2018 NFL Draft: Week 1 Prospect Stock Report
Stock Up: Defense
Josey Jewell (ILB – Iowa): Josey Jewell’s performance in the opener earned him Walter Camp Player of the Week honors. Against Wyoming, the linebacker recorded 14 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, and two sacks of Josh Allen. The only knock on Jewell was a pass breakup that hit off his hands and should have been intercepted.
Jewell is seemingly always in or around the play, however he lacks ideal speed from the middle linebacker position. His instincts make up for that speed in college, but he’ll have to improve his quickness to succeed at the next level. There’s no questioning his success at the collegiate level as he’s well on his way to leading the Hawkeyes in tackles for the third straight season.
Armani Watts (FS – Texas A&M): Based on Josh Rosen’s dismantling of the Texas A&M defense in the fourth quarter, it may be a surprise to see an Aggies defender on this list. However free safety Armani Watts was the best defender for either team and showed why he’s a potential first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In last year’s battle between Texas A&M and UCLA, Rosen barely had time to unload the football. Now that Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall are in the NFL, opposing quarterbacks won’t have to worry about the pass rush as much. As a result, Watts and the secondary will be tested. While the rest of the secondary collapsed, Watts passed with flying colors.
Watts finished with a game-high 13 tackles in addition to a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Rosen is the best quarterback he’ll face all season, but how he performs against a physical Alabama rushing attack will be just as important to his 2018 NFL Draft stock.
Kemoko Turay (DE – Rutgers): Kemoko Turay was one of the most exciting freshman defenders back in 2014. The edge rusher registered 7.5 sacks despite not starting a game and was named to the freshman all-american team. He’s been fairly quiet since and only started once in his career.
With his college career headed in a downward trajectory, Turay stepped up in his first game as a senior. He still wasn’t a part of the starting lineup, however he took advantage when he was on the field. Turay recorded five tackles and his two quarterback hurries resulted in incompletions in the loss to Washington. Turay has a long way to go to elevate his draft stock to where it was three years ago, but there’s no shortage of NFL teams that will be looking to add a pass rusher in the 2018 NFL Draft.