*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Teams Think David Sharpe Has Round 2 Potential
Updated April 3, 2017By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Every year in the NFL Draft, there are positions of strength with a lot of good talent for the NFL, but there are also positions of weakness. The offensive tackle position is perhaps the weakest position group in the 2017 NFL Draft class. This year, three tackles are expected to go in the top 25 in part because teams know that after those three, there aren’t many attractive prospects in the class. That will cause some prospects to rise out of demand for edge protection, and one of those players who is benefiting from that rise is Florida offensive tackle David Sharpe. Sources from multiple teams believe that Sharpe is likely to be selected as high as the second round.
Even though Sharpe needed improvement as a football player, he picked a good time to skip his senior year and enter the draft, considering the weakness at his position. The 6-foot-6, 343-pounder was a left tackle in college, but teams feel that he would be a better fit at right tackle. Sharpe had a number of good games as a junior, but teams have concerns about his work ethic relating to him controlling his weight. Sharpe is blind in one eye, but scouts believe that moving to right tackle will help his vision. For the Gators, Sharpe was their best offensive lineman, so they had to play him at left tackle.
After Sharpe, Troy’s Antonio Garcia and Western Michigan’s Taylor Moton could have second day potential. Sources have said that Garcia has a good skill set, but they have some developmental concerns that they were deliberately vague about.
Thus, Sharpe could be the only tackle that is selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Even if he doesn’t go in Round 2, it looks very likely that he will be selected on the second day. While scouts aren’t in love with Sharpe, they do believe that he has a serious shot at being a second-round pick. Sharpe is eighth in our 2017 NFL Draft Offensive Tackle Prospect Rankings.
