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
Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas While Texas offensive tackle Sam Cosmi has not had the same amount of hype as Connor Williams did while at Austin, NFL evaluators like him a lot more than Williams and think he is a much better prospect. Even though Cosmi is a redshirt sophomore, he was placed on NFL teams’ preseason watch list, whcih very few draft-eligible sophomores are included. Scouts feel that he is raw and needs development, but athletically he is an interesting prospect. Cosmi has yet to play a lot and needs to get stronger for the NFL.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Cosmi has good size and athleticism for the next level. More development in a strength and conditioning program would help him, but that is something that plays out for many players as they age. Team sources feel that Cosmi should go back to school if he wants to be a secure first-round pick in his draft class, which could be 2021. However, they feel Cosmi has early-round potential even if he comes out after this season because he is a good athlete with a lot of upside.
Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Harris was a top recruit coming out of high school, but he has had a hard time breaking onto the field with the loaded Alabama backfield. Now as a junior, Harris is getting the starting touches, which he is beginning to make the most of.
Taking on South Carolina last Saturday, Harris made a highlight-reel play with a 42-yard touchdown reception. He ran a nice crossing route to get open and darted downfield. He then shook off a hard hit to maintain his feet before going on to hurdled a tackler and fly into the end zone. Harris ran for 36 yards on seven carries plus made five receptions for 87 yards and two scores. The receiving production will really help Harris, and this game gives him a much needed jolt to his draft stock.
Nick Harris, C, Washington Team sources have said that Harris impressed them during fall training camp and they see him as having mid-round potential. They think that he could be a player who starts out as a backup but develops into a starter in the NFL. That is good praise for Harris (6-1, 302) considering he is a bit undersized and lacks length for the NFL. He probably is relegated to center only, but that hasn’t kept team evaluators from liking his pro potential.
Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty WalterFootball.com was the first draft outlet to discuss that NFL evaluators were intrigued with Gandy-Golden and were excited to see him in 2019. He has not left them disappointed, getting his season of to an excellent start. Versus Buffalo in Week 3, he hauled in eight passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. After three games, he has 20 receptions for 363 yards and two scores. If the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder stays consistent throughout the season and manages to run a fast 40, his stock could skyrocket in the leadup to the 2020 NFL Draft.
2020 NFL Draft Stock Down
Stephen Guidry, WR, Mississippi State A player who may have hurt his standing with scouts since the games started a few weeks ago is Mississippi State’s Stephen Guidry. Guidry has a very good skill set with size and speed, but he has not played up to his potential in game action. Sources have come away impressed with Guidry in practice, but that has not translated to Saturdays. Last Saturday, he was shut out on the stat sheet against Kansas State.
In first quarter against the Wildcats, Guidry had a pass that was a little high bounce off his hands and get intercepted. It was a catch that should have been made and comes on the heels of a bad drop on his part a week ago. In the third quarter, Guidry used his speed to get by the cornerback, and the safety was in poor position, so Guidry was wide open for an 81-yard touchdown, but the pass was awful and flew out of bounds. Guidry was quiet after that, but it wasn’t all his fault as the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks were terrible. Guidry needs to be more sure-handed and make the most of his opportunities in the weeks to come in order to rehabilitate his draft stock.
Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama McKinney had a disappointing game against South Carolina, allowing some receptions in front of him and missing some tackles. McKinney gave up a reception on a curl route in front of him for a gain of 27 yards. He had some good coverage on a tight end to force an incompletion, but later allowed another reception in front of him for about 20 yards and also missed some tackles. McKinney will need to play better in the weeks to come to avoid damage to his draft grade.
Feleipe Franks, QB, Florida Franks is a big-armed pocket passer who is very inconsistent with his throws. He will look awful at times, and at other times, will make some beautiful throws showing a strong arm and an ability to make rare passes. While he was making some small progress under Dan Mullen’s direction, his hopes of building up a draft-able grade were dealt a big blow with a season-ending ankle injury against Kentucky. Franks should return to Florida and continue to strive for improvement before going to the NFL.
K.J. Costello, QB, Stanford Costello returned to the field against Central Florida after a head injury that caused him to miss the second half of the opener against Northwestern and then the Week 2 against USC. Perhaps he should have sat out another week though, because his game against the Knights was ugly. Costello completed less than 50 percent of his passes, going 21-of-44 for 199 yards and interception, and Central Florida beat the Cardinal by 18 points. Costello was not all that impressive in the opener against Northwestern before the injury. He is going to need to play a lot better in the months to come or his draft stock could plummet.
Walker Little, OT, Stanford Little’s injury news got worse, making him the a rare player to be on the stock down list two weeks in a row. Just before the end of the first game of the season, taking on Northwestern, Little went down with a bad knee injury that looked very serious. Initially, Stanford said it was not a season-ender, but a dislocated knee. The team said he was expected to miss multiple games and return this season. This past week, the Cardinal announced that Little had surgery and would be out for the year. That leaves Little with a tough decision on whether to return to school or enter the 2020 NFL Draft. If he returns, he takes another injury risk, but if he enters the 2020 NFL Draft, he could slide after missing his junior year. Little could have some teams that avoid players with injury histories pass on him, and that could cause him to slide in either draft class, so unfortunately he has a serious stock down.
Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia Hall was incapable of covering Florida State wideout Tamorrion Terry last Saturday. After giving up a number of catches, Hall got lucky he didn’t blow the game for Virginia. With less than 90 seconds remaining, Terry burned Hall on a double move. Hall showed poor eye discipline and bit on the fake, which let Terry get wide open running behind him. Hall got lucky when James Blackman overthrew Terry on what would should have been a 50-yard touchdown to tie the game. It was a great route by Terry, an ugly play by Hall, and a horrible throw by Blackman.
A few plays later, Terry had Hall beaten again running vertically down the middle of the field. All Hall could do was grab Terry, which correctly drew a flag. Terry ended up catching four passes for 78 yards, but he could have had a huge night against Hall if Blackman had thrown more accurately.
Terry got the better of Hall throughout the evening. Terry was too fast and fluid for Hall, resulting in the aggressive corner consistently letting Terry get open. Hall struggled with the quick twitch suddenness of Terry, and the big wideout generated separation coming out of breaks. Hall looks stiff-hipped and not that twitchy. Given his struggles with a future pro wideout like Terry, Hall looks like he would be better off in a zone scheme or playing press man. He really struggled in off man. Hall also might be a candidate to move to safety. The Florida State game will definitely hurt his draft grade.
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