This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During the 2019 season, many ESPN announcers and color commentators called Sage Surratt was a future first-round pick. I did not see that at all and had projected him as a late-round or undrafted free agent. He lacks an ability to separate and looks slow for the NFL. I listened to the media buzz enough to move him into the mid-rounds of my mock drafts, and thought I must have screwed in my initial evaluation after hearing that Surratt put together a solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl. My original thinking was proved true when Surratt was not selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Team sources say the speed and separation concerns were what led to Surratt falling undrafted. He ran very slow times at his pro day, which sunk him with teams around the league. Sitting out the 2020 season also hurt Surratt’s draft stock, so that decision was a big mistake.
After going undrafted, Surratt signed with the Detroit Lions, and that is a fabulous landing spot for him. The Lions have a pair of veterans in Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman as starters, but neither are long-term players for them. Fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown might be one of Detroit’s starters of the future, while second-year pro Quintez Cephus could merit some consideration for that as well. The depth chart is wide open for Surratt, and new head coach Dan Campbell will give everyone a fair shot as the Lions look for more talent and competition. If Surratt performs well in training camp, he could make Detroit’s 53-man roster or practice squad. Surratt has a great opportunity to carve out a NFL career with the Lions, and it will be up to him to prove the skeptics wrong.
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