receiver, so Gandy-Golden has little margin for error. If Gandy-Golden doesn’t run well at the combine and Senior Bowl, he could be in store for a real slide. Team sources really like him, but the speed concerns have Gandy-Golden receiving mid-round projections entering the postseason.
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