This week’s 2020 NFL Draft stock watch features a quarterback sliding and two Oklahoma players rising.
College football gave us a great week with multiple top 25 matchups, which meant a lot of very good prospects going up against one another. Sometimes, the spotlight brings out the best in players, and other times, not so much.
As we’ve stated before in this column, scouting is not a week-to-week process, where guys make huge rises and falls based on one performance or two. Draft stock is built over a whole season and draft season.
One good example is LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. While Burrow was highlighted early on this year in the column, his stock has been rising steadily all season with strong quarterback play.
So, when it comes to the prospects listed here, the trending stock is built more on what the media is saying after the week and the reaction around the media, rather than what their one performance did.
So, let’s take a look at whose stock is up and whose is down.
Stock up: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
CeeDee Lamb is an incredible talent at wide receiver that has gotten plenty of attention since the summer. He is great in space after the catch, has great hands, and has great body control in tight spaces. Everyone fell in love with the Alabama wide receivers in the summer, and rightfully so. Lamb is on their level talent-wise but just hasn’t had the opportunity to have an uber-productive game.
He finally broke out against Texas, catching 10 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns. His second touchdown showed how effective he is in open space, making several defenders miss and finishing the play with his speed. Lamb’s third touchdown was even more impressive, as he shook off contact and made the second defender miss.
If you’ve followed FanSided’s draft coverage so far this season, you know Lamb has been a top 10 prospect for weeks. However, he is making a case to be the top wide receiver in next year’s draft.
Stock down: Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
The debate on Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm has raged on for a while now. On one hand, Fromm is a quick processor and is great at running the offense at Georgia. On the other hand, he lacks a lot physically, possessing average arm talent and a lack of ability to extend plays and make plays outside the pocket.
Some of those limitations came to a head on Saturday. Fromm threw three interceptions on the day, and one went the other way for six points. Granted, one of those wasn’t his fault, but the other two were concerning, especially the pick-six, where he was pressured and threw off his back foot. He doesn’t have the arm talent to make that throw.
Fromm is a tough evaluation at this point, there’s no doubt about that. Right now, he is getting passed up by other rising quarterbacks and seems to be out of the first round conversation in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Stock up: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
As if the receiver class wasn’t stacked enough. Brandon Aiyuk got attention over the summer because of his speed and ability to change direction. He didn’t get a lot of targets last year with N’Keal Harry there, and in an inconsistent offense, it’s hard to produce.
Aiyuk has been a big producer this season for Arizona State. He had 100-yard games against Kent State and Colorado before Saturday. Against Washington State on Saturday, Aiyuk caught seven passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns. He is currently averaging a whopping 21 yards per reception so far this season.
It’s how he wins that will excite teams. He has the speed to eat up the cushion and separate down the field, but he also has the fluidity and change of direction skills to win as a route runner. Aiyuk has a good chance to get to Mobile to impress teams and scouts before the 2020 NFL Draft.
Stock up: Josh Uche, EDGE, Michigan
Josh Uche had a big week for the Michigan Wolverines against Illinois, tallying three sacks and five tackles for a loss. It was by far his most productive game of the season, but as we know, stats don’t always tell the whole story. He has 3.5 sacks on the season, but he shows a lot of promise in his first full year as a starter on the edge. Uche is a very good athlete with the bend, speed, and a nice inside move to be a situational edge rusher at this point in his career. He has good length for his size as well, which could help a lot with developing counters. He’s worked his way onto the draft radar at the very least.
Stock up: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
The 2020 NFL Draft has some strengths and weaknesses, and the linebacker class, after a couple of top prospects suffering season-ending injuries, is a big weakness right now. Don’t tell that to Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. His stock is soaring after a great first half of his season. First, he has the speed to make plays on the perimeter. He’s also a physical player who finishes on plays. Third, he has the instincts to diagnose what’s going on on offense and quickly react to make plays. He should be firmly in the day two conversation now.
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