2020 NFL Draft Stock Report: National Championship
It’s that time, get ready for the final 2020 NFL Draft stock report post of the season. We have the National championship game to break down. The LSU Tigers are National champions after dethroning Clemson 42-25. There are a ton of talented players ready to jump to the NFL so we need to break it all down. How did the National Championship game affect the 2020 NFL Draft?
Clemson
I didn’t have a ton of takeaways from the Clemson offense. I think Travis Etienne is overhyped. Tee Higgins is a nice player but not a superstar. I think I learned more about the defense.
Isaiah Simmons is a superstar. You better be careful about passing on Simmons. He’s the most versatile defender I’ve seen. He plays every position. Corner, linebacker, safety, you name it, he plays it. Simmons has elite speed and covers ground and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. This is what the modern linebacker looks like.
AJ Terrell stinks. This man got cooked all night. Ja’Marr Chase killed him. 9 catches for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. Terrell gave up 90 percent of those. Terrell is a top prospect but he doesn’t look anything close to Trayvon Mullen from a year ago.
LSU
The more and more I watch Joe Burrow, the more I think that he looks like Ryan Tannehill. Better than average athlete, mobile, can make throws on the run, can win games. I’ve bought into him being a legit prospect. I don’t think this is a generational talent. Burrow had a great game. Another 5 touchdown day.
I don’t think Burrow will outright fail. I think he looks like Tannehill. There are some red flags here that would worry me. 5th year senior with bad 2018 year. It doesn’t look like he reads any coverages. There was a play I remember that was a pick play, Burrow threw it in a half a second without ever looking what was there and it almost got picked. A lot of this is working because his athletes are winning. Never really even have to see him look at a 2nd read.
I wouldn’t take him over Tua. Burrow to me looks like a capable starter. Tua is generational. LSU is the most talented team in the country and Trevor Lawrence looked bad. Tua put up 41 on this same defense with a bust ankle playing at 70 percent. But hey, you go ahead and pass on that. I won’t do it.
I love Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Forget the Darren Sproles comparisons. He’s better. 16 carries for 110 yards constantly making people miss. To me, he looks like a more slender Maurice Jones-Drew that can be quicker in short areas. I think Edwards-Helaire is being tremendously undervalued.
I liked what I saw from Justin Jefferson. Just athletes all over the field. It’s clear to me though that Ja’Marr Chase is THE guy. He’s special. I’m not sure how special Jefferson is but he can definitely play.
Derek Stingley was the best player on the field. He gave up one catch for 12 yards and most of the time Trevor Lawrence just refused to throw to his side of the field. Stingley is the best player on the field and is a true Freshman. Going to have to wait until 2021.
I’m happy Grant Delpit showed he was able to be physical. His one knock is that he misses tackles. That didn’t really happen in this one. He played closer to the line of scrimmage, notched a sack, and even forced a fumble. Maybe the scouts were starting to get to him and LSU wanted to send a statement with this one because this isn’t something we’ve seen much of it any at all. Regardless, I never cared about the missed tackles. He’s a true centerfielder and so good in coverage that you’re not going to miss here. Think Tyrann Mathieu but better.
