College All-Star Game 2020 standouts to watch for in the NFL Draft
With the NFL season now in the books, we have officially entered the pre-draft process. While the combine and pro days are still ahead, the evaluation period has already started with the three major all-star games for upcoming NFL prospects – the East-West Shrine game, NFPA Bowl and the Senior Bowl of course. I re-watched all the practices and now I can tell you who stood out to me the most.
With that being said, this list is about who has boosted their draft stock the most so far, instead of simply telling you who the best players were. South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw for example looked like the baddest dude on the field down in Mobile, but he only practiced two days and didn’t show anything we hadn’t seen, which validated more what most people already thought of him, instead of really taking him to a different level. Other guys might not have been on some teams’ draft board at all because of where they come from, but now scouts will look more into them because of what they showcased against a different level of competition.
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
And as I get to my first player, I already want to note that there are other guys who have improved their eventual draft pick more through this early stage of the process, but no quatrterback has impressed scouts more so far than the clear headliner among the actual participants. Obviously Herbert has all the physical gifts, measuring in at 6’6”, 227 pounds with a huge arm and excellent athleticism for the position, but that’s not what impressed me most. I thought for a young man, who I have always thought needs to do a better job anticipating throws and not waiting for receivers to actually come open, he did very well in that regard with receivers he had never thrown to. Of course he also made some nice throws rolling either way and he can drive the ball to the opposite hash as well as anybody in this draft class. Herbert fired some absolute piss-missiles during the two-minutes drill on day three, which left the audience gushing. If not for Utah State’s Jordan Love putting together a really good week himself, the Oregon QB would have been heads and shoulders above the rest. Herbert has likely secured a spot in the top ten of the draft.