2021 NFL Draft prospects to watch: PAC-12 Conference
By Kyle Edmond
Arizona – Colin Schooler, Linebacker, Senior
Arizona was the only team in the Pac-12 to not produce a 2020 NFL Draft selection, but hopefully, that will be different in the 2021 NFL Draft. That change could start with Colin Schooler, a 2019 PAC-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention.
A force in the middle of the defense, Schooler led the Arizona defense during the 2019 season in a few different categories, mainly tackles, logging 98 over the course of 12 games. Schooler also made an impact in the backfield, registering a team-high 11 tackles for loss as well as adding 1.5 sacks to his stat line.
Another aspect of Schooler’s game is his ability to come up with big plays. During the 2019 season, he was able to recover two forced fumbles, accounting for half of the team’s total on the season while also leading the category.
The task for Schooler in the upcoming season will be repeating that success. A solid NFL linebacker has to show consistency and having a similar season in 2020 will do just that for Schooler.
He saw a bit of a slip in 2019 after being a 2018 All-PAC-12 First Team selection when he totaled 119 tackles with 21.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. This isn’t to say that his 2019 campaign was bad, but his 2018 season was definitely closer to what NFL teams are looking for entering the draft process.