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
Chase Young, DE, Ohio State Young had a record-setting game against Wisconsin, dominating with four sacks and two forced fumbles. He beat the left tackle with a bull rush for one sack, showed speed to fly by the right tackle for a strip-sack, bounced off a double team to get a coverage sack, and darted by a tight end for a strip-sack. Young was unstoppable and led the Buckeyes’ defense to shutting down the Badgers’ scoring attack. This season, Young has been on fire, and he has a shot at surprising 20 sacks, as he currently sits at 13.5. He also has 29 tackles and five forced fumbles.
The Wisconsin tape will help Young to be a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. As a pass-rusher, he has an innate ability to get after the quarterback. Young has a quick first-step with a nice get-off that puts offensive tackles on their heels. Young has quickness around the edge and is able to close on the quarterback quickly. Young shows functional athleticism to sink his hips and dip under tackles to beat their blocks. He also is effective working to the inside, as he has some strength to execute a rip move and is able to knock tackles off balance with a hard shove and cut to the inside to collapse the pocket. Young shows nice vision to keep his eyes on the quarterback, and that along with his athleticism allows him to redirect for chasing down scrambling signal-callers. Young is a balanced pass-rusher and should continue to improve as he gains experience. For the NFL, Young looks like a potential double-digit sack producer who is a No. 1 edge rusher for a defense to be built around.
Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma As we reported in the Hot Press last week, multiple team sources believe that Murray has top-10 potential for the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 243-pounder is a very physical tackler with sideline-to-sideline speed and has some ability to take on blocks at the point of attack. Sources say that Murray can really run and is a versatile linebacker who can play Mike – middle – or outside linebacker. Evaluators like his athleticism and coverage ability, which are vital to being a three-down starter and difference-maker for a non-pass-rushing linebacker in the passing-driven NFL.
On top of his skill set, Murray has good instincts and versatility. Some scouts say that his pass-rush ability is better than some players who do it on an every-down basis. Murray has shown that he is a dangerous blitzer this year, showing speed off the edge with the ability to bend, dip, and turn the corner. Multiple team sources say that Murray is a better prospect than other recent first-round linebackers, including Leighton Vander Esch, Haason Reddick, Tremaine Edmunds and Alec Ogletree. Evaluators feel that Murray is more on a par with Roquan Smith and Devin White. Hence, they see Murray having top-10 potential for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville Becton is a giant blocker who is similar to Bengals offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. Like Glenn, Becton (6-7,330) is huge and is a good athlete for his size who moves pretty well in space. Becton has quick feet for a big blocker and also shows the ability to bend at the knee and not be a waist bender who reaches after edge rushers. Becton does a nice job in the ground game of sustaining his blocks. Even though he is massive, Becton is not an overpowering bull. He makes it tough for them to get free with his size as he turns and manipulates them.
In pass protection, Becton needs to improve his hand placement as he can get too wide and let defenders get their hands into his chest. That can make Becton have problems with bull rushes. Becton has talent, but it might best for him to return for his senior year and redistribute some weight with added strength and improved technique before going pro. He could be a first-rounder in 2021, and if he comes out this year, he could be a late first- or second-round pick.
Terrance Steele, OT, Texas Tech The Red Raiders senior tackle is having a quality year and is helping his draft stock. Teams like his length on the edge, which is said to include 36-inch arms. Steele is a good athlete and has starting size for the NFL. Multiple team sources have said they really like Steele and feel Steele is more of a left tackle who might have some backup swing tackle ability to start out his NFL career. Some believe that Steele is a better prospect than Le’Raven Clark, a Texas Tech offensive tackle who was a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Sources believe that Steele could get selected in the first four rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Josh Jones, OT, Houston Some team sources say they like Jones’s potential for the NFL. The 6-foot-7, 310-pounder has good size and length for the next level. Some evaluators had him as a fourth-rounder entering the season, and some scouts feel he has improved on that grade with his play as a senior. Jones has the potential to continue to rise throughout the pre-draft process.
Robert Hunt, OT, La.-Lafayette Hunt has some fans in the scouting community, and some teams sources say he is really helping himself with his play as a senior. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder has quality size for the NFL and is showing the ability to block on the edge. Hunt has a skill set with upside, so he could be a riser throughout the draft process.
2020 NFL Draft Stock Down
Bradley Anae, DE, Utah Anae is a productive player for the Utes, but team sources say that Anae has some skill-set limitations. It sounds like his listed measurements of 6-foot-3, 265 pounds may be sightly exaggerated, and he does not have dynamic speed off the edge. Evaluators feel that Anae is more of a mid-round pick because of his skill-set limitations.
Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Adebo started out the season in fantastic form against Northwestern, showing his trademark ball skills. However, Adebo had a very ugly game against Central Florida earlier this season, and that really hurt his draft stock as he was torched by double moves. There have been times in other games when double moves have given Adebo problems, so he has a weakness that teams are looking to exploit. Adebo has to improve his eye discipline and get better at not biting on the first move or NFL quarterbacks are going to pick on him for big plays. That issue could cause him to go behind other cornerback prospects like Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah and Alabama’s Trevon Diggs.
Thayer Munford, OT, Ohio State Munford was a candidate to be a potential early-round pick who entered the draft early, but he has not been that impressive this season. Against Wisconsin, Munford had some issues in protection and did not stand out with the skill set of a franchise left tackle. He allowed some pressures, had defenders get by him to hit the quarterback, and was called for a holding penalty. Just before halftime, Munford was beaten on a speed rush and he bent as the waist to let the rusher get free to chase down Justin Fields for the sack. In speaking with some team sources, they feel that Munford is not making the case he should skip his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Munford needs to improve his technique and grow more polished to take on pro edge rushers.
Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin Biadasz has played really well this season, but he had an ugly game against the Ohio State defensive line last Saturday. Biadasz did not get much of a push at the point of attack and he struggled to open holes for running back Jonathan Taylor. In the second quarter, Biadasz lost a one-on-on block when he allowed a bull rusher to collapse the pocket and sack the quarterback. The Ohio State tape made Biadasz look more like a second-day talent rather than a potential first-rounder.
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