Although Kyler Murray placing himself into this year’s draft-eligible quarterback crop increased the buzz surrounding it, the 2019 class has not brought the intrigue 2018’s did. Murray and Dwayne Haskins enter the Combine as the top QBs, and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com rates the Heisman Trophy winner over the more traditional prospect. However, Jeremiah said (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com) neither Murray nor Haskins would have ranked among the top-three quarterback prospects in last year’s draft. The longtime draft analyst would place Murray alongside Josh Allen and Haskins in between those two and Lamar Jackson, if all seven players were in one draft. With a 2020 draft group expected to be better than 2019’s, teams will have to weigh risks that come with selecting a passer in this year’s prospect pool.
Here is the latest from the draft world:
- A member of the stacked Clemson defensive line that is set to populate draft boards, Austin Bryant will not be participating to the degree his ex-Tiger teammates will in Indianapolis. Bryant underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), and will not do drills at the Combine. This injury happened Nov. 3, but Bryant played through it, recording 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss as a senior, and did not go under the knife until Jan. 17.
- First-round tackle prospect Jawaan Taylor will not do any drills at this year’s Combine. The former Florida standout sent a letter to NFL teams informing them a mild hamstring strain will take him out of action in Indianapolis, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This will likely be resolved by Taylor’s forthcoming pro day.
- One of the top tackles in this year’s class, Jonah Williams is viewed by some teams a high-end guard prospect. The Alabama product’s future appears to be inside or at right tackle, with scouts informing Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News the acclaimed blocker could be an All-Pro guard or a quality right tackle. While teams still prioritize the left tackle spot, the gap between the offensive line’s glamour position and the rest of the roles is not what it once was. Quenton Nelson, Brandon Scherff and Lane Johnson have emerged as top-six draft picks-turned-Pro Bowlers that were shuttled to non-left tackle positions, with Scherff moving inside at his NFL career’s outset. Williams played both right and left tackle at Alabama, moving to the left side after his freshman year.
Jeremiah was a bullfrog!
The sheer number of really good d-line prospects from Clemson in this draft is absurd. It’s an excellent showcase and display of Venables’ and Dabo’s recruiting and coaching abilities.
Yes, Clemson plays several easy games in their conference, but regardless, all of these guys are the real deal. And for those who doubted them, they stuck it to Bama, and basically had Bama quitting by the 3rd quarter!! That wasn’t even with arguably their best d-line prospect available!! New England and Belicheck loves the UGA Dawgs prospects, but you can’t help but notice the amazing job Dabo and Venables has done at Clemson!!
UGA and Clemson fight over almost every top prospect each recruiting cycle, and a lot of the time Clemson comes into GA’s own backyard and wins!! I’m a Dawg fan through and through, but you’d have to be blind not to notice what Dabo and Venable have been doing lately…It is truly mind-blowing, and their recruiting battles, coupled with Bama of course, in 2020 are what’s going to shape college football for at least the next 3-4 seasons…They’re all fighting for about the same 10-12 top guys, and whichever coaching staff pulls out the most of those battles will definitely set themselves extremely well moving forward. Can’t wait!! #Sic_Em