The NFL draft might still be a couple of months away but it’s still a hot discussion topic. Whilst most articles and blog posts you’ll find are speculating the draft picks, we’re going to vary things up a little as we compare some of the biggest prospects head-to-head.
Quality Quarterbacks
There are two main quarterbacks vying to have their names called early on in the draft with LSU man Joe Burrow widely tipped to be the number one pick. Burrow had a remarkable campaign last time out as he managed to throw 5,600 yards and helped his team to 60 touchdowns, which is a NCAA record.
His displays rightly earned him rave reviews and a host of individual awards, including the Heisman trophy but to label him as the standalone best quarterback in the draft could be premature for two reasons. Firstly, prior to joining LSU, Burrow had been at Ohio State where he failed to pull up any trees but, more importantly, Tua Tagovailoa might have something to say on the topic.
12 months ago Tagovailoa was the man to place your bets through BestAppBet.com on as the standout of this years draft after a campaign that saw him throw near on 4,000 yards for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tagovailoa was on course to smash through the 4k mark in 2019 but his season was ended prematurely by injury.
On paper there is no disputing that Burrow has posted the better stats but Tagovailoa brings an awful lot to the party and if he can prove his fitness then he could easily be the most successful quarterback to come out of the 2020 draft.
Offensive Tackles ready to shackle
We move from one Crimson Tide prospect to another in the shape of Jedrick Wills Jr. Wills is a colossal unit standing at 6 ft 5 and 320 lbs; his numbers back him up too though and it will be a surprise if another OT goes before him. Wills’ strengths are centered around his physical attributes; the big man has tidy footwork if not amazingly quick feet but then it’s all about his power to block.
He loves the fight of the game, but he is far from perfect with a tendency to switch off and that could play into the hands of fellow offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs when it comes to the draft.
Wirfs is of not dissimilar build to Wills and has poured deliberate focus onto his strength during his time with the Iowa Hawkeyes, which is a sound addition to his phenomenal work rate.
He trumps Wills when it comes to foot speed but one black mark against his name is a lack of the animal instinct that will see you do whatever is required to take control of a situation; the same accusation cannot be levelled at Wills.
Receiving the first pick?
In Jerry Jeudy we have another of the Crimson Tide crew that look set to feature heavily in round one of the draft. Jeudy has explosive pace and over the past two years he’s racked up near on 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns as he’s established himself as the leading receiver in college football. Question marks do remain over how he’ll stand up under tighter watch given his strength isn’t his best attribute. That said, he’ll likely be the first wide receiver picked in the draft probably closely followed by Ceedee Lamb, who has just been with the Oklahoma Sooners where he’s averaged 1,100 yards over three years.
Lamb’s stats aren’t a million miles from Jeudy but he doesn’t have the immediate burst of speed that the Crimson Tide man possesses, which is something any team will want to work on when – rather than if – he’s selected.
There you have it, a look at what we expect to be key picks in the early stages of the draft.
