Jalen Catalon didn’t have to return for another season at Arkansas. But by doing so, he can help both his future pro career and the Razorbacks 2022 season.
Catalon, a junior safety, played in just six games last year when a shoulder injury sapped the second half of his second season with the Hogs. He’d already made 46 tackles when he went down, a year after earning Freshman All-American honors.
Having redshirted his first year on-campus, Catalon could have left for the NFL after the season where, when the season began, he was a projected late-first or second-round pick. Instead, he’s back in Fayetteville, leading one of the most experienced secondaries in the SEC.
Draft prognosticators don’t think he’s lost anything. Matt Miller at ESPN listed the best draft prospects for each of the 65 power-conference teams in football, giving Catalon Arkansas’ spot.
“He is a do-it-all nickelback who started six games last season before a season-ending shoulder injury. If he’s healthy and back to his 2020 form, he’s a Day 2 prospect,” Miller wrote.
While Catalon isn’t a nickel but a safety, the fact that he could be a nickel shows his athleticism. He was named a preseason first-team All-SEC defensive back in July at SEC Media Days and is certain, health permitting, to be near the top of Arkansas’ statistical leaderboard at season’s end yet again.