*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
DK Metcalf is a Love or Hate Prospect
Updated Dec. 27, 2018By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Entering and during the 2019 NFL Draft process, Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown has been the consensus top wideout prospect, but some in the media have projected teammate D.K. Metcalf to go ahead of Brown and be the more talented wide receiver prospect for the NFL. Seven games into the 2018 season, Metcalf went out for the year with a neck injury. He then did not waste time declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft prior to the New Year. In surveying team sources, Metcalf is a true love/hate prospect who has a big variety in his draft grade and where teams are projecting him to go.
One team source said they thought that Metcalf (6-4, 230) would go in the No. 15-25 range of the first round. However, they said that depended on how his medical exam checked out and how he looked running the route tree in pre-draft workouts. One general manager of an AFC team that could take a receiver early said they were very down on Metcalf. They said they did not think that Metcalf could separate from NFL defensive backs and had given him a fourth-round grade. One other team source said they had Metcalf in the second round.
Prior to his injury, Metcalf was playing well, although teams were focused on stopping A.J. Brown. Metcalf totaled 26 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdowns for his 2018.
It was clear in conversations with sources that there was not a consensus regarding Metcalf, so his pre-draft workouts, medical exams, and interviews are going to be critical for where he ends up on team’s draft boards.
