If you want to look at the bulk of players who chose to sit out their final year of college because of the COVID-19 virus and see how it affected their NFL draft stock, Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell might be a perfect example of how a player can drop.
Almost unanimously regarded as the best left tackle in all of college football after the 2019 season, Sewell was atop many people’s mock drafts a little less than a year ago, with only players like quarterback Trevor Lawrence or linebacker Micah Parsons going ahead of him.
You look at those mock drafts now, and things have changed quite a bit. For the most part, draft analysts are pegging Sewell to be taken somewhere in the first 5-12 picks, with many guessing that he will fall to a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, or Detroit Lions. Some mocks even have other left tackles being taken over Sewell, with guys like Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater, or Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw coming off the board first.
None of this should be a major concern for Sewell, though, or the team who eventually drafts him. He knows that he is the top LT prospect in this draft class, and he plans to prove it.
Penei Sewell talking that talk 🗣️🗣️ @peneisewell58 @oregonfootball pic.twitter.com/gAsNbIzaIW
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) April 6, 2021
I mean… he’s got a point. Sewell hasn’t played in a game since 2019, and it’s not like he’s gotten worse since then. The last time he stepped on the field, the 6-foot-6, 325 pound lineman was considered among the best overall players in the NCAA, and he’s spent the last 12 months focusing on his craft and avoiding injury. He has good size and the elite foot quickness to make some of the most challenging blocks in the game.
There’s a chance that he falls past the Bengals at No. 5, though they could really use him to help protect QB Joe Burrow. If he does, it is no matter, though. We all know the talent that he will bring to the NFL, and whichever team gets him will be counting their lucky stars.
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