Potential Day 1 Prospects
Drew Lock, QB, Sr.
I have Lock behind Oregon’s Justin Herbert by quite a bit right now. But that certainly can change before the end of April. Lock has an NFL body and a great arm. He has been victimized by drops and I don’t hold that against him. Of greater concern to me is that he has racked up a good portion of his impressive numbers against bad teams. I want to see a couple of good performances this year in games against Georgia (9/22), Alabama (10/13), and Florida (11/3) before I settle on Lock as a 1st round prospect. If he takes that step forward, then there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be a top 5 overall selection.
Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, So.
Okwuegbunam probably won’t catch Noah Fant as the nation’s top TE prospect for the 2019 draft. In fact, he’s only a redshirt sophomore so he may not even throw his name into this year’s selection process. Whenever he does, he will have legit Day 1 potential if he comes anywhere close to where he finished last season (11 touchdowns as a freshman!). I don’t know if OK is going to be an exciting athlete, by NFL standards, but he will certainly become a very dangerous red-zone weapon at the next level.
Terry Beckner, DL, Sr.
This is going to be a generational class of defensive linemen in 2019 so there will be 1st round talents pushed to Day 2. Even if that’s where Beckner eventually lands, I feel extremely comfortable projecting him as a Day 1 talent. He is scheme-diverse, athletic, big (although I’ll be interested to see if he measures 6’4 at the combine), and has an impressive resume on the field.
Potential Day 2 Prospects
Emanuel Hall, WR, Sr.
Hall is big (6’3 200 lbs) and fast. He averaged close to 25 yards per catch last season. Unfortunately, he could have had a much bigger season if not for an abundance of drops. Usually, that’s not something that develops with receivers and it could make his closest NFL comparison somewhere along the lines of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Although the former Maryland track star was a top 10 draft pick, projecting a similar pro career would place his value somewhere closer to the end of Day 2. Hall will never be a #1, but a productive career like Heyward-Bey and a ceiling of Will Fuller is a reasonable guess at this point. 3rd round.
Potential Day 3 Prospects
Damarea Crockett, RB, Jr.
Crockett’s projection at this point is filled with volatility. There’s a lot to like about his build and ability as a rusher. There’s also been a lot of missing elements in his ability to contribute to the passing game. To be fair, he has plenty of time to show improvement as a receiver and/or pass blocker. If that happens, he will move himself up to Day 2. If not, I could see him falling to the later portion of Day 3.
Trystan Colon-Castillo, C, So.
Colon-Castillo also has room to move up into Day 2 consideration after being named to the All-SEC Freshman team this past season. It’s too early to stamp a round on him because it’s unlikely he enters the 2019 draft unless he takes a huge leap forward. In other words, it wouldn’t make any sense for him to enter this spring’s draft unless the draft committee stamps him with a Day 2 grade. Assuming his play doesn’t quite warrant that consideration by the time Missouri plays its final game, Colon-Castillo will enter 2020 somewhere around the 3rd-5th round on my watch list.
Corey Fatoney, P, Sr.
Fatony compiled a 41-yard net on his punts last season. I think he will be drafted before the later portion of Day 3. The 5th round is about the sweet spot.
Terez Hall, LB, Sr.
Hall has NFL size and piled up 12.5 tackles for loss on his way to a 2nd Team All-SEC selection in 2017. I don’t think he will test well athletically, but I still think he will get drafted at some point during Day 3.
Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, OG, Jr.
This will be the third year in which Wallace-Sims receives significant playing time. He could be in play as a versatile backup guard in the late rounds of the 2019 or 2020 draft if he takes a step forward this season.
Cale Garrett, LB, Sr.
Garrett isn’t a spectacular athlete, but he can do a little bit of everything. He makes plays in the backfield, recorded 3 sacks in 2017, and even added 2 interceptions. There’s always a chance that he will surprise me at the combine. I don’t want to write him off in July. However, right now I view him as an interesting reserve linebacker if he can become a core special teams player in the NFL and a possible late-round draft choice.
Johnathon Johnson, WR, So.
Johnson is an interesting Day 3 option because he can play in the slot and also contribute as a return specialist. He is well-liked by his teammates and has been mentioned by many of them as a leader. Johnson would be a quality addition to any team’s locker room and has enough versatility to stick at the end of someone’s roster. A late round selection wouldn’t surprise me.
Tucker McCann, K, Jr.
McCann is going to need to improve his range in order to get drafted. He’s been fairly accurate, but he hasn’t kicked a 50-yard field goal in his career to this point. That may get him to a camp. However, he will need to start kicking from 50+ to get into late-round consideration.
Paul Adams, OL, Sr.
The ticket to the pros for Adams will be as a versatile backup lineman. He’s slated to play right tackle in 2018, but there’s no reason he can’t play guard. He may interest a team in the 6th or 7th round.
Future Prospects
Larry Rountree, RB, So.
Rountree looks like he can become a quality 3rd down back who can be called upon to pass block and sprinkle in 5-10 carries a game. I’ll be interested to see if he contributes more as a receiver during the next couple seasons. If he does, he will be a really strong 4th round selection in 2020 or 2021.