In the lead-up to the NFL draft, there will be a lot of noise surrounding players. Some of these reports are a smoke screen. Some are minor stories that, if true, tell us little about players. Still, some others are garbage.
In preparing player spotlights, a number of places to focus attention in the next five months have become clear. Other places of attention will come into focus, but for now, a good place to focus are the following five story lines.
Nick Chubb’s Knee Health
Chad and I talked a lot about Nick Chubb’s knee in his player spotlight. After his 2015 knee injury, Chubb has not looked the same this season. His knee injury was a complex injury with multiple ligament tears. Chubb himself described the injury as a tear of “everything except the ACL“. This differs from the “simple” ACL tear that we have seen Todd Gurley and Adrian Peterson return from quickly without showing much effect. Watching Chubb’s 2016 tape, I have concerns about his explosion. Watch for stories about his knee health. If he drops in the draft, the knee will likely be the reason, and warrants major concerns about his future.
John Ross’s Size
I like John Ross’s quite a bit as a player. Chad recently wrote about him being a better athlete than Will Fuller, assuming that he weighed in near the mid-180s. Officially listed 5’11”, his height and hand size may also be a question. Watch for Ross’s at the combine as it will have a large impact on his metrics.
JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Athleticism
In watching JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 2016 tape, he has yet to show the ability to separate consistently from defenders. Against Washington, he was pressed by man to man coverage and consistently was unable to break the press coverage. While his hand and foot technique at the line of scrimmage needs improvement, a lack of athleticism could also explain. If he struggles at the combine, he may translate as a zone busting possession receiver at the next level, not the WR1 his production score may suggest.
Christian McCaffrey Draft Status
There is some question about Christian McCaffrey declares for the NFL draft, or returns for his senior season at Stanford. McCaffrey has done nearly everything in his college career. The questions about his draft stock primarily center around his size and frame. Returning to school is likely to do little to change those questions. If he declares for the draft, he strengthens the picks in the middle of the first round of rookie drafts.
Jamaal Williams’s Character Questions
Jamaal Williams injured his knee in 2014, forcing him to miss the last three games of the season with surgery. Expected to return for 2015, he instead withdrew from school and redshirted for the 2015 season. This was after he had previously been arrested for underage drinking, then suspended a game in 2014. Williams has returned to the field in 2016 and been productive. More impressively, in spite of all these off-field incidents, he was named a captain. Underage drinking is a more heavily policed at BYU than other programs, so it is not the largest red flag, but the repeated nature is concerning. The captaincy is an indication he has matured. Williams profiles as a potential three-down back, so good interviews eliminating character concerns could create some value into the second or third round of rookie drafts.
Conclusion
When listening to NFL Draft news there is a lot of noise. Listen to what really matters. If we get clarification about an injury or a player falls because of injury concern, take note and adjust accordingly. These players are important places to focus your attention.
