2020 NFL Draft: Wide Receiver Earnest Edwards scouting report
By Ian Higgins
In college, Earnest Edwards tallied nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. His do-it-all mentality makes him an intriguing 2020 NFL Draft prospect.
Tyreek Hill, Tavon Austin, and other wideouts have had varying degrees of success in the NFL with their unique skill sets. The speedsters who outdo defenders with their quickness and agile footing, while breaking that same play for a chunk gain. Earnest Edwards is a 2020 NFL Draft prospect who can bring that same coveted spark to an NFL roster, despite his small-school status.
In his career at the University of Maine, Edwards has been a player who brings a variety of production to the roster, including special teams. This Maine offense ran through Edwards and gave him as many unique opportunities as possible to break away. This includes as a wide receiver, running back, trick-play passer and return-man.
There are two major concerns surrounding the 2020 NFL Draft hopeful, which are his size and competition in college. Edwards only measures in at 5-foot 10, 175 pounds, but the same receivers with his skill set measure in similarly.
In regards to the competition, the most notable schools played included Villanova, Liberty, and Rhode Island. None of these schools boast the same kind of defensive talent as an Alabama or LSU, so it is unknown how smoothly Edwards can transition to the NFL.
The four specific areas I evaluate in a wide receiver scouting report are:
- Pre catch: the ability to create separation, beating the press, route running, etc
- The catch: catching consistency, adjusting to the ball, leverage, etc
- Post catch: YAC, elusiveness and/or power, footwork, etc
- Utility: contributions outside receiving, including special teams, rushing, and passing
These four areas evenly weigh into an overall rating out of 40, 10 points to each area.
I received this recommendation from a former high school teammate of Edwards, who said the wide receiver is “the hardest worker and very intelligent.” Paired with videos found on Youtube of post-practice interviews, it is apparent that Edwards is just as Carson said, and has the intangibles to find his way into an NFL locker room.
Earnest Edwards college stats can be found here.