The NFL is built upon what college football provides. Every year, there’s a focus on incoming rookies and players who are going to make impacts for their new teams, but where did those players come from? What did they look like as underclassmen in college? How productive were they? The goal of this article is to help provide analysis that will improve readers ability to identify NFL players who are still in college. Each week, there will be four players evaluated and given an NFL projected draft position based on their current historical indicators.
There are many tidbits and clues the NFL leaves behind pertaining to what they’re looking for in an NFL Draft prospect. The basic strength, speed and athleticism are factors in building a skill position player, but it’s clear there’s more to it than that. When reviewing the NFL Draft over the last two decades, there’s statistical trends and traits NFL teams look for before selecting players as well. This article, which highlights players not yet draft eligible, will highlight those factors.
THE PROSPECTS
JaTarvious Whitlow (RB, Auburn)
Whitlow is a prospect who burst onto the scene early in the 2018 season and was noticeable enough to garner significant hype as a special SEC RB to watch in the future. After redshirting in his True Freshman season in 2017 (Kerryon Johnson was the reason, class dismissed), Whitlow was started off slow at the beginning of the year, splitting snaps with Junior RB Kam Martin. However, it was clear very quickly Whitlow would take over feature touches before the end of the season. After showing off against Alabama State (122 rushing yards on 14 attempts), Whitlow SHINED against a brutal test in LSU. Whitlow had 104 rushing yards on 22 attempts in the game, and while those numbers aren’t flashy, it’s worth noting he was one of only two players who LSU allowed more than 100 rushing yards to (Trayveon Williams the other). Whitlow isn’t a speed back, by any means, but has incredibly subtle movements, consistently causing issues for defenders taking angles on him. Whitlow isn’t quite a “big” or “power back” quite yet (listed at 6 feet tall and 216 pounds), but he leaves the impression he’s headed in that direction. Whitlow ended the 2018 season with 960 yards from scrimmage, eight touchdowns and a stranglehold on a featured role in 2019.
PROJECTED DRAFT ROUND: Second/Third Round – Whitlow may be better off simply not running the 40-yard dash at the combine, but it seems very likely he’ll test well in agility drills. If he can continue to produce as he did in 2018, he’ll find himself being selected in the top three rounds of the NFL draft.
Similar Prospect(s): Stevan Ridley, DeMarco Murray
Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
Jerry Jeudy stole the national media spotlight for Alabama receiving options in 2018, but Waddle made quite the impression on talent evaluators in his true freshman season anyway. Not only did Waddle amass 848 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, but he put together a nice resume as a punt returner as well (233 yards on 14 returns). Waddle has INCREDIBLE burst and INCREDIBLE long speed. While he may not be on Tyreek Hill’s tier of athleticism, he’s in a similar range. Waddle is incredibly dynamic after the catch and displayed solid enough ball skills to project he’ll develop as a receiver on deeper routes. Considering the name on his jersey, Waddle will have no trouble garnering hype and praise for his draft stock. With Jeudy likely out the door after 2019, Waddle also has a real chance to show himself as a featured weapon in 2020.
PROJECTED DRAFT ROUND: Second Round – Waddle is not a big prospect (currently listed at 177 pounds). It’s tough to project a first-round draft slot for a prospect below the 180-pound threshold. The forty-yard dash will determine where Waddle ultimately lands.
Similar Prospect(s): Curtis Samuel
Tamorrion Terry (WR, Florida State)
Terry is a large human being. Standing 6 foot 4 inches tall, Terry has a serious body type to build off. While he’s certainly thin as a freshman (listed at 197 pounds), if he can add five or ten pounds by the time his junior season rolls around, there should be no worries about his bulk. Assuming those concerns alleviate themselves, Terry has a really special deep-threat-based skill set. Terry hauled in 35 receptions for the mediocre Florida State offense, averaging a spectacular 21.3 receiving yards per reception. Terry isn’t just a big body; he displayed real deep speed and the ability to easily separate from defenders on multiple occasions. Terry’s season could’ve been even more special if he weren’t stuck lagging behind with his offense. The offensive line is bad, the quarterback play has been bad, and the skill position players have been severely hindered and should continue to be. That’s one of the things that make Terry’s Freshman season so special in hindsight. While special, situation is a legitimate concern that could shift his draft stock if Florida State doesn’t improve.
PROJECTED DRAFT ROUND: Second or Third Round – As mentioned, situation is the biggest concern for Terry’s draft stock, and with no projectable improvement for the 2019 season, it’s better to stay conservative with a draft round projection. The sky’s the limit if things turn around for Florida State, however.
Similar Prospect(s): N/A
Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)
The first quarterback of the bunch and he’s a good one. It doesn’t take much, in regard to evaluation skills, to determine Lawrence is a top quarterback prospect. His listed size (6 foot 5) is prototypical, his stellar play and efficiency as a true Freshman are incredibly rare, and his situation is immaculate. There’s almost nothing bad to say about Lawrence and how he projects going forward. In fact, there isn’t anything negative to say. Lawrence was one of the main reasons Clemson was dominant in 2018 and played incredibly in the two playoff games against Notre Dame and Alabama. There’s certainly a lot of toys to play with on the Clemson offense. Matching up with Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins create a look of inevitable doom on defenders collective faces (Including Alabama). While Higgins and Etienne will likely be gone after 2019, Lawrence will have Ross, arguably the top wide receiver in college football, for the entirety of his career. This is going to be a special couple of seasons from the Clemson offense, and Lawrence will only improve upon his incredible Freshman season.
PROJECTED DRAFT ROUND: First Overall – This isn’t hyperbole; this is reality. Barring an absolutely catastrophic injury or something going haywire off the field, Lawrence will be the top overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft.
Similar Prospect(s): Peyton Manning/Andrew Luck
