Miami football players could have advantage playing in 2020
Playing the 2020 season could give Miami football players an advantage over the Big 10 and Pac 12 who have canceled playing this fall.
The 2020 college football season has been canceled by the Big 10 and Pac 12. That could provide an advantage to Miami football players who enter the 2021 NFL Draft. If the Big 10 and Pac 12 do not play in the spring, their players will have not played football for about 16 months by the time the draft is conducted.
Several seniors on the Miami football roster need the 2020 season to post video for the scouts to analyze them for the 2021 NFL Draft. Quarterback D’Eriq King and defensive end Quincy Roche transferred to Miami from Houston and Temple for a chance to play against Power Five teams in 2020.
Transfers to Big 10 and Pac 12 schools and other players that need the 2020 season to show scouts their abilities will not have that chance. NFL Scouts will be discerning when making comparisons between players that have 2020 seasons and those that have not played since 2019.
Sitting out the 2020 season will not hurt elite players. Miami defensive end Greg Rousseau who opted out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns is still expected to be a top 10 selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Roche is expected to be a first or second day (second or third round) selection.
The chance to Roche to improve his draft status this fall is the reason he transferred to Miami. Other players on Miami hoping to improve their draft stock are redshirt senior linebacker Zach McCloud who sat out last season to have more opportunity in 2020 and tight end Brevin Jordan who needs to prove he can stay healthy.
In the last NFL draft, 80 players were taken from the Big Ten (48) and Pac-12 (32) conferences. That accounts for 31% of all players drafted and approximately the same percentage of all players invited to the combine.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) August 12, 2020
"“You definitely like to have the most recent information, and that includes tape…I don’t know that it would hurt a top guy, a first-round guy. But later in the draft, if you’re looking at one guy who played in 2020 and one who didn’t, you’re naturally going to trust more of what you see from a guy who’s played than a guy who’s been sitting out a layoff.”"
An AFC scout told NFL.Com the above about the impact of sitting out will have on later round projections. Another thing to consider is if there is a spring season is how would those players be affected by the NFL Combine. The 2020 NFL combine was held about two weeks before sports were put on hiatus.
If the college football season is moved to the spring NFL agent Nicole Lynn told NFL.Com to expect the top 100 prospects to opt out to prepare for the draft. That would be about the first three rounds of the draft. Both Jordan and Roche are expceted to be taken in the first three rounds
King has the potential to be a third round pick. The 2020 season is essential for King to be able to prove he can be an NFL QB despite his height that has been reported at below 5’9 by Senior bowl executive director Jim Nagy. King also has the potential to workout as a wide recceiver at teh senior bowl and NFL combine.
Next. Miami hasn't considered Big 10 or Pac 12 transfers. dark
Former Dallas Cowboys general manager Gil Brandt told NFL.Com the league could consider expanding the seven round NFL Draft because of all the opt outs for the 2020 season. How this evolves for the seniors and draft eligble juniors on the Miami football team is something to watch for the next eight months.