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
Austin Jackson, OT, USC As we reported in the Hot Press last week, Jackson has become a hot prospect who has a big buzz about him in the scouting community. In speaking to some team sources, they believe that Jackson will be a first-round pick and could be a riser throughout the draft process. Evaluators say the 6-foot-6, 305-pounder is a great athlete with quick feet and excellent agility. He is an easy mover with the ability to bend at the knee and plays with good leverage. There are times when Jackson gets away with some mistakes because he is so athletic, and he will need to work on technique for the NFL. He is raw from a fundamentals standpoint, but his skill set is that of a franchise left tackle. Staff with pro teams also are saying that Jackson will skip his senior year to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Joe Burrow, QB, LSU Burrow has been a rising prospect and is leading the Tigers to having an excellent offense this season. He has the ability to play in the NFL, possessing quality size, a strong enough arm and some accuracy as a passer. In speaking to team sources, they say Burrow is seeing his draft stock rise with his strong play as a senior. However, they feel that Burrow has some skill-set limitations, and as a result, they see him more topping out as a second-day prospect similar to Andy Dalton or Derek Carr. Some had graded Burrow as a fourth-rounder awhile back, but see him rising and think that he could end up going somewhere in Day 2.
Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma Team sources say Gallimore is an athletic tackle with some twitch. He is a penetrating disruptor who would fit best in a 4-3 as a three-technique who could also play some nose tackle. Some evaluators have compared Gallimore to former Buccaneer Booger McFarland or current Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. They say many teams would want more pass-rush ability out of Gallimore to become an every-down starter in the NFL, so they see him more as a second-day prospect. Still, Gallimore has helped himself this season with his strong play for the Sooners.
Terrell Lewis, DE/OLB, Alabama The Alabama edge rusher is showing why there has been a big buzz about him in the scouting community for the past few years. Lewis recorded multiple sacks for the second straight game on Saturday night showing his speed, power, and repertoire of moves off the edge. With his length, power,and speed, Lewis could fit any NFL defense, and he is very adept at pressuring the quarterback even when he doesn’t get a sack. If Lewis can maintain his current level of play and avoid injury over the rest of the year, some team will probably look past his extensive injury history and take him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft because he is a natural pass-rusher with a lot of upside.
Tony Brown, WR, Colorado With Laviska Shenault being banged up this year, another Colorado wide receiver has taken advantage of the opportunity for more targets and has helped his draft stock. That player is senior wideout Tony Brown, and team sources have called Brown a riser with how he has played this season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has shown nice hands with the ability to challenge defenses downfield. Team sources say they see Brown potentially grading out as a fifth-rounder, and he could continue to rise if he works out well leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft.
Larrell Murchison, DT, N.C. State Murchison has been one of the top interior pass-rushers in college football this season, and he entered action last week with seven sacks halfway through the year. Team sources say that Murchison is a spark plug defensive tackle to rotate into the game for a 4-3 defense. He could be a contributor as a situational pass-rusher and may not have the size to be an every-down player because he is a smaller defender, but they say he is a solid player who causes disruption. Murchison is said to be a good character individual as well. Evaluators say that if Murchison tests well, he could rise.
2020 NFL Draft Stock Down
Troy Dye, LB, Oregon Dye had some ugly plays in the early going against Washington before coming back to help make some clutch stops on the Huskies to help protect Oregon’s lead. Throughout his time at Oregon, Dye has been a productive player and a quality defender for the Ducks. However in speaking to some team sources, they see him as more of a mid-rounder. They feel he could be a backup who develops into a starter, but they see some limitations with Dye for the next level. Thus, they don’t project Dye as an early-rounder.
Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah Team sources say that Johnson is a nice player, but they have real concerns about his body type translating to the NFL. They say that Johnson is extremely thin, labelling him a bean pole. With his skinny legs and a thin frame, they’re worried that Johnson is going to get bullied and out-muscled by NFL receivers for receptions. It would be in Johnson’s best interest to go back to school and add weight to his frame rather than entering the draft after his junior season.
Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan Taking on Penn State, Patterson showed that he can be an inconsistent passer, completing 24-of-41 for 276 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception. He made some accurate throws when he was in rhythm and used his legs to make some things happen. But Patterson also was streaky and showed he that needs a lot of work for the NFL.
Patterson revealed some bad habits against Penn State. There were plays when despite the clean pocket, Patterson would get frantic and rattled by a rush that wasn’t there. There was one play on which he threw a jump pass from a clean pocket and it would have been an easy completion if he had just thrown the check down with his feet set. On the next play, Patterson threw a terrible pass right to a defender on an attempted screen. Patterson’s field vision and composure need a lot of work, as he often gets flustered when his first read is covered. Patterson has a skill set with a strong arm and mobility, but he looks like a third-day prospect who should be a third-string developmental backup to see if he can improve enough to be considered a backup. He has a long way to go for the NFL.
Steven Montez, WR, Colorado I hate for players to repeat in Stock Down, but Montez was awful against Washington State on Saturday night, turning in a meltdown performance that included terrible play on the field, trash talking with fans, and getting benched for the second- and third-string quarterbacks. Montez finished completing 16-of-30 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions. He was fortunate that the numbers weren’t worse than that.
Montez has a good skill set with arm strength, size, and some athleticism. But he has terrible fundamentals. His footwork was awful against Washington State, and that led to him being very inaccurate. On top of that, he showed poor field vision, staring down receivers and making a plethora of bad decisions. The Washington State tape looked nothing like that of a quarterback who gets selected on the first two days of the draft.
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