The NFL Draft is being held from April 27th to April 29th in Philadelphia. This year’s draft provides talent from across college football both defensively and offensively.
One of the deeper draft groups is the Tight Ends’ who have stars like O.J. Howard from Alabama and David Njoku from Miami who took over college with their very similar but contrasting play styles. Howard is known for his route running, pass catching, and his ability to gain yards after the catch. His height also towers over the majority of defensive players at 6’6. Njoku stands at 6’4 and has the same ability to run routes with precision and sharp cuts but lacks blocking physicality. Although both players need to improve their pass blocking as TEs, they are still being looked at as top prospects.
According to Mike Mayock, a draft expert for NFL Network has them listed as the top Tight Ends in the draft and commented on the strength of this years’ group.
“I think the beauty of the tight end class this year is ... it can be in the second or third round or maybe in the fourth round and you’ll still get the kind of tight end you're looking for at the end of the day,” Mayock said.
Another interesting aspect of the 2017 NFL Draft is the prospect Defensive End, Myles Garrett. At the end of the college football season, Garrett was locked in by all NFL analysts as the number one draft pick. At 6’4 and 274 pounds, Garrett is a physical specimen with explosiveness, agile movement and has arm length that many tackles can’t handle off the edge of the defensive line. To back up his already impressive college tape, Garrett broke the combine with a 4.64 40 yard dash, a supernatural vertical of 41’ inches, and 33 bench reps. Overall, his athleticism and size make him an impact player in the NFL the day he starts playing.
Interesting offensive prospects are also being mentioned around the league. Quarterback prospect Deshaun Watson is most often talked about. At Clemson Watson racked up a total of 10,163 passing yards, 1,934 rushing yards, and threw for a whopping 90 passing touchdowns in three years. The two-time Heisman finalist won the team’s first National Championship. Even with an impressive quarterback resume, many scouts find flaws about the young talent. He has inconsistent throws from deep and has questionable throwing vision. They also believe the Clemson offense that he ran with is a lot simpler than an NFL offense which he could take long to understand.
Clemson Wideout Mike Williams is one of the draft’s biggest talents. Williams has racked over 2,500 receiving due to an injury his junior year. He rebounded back after that season amounting 1,361 receiving yards and 11 TD’s to further his resume for the NFL. Williams has the ideal size, speed. And ball-tracking skills that transfer to the next level of play. His injury, however, is the only thing holding teams back from wanting this Wide Receiver.
Newtown High School students discussed the upcoming draft and the talent that it presents. NHS sophomore Marcello Pavia commented on specifically the Clemson talent.
“I think Mike Williams could be the next DeAndre Hopkins,” Pavia said. “I don’t know how I feel about Deshaun Watson he was a good college quarterback but I think he is going to be average in the NFL.”
While Watson has technical flaws in his play and can be considered a system player at Clemson, his winning nature is what has team’s drooling over him. According to most NFL analysts', he is valued in the late picks of the first round. NHS sophomore Kyle Nicholson talked about the defensive star Myles Garrett.
“He’s athletic and tall and that’s important in the NFL. He will definitely be a game changer the second he starts playing for whatever team drafts him.” Nicholson said.
This year’s draft class is sure to impress as they enter the NFL and play in upcoming years. Nothing can be for sure until they hear their name called on draft day.
Image Courtesy of NFL on Location