2021 NFL Draft: DeVonta Smith and others who boosted stock in 2020
By John Blair
Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
A prospect who quietly had a strong season this year is Arkansas’ Feleipe Franks. After transferring to Arkansas from Florida last January he managed to throw for 2,107 yards, completing 69% of his passes, 17 touchdowns, and only throwing four picks.
This strong performance allowed him to earn a Senior Bowl invite and possibly a chance to be drafted late in this year’s draft.
While Franks did have a strong year this season and is gaining scout attention he does still have some things still to work on. The first thing would be his pocket presence. He tends to panic when he faces pressure, which is one of the reasons he was sacked 30 times this year.
I would also like to see him improve on his decisiveness and quickness of his reads as this was also part of the reason he was sacked so often. In addition to these two areas, his footwork could use some work as he needs to do a better job of throwing from a balanced position.
When it comes to where he will go in the 2021 NFL Draft I would expect Franks to be a late-round pick. I could also see him making a team as a third-string quarterback or practice squad player if he is able to improve his pocket presence and overall footwork.