2021 NFL Draft: Pair of Buckeyes lead players whose stock is down.
Things did not get off to a good start for Ohio State running back and 2021 NFL Draft prospect Trey Sermon in the National Championship game as he broke his collarbone on his first carry of the night.
This is a horrible way for Sermon to end the season as he was dominant in the games leading up to the National Championship. Some of his best performances included rushing for 331 yards against Northwestern and 193 yards against Clemson, These performances definitely had his 2021 NFL Draft stock skyrocketing.
This injury will affect Sermon in the pre-draft process. The first way it will affect him is it will not allow him to take part in the Senior Bowl which he had already accepted an invite for. The other way it will impact him is it will limit what he can do for teams in terms of working out.
It is unlikely he will be able to do any tests before the draft including the 40-yard dash and bench press.
How this will impact his stock is hard to know but it sure can’t help especially in a loaded running back class. I currently have five running backs with either a late first-round grade or early second-round grade in Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, Michael Carter, Javonte Williams, and Trey Sermon.
In such a tight group I could easily see how an injury like this could move Sermon from a second-round pick to a third or even day three pick.
Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
Ohio State offensive guard Wyatt Davis is another Buckeye who saw his stock fall due to injury.
Davis saw his night come to an end in the second quarter when he went down with a knee injury and was unable to put weight on the leg the rest of the night. According to Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Davis went into the game with an injured knee and reinjured it in the game.
While it is unknown what the extent of Davis’s injury is it will definitely not help his draft stock. How much it impacts his draft status will come down to how he comes out in medical checks on both this injury and how beat up his knee is overall.
I currently project Davis as a high second-rounder in the 2021 NFL Draft as he displays a great combination of strength and agility. The main reason he will fall to the second round is just due to the position he plays as offensive guards are not usually drafted high.
He would make a lot of sense for teams like the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers as both of these teams need interior offensive line help.
Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State
A player who was off to a hot start was Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill. He started the year off by catching eight passes for 158 yards against LSU but unfortunately, it was one of the few games he played in this year.
He spent the rest of the season battling a variety of issues including a concussion, a suspension, and a personal issue that later just saw him opt out of the season.
This was quite a disappointment for Hill as he had high expectations coming into the year. Part of the reason people were so high on him was his outstanding production in 2019. As a junior, he finished third in the SEC in rushing yards with 1,350 yards and also finished fifth in the conference with ten rushing touchdowns.
The other reason people had high hopes for him this year is he was going to be playing in Mike Leach’s offense, which would give him a chance to contribute in the passing game as well.
When it comes to his final evaluation it will be interesting to see if general managers look past his disastrous 2020 season or if he drops to the end of day three because of these issues.
Rakeem Boyd, RB, Arkansas
Arkansas’s Rakeem Boyd is another SEC back who had his struggles this season. Boyd was only able to rush for 309 yards in six games this year and in his last three games of the year was held under 40 yards in each game.
This is quite a disappointment for a player who was supposed to be Arkansas’s biggest offensive weapon going into the year, after leading the team in rushing in both 2019 and 2018.
While he did not live up to expectations this year he does off some skills that could get him a look late on day three. One of these traits is he shows a nice burst through the line of scrimmage and can also run with patience if the situation calls for it. In addition, he displayed decent hands coming out of the backfield catching 52 passers of his career.
The biggest concerns with him include the fact he has been injury-prone the last couple of seasons. He battled numerous little injuries in 2018 and also battled a foot injury this year.
I am also concerned with the fact that he is very much a stiff runner who shows very little elusiveness in the open field.