2020 NFL Draft sleepers
With the extensive research conducted by the media on top prospects,
our knowledge of these athletes goes beyond career statistics and measurables, into the ‘favourite sandwich’ or ‘dog’s birthday’ extremes. So much of the attention is drawn
towards those selected on opening night. Viewing figures for the opening night
(15.6million) almost doubled night two (8.2million). You don’t have to look far
for inspiration when it comes to late round draft picks. Tom Brady 199th
overall, the most famous. Julian Edelman drafted as a quarterback 232nd
overall comes to mind. Antonio Brown, 195th overall. Kurt Warner, undrafted. James
Harrison, undrafted. Success isn’t guaranteed for a first rounder, those
drafted late have a chip on their shoulder to prove the doubters wrong and
often excel under that same drive. With this in mind, here are ten sleepers of
the 2020 NFL Draft:
· K’Lavon Chaisson – DE – LSU - Rd:1
(20th) – Jacksonville Jaguars
‘Sacksonville’ no longer exists. The Jaguars’ solid defence
of 2017 took them all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Six players were
sent to the Pro Bowl, each one on defence. Defensive end Calais Campbell was
the latest of the high-profile departures. Last year Jacksonville landed
Kentucky’s star Edge/Line-backer Josh Allen. Allen set a franchise rookie
record with 10.5 sacks. Jacksonville’s second pick this year, 1st
rounder (20th overall), K’Lavon Chaisson was a steal even this early
into the draft. Chaisson is a quarterback’s nightmare. There are bigger and
stronger defensive ends in the league but few as fast off the edge than LSU’s
leading sacker (with 6.5) last year. Chaisson and Allen will team up to form a
formidable due. The Jaguars appear set for another calamitous campaign but the
inclusion of Chaisson might keep some offenses at bay.
· Jonathan Taylor – RB – Wisconsin –
Rd:2 (41st) – Indianapolis Colts
This pick is incredible. Perhaps the steal of the draft.
Jonathan Taylor has had three top ten finishes in Heisman Trophy voting, two
back-to-back Doak Walker Awards (given to college’s standout running-back), the
first running-back to surpass 6000 yards in three seasons and the 6th
leading rusher in NCAA history. Taylor was the third running-back off the
board, some concerns have been raised on his pass catching ability and
experience, hence why he fell behind Edwards-Helaire and Swift but as an out
and out running-back Jonathan Taylor is the real deal. Behind one of the
league’s top offensive lines Jonathan Taylor should thrive in Indianapolis.
· Laviska Shenault – WR – Colorado –
Rd:2 (42nd) – Jacksonville Jaguars
2020 was the year of the wideout. Ruggs III, Jeudy and Lamb
were the most desirable wide receivers and rightly so, all three were gone just
over halfway through the first round. Jalen Reagor, Justin Jefferson, Brandon
Aiyuk, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr were all called out before Colorado’s
Laviska Shenault. Shenault is extremely nimble and has a great burst of pace to
evade defensive backs. Listed at 6ft1, Shenault is built more like a running
back than a receiver. Shenault can line up outside on longer, fly routes,
inside as a slot receiver or take snaps as an adopted running back. Shenault is
a creative playmaker who will join a young group in Florida.
· Cam Akers – RB – Florida State – Rd:2
(52nd) – Los Angeles Rams
Due to Florida State’s dramatic fall from grace, some have
overlooked promising prospects within the Seminoles’ camp. One that may have
slipped under the radar with so much quality in the running back class is
ex-Nole, Cam Akers. Akers replaced Dalvin Cook in 2017 when Cook headed to
Minnesota. In his freshman year he rushed for more yards. Akers, a 5-star
recruit out of high school, struggled in his sophomore year but bounced back
with an impressive final season in Tallahassee. 2019 saw Akers put up his
highest rushing yards in a single season (1,144) as well as his personal best
(14) rushing TD’s and BP (4) receiving TD’s. Akers is a patient running-back
who finds the creases of a defence with ease before ejecting himself through
the gaps. With Todd Gurley now on the Atlanta Falcons’ books, we will most
likely see Akers suit up as the primary running-back in Los Angeles. This
offense line allowed an injury struck Gurley to succeed. Fully fit and more
than capable of going through the wars, Akers is one to watch.
· Zack Baun – LB – Wisconsin – Rd:3 (74th)
– New Orleans Saints
It’s just as well the 2020 draft was conducted from home, at
least for the Saints organisation. It would’ve been tough to justify thousands
of dollars’ worth of plane tickets to Vegas to make just four selections. One
of those four picks (the fewest by any team this year) was a third-round steal.
Wisconsin line-backer Zack Baun. Baun finished 9th in the NCAA in
sacks last season with 12.5, 2nd in the BIG10 behind Chase Young
only. New Orleans currently operate under the 3-4 defensive scheme, which
incorporates four line-backers, boosting Baun’s odds of becoming an instant
starter. Baun certainly possesses first or second round quality but comes with
the headache of an injury entailed college career. Having redshirted his
freshman year following a broken foot, Baun was forced to redshirt his entire
sophomore year when the broken left foot resurfaced in Spring practise. If Zack
Baun can overcome that niggling injury, he will leave thirty-one NFL teams
regretting their decisions.
· Lynn Bowden – WR – Kentucky – Rd:3
(80th) – Las Vegas Raiders
This 3rd round selection was one of the perfect
fits in the 2020 NFL draft. Not necessarily based on Bowden’s playing style and
the Raiders’ offensive scheme but Lynn Bowden epitomises the kookiness of Las
Vegas. Bowden was listed as a wide receiver when selected on day two and will
most likely line-up at this position but rewind just six months and he was
taking snaps as the Kentucky quarterback. With their 1st and 2nd
stringers out injured, Bowden transitioned to QB where he went 5-2 to see out
the season. Although he didn’t look completely natural at QB, and with both
Carr and Mariota in Vegas, we could still see Lynn Bowden line-up under centre
but in the Wildcat formation. Bowden sat just outside the top ten in NCAA
rushing yards last season (1,468 yards) as well as leading his team in
receiving yards (348) and returning two punts to the house. Nobody quite knows
what to expect from Lynn Bowden as a Raider but in traditional Vegas fashion,
we will be entertained.
· Bryce Hall – CB – Virginia – Rd:5
(158th) – New York Jets
Bryce Hall flirted with the idea of forgoing his senior year
and entering the 2019 NFL draft. In hindsight, entering the league last year
would’ve been more profitable. Hall was a serious 1st round prospect
after a tremendous junior year at Virginia. 2018 saw Hall lead the NCAA in
passes defended with twenty-one, as well as chipping in with two forced
fumbles, two interceptions and sixty-two tackles on route to second team
All-American honours. Bryce Hall is a gifted cornerback with terrific
man-on-man coverage in the secondary but can also blitz off the edge and attack
the quarterback or ball carrier. Hall wanted to help the Virginia football
programme and returned for his senior year. A costly decision as an ankle
injury suffered in the Cavaliers’ 6th game required surgery, thus
ending his senior year. Question marks surrounding Bryce Hall’s health should
be erased by the time football is eventually up and running. Hall’s potential
is certainly warranted when you look back on that junior year at Virginia.
· Bradlee Anae – DE – Utah – Rd:5 (179th)
– Dallas Cowboys
It’s still unclear why Utah defensive-end Bradlee Anae fell
so far in the draft. Some touted Anae as a day two, 3rd round talent
yet the Utah senior dropped into round five where the Dallas Cowboys pounced on
him at 179th overall. Just four players in this years’ draft had
more sacks than Anae’s thirteen last season. Anae is in good hands in Dallas
with a plethora of Pro Bowl defenders already on the roster. Although the squad
is stacked at the defensive-end, defensive-tackle and line-backer positions, Anae
could squeeze some minutes into his rookie year. Especially as fellow
defensive-end pairing Randy Gregory and Aldon Smith await reinstatement from the
league. Mike McCarthy took over at Jerry’s world following the inevitable
sacking of Jason Garrett. With him, McCarthy brought defensive co-ordinator
Mike Nolan. Nolan, a defensive minded veteran, exclusively runs a 3-4 scheme on
D which may allow Anae to see more of the gridiron as it requires more edge
rushers and/or line-backers. Anae’s original position and one which Nolan may
opt to mould him into. If we don’t see much of Anae this season he is still a
steal in the 5th round and we will come to learn why he initially ranked
so high going into the draft.
· Josh Metellus – S – Michigan – Rd:6
(205th) – Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus was graded by most as a final day talent, and as
predicted didn’t come off the board until round six. Whilst scouts weren’t totally
enthusiastic about Metellus, he found a good home in Minnesota. At the time he
was selected by the Vikes, Metellus became just the third safety on the roster.
Behind five-time Pro Bowler Harrison Smith and franchise tagged Anthony Harris,
Metellus should see action in periods of respite for the starting safeties. In
his final year at Michigan Metellus displayed his best statistics, with a
career high seventy-four total tackles, five passes defended and two
interceptions. Some of the concerns with Metellus’ development in the pros are
based around his lack of speed whilst covering downfield. There are flashes of
potential in Metellus’ game which make him one to keep an eye on.
· Malcolm Perry – QB/RB/WR – Navy –
Rd:7 (246th) – Miami Dolphins
For those like me who will look anywhere for their fix of
football, it’s selections like this, 246th overall (or ‘tenth last’
if you prefer), that keep you glued to the screen over the three-day draft
event. Not the Heisman winner Burrow or the sack leader Young, who we all know,
but Navy’s quarterback, turn running-back, turn wide-receiver, Malcolm Perry.
During his time with the Navy Midshipmen, Malcolm Perry was as exciting as
anyone else in college football. Perry began his college career as a slot receiver
but was later moved to quarterback after the teams’ starter broke their wrist.
Over the next four years, Perry would rotate between quarterback, slot receiver
and occasionally direct snaps as a running back. None of the running backs
drafted this year had as many rushing yards as Perry’s 2,017 (2nd in
NCAA) last season. In the annual Army-Navy contest last year, Perry rushed for
a rivalry-record 304 yards but never threw a single pass. Upon entering the NFL
draft Perry chose to identify as a wide receiver as he believed it would give
him ‘the best opportunity to play at the next level’, with the number of wide
receivers of an NFL roster heavily outweighing the quarterbacks or running
backs. Miami didn’t decide on one of the many stud running backs early doors
which leads me to believe they may have plans of incorporating Perry to the run
game. Although he was such a late selection, Perry’s versatility could keep
defences guessing as to where he will line-up on the field. When Malcolm Perry
is in motion pre-snap, he will be a nightmare to cover.
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