It seems like the 2020 NFL Draft just happened, but we move fast here at The Draft Network.
Currently going through summer evaluations for the 2021 NFL Draft class, our scouting team of Kyle Crabbs, Joe Marino, Jordan Reid, and Drae Harris are meeting up every day to discuss prospects, traits, and concepts. New to TDN is a daily scouting roundtable where we go through and identify the most important points of conversation from that day’s meeting.
On Tuesday, we talked about Micale Cunningham, Lamont Wade, and how to evaluate future draft classes a year in advance.
Micale Cunningham, QB, Louisville
No, he’s not Lamar Jackson, but Louisville has another quarterback worthy of the NFL’s attention in 2020 with Micale Cunningham.
A dual-threat who was recruited by several different schools as a defensive back, Cunningham is a terrific athlete and one who can use that mobility on a routine basis. He's also, however, a much better passer than given credit for, which is what makes Marino so intrigued by his next-level ability.
“Louisville played three different QBs this year and it didn't take long for them to find out that Cunningham was the best one,” Marino stated. “He ran that offense markedly better than everyone else.”
The stats certainly back up this claim, as Cunningham finished the 2019 season with a 63% completion percentage, 2,065 total passing yards, and 22 touchdowns to only five interceptions. He also averaged a ridiculous 11.6 yards per attempt, which stood out as the best rank in the ACC.
“His mobility is outstanding and can win out of structure,” Marino further stated in his evaluation. “(Cunningham) is also pass-first despite his natural running ability and has the patience in the pocket to let routes elongate and develop.”
Marino did go on to note that Micale’s arm is only average, his deep ball needs work, and he’ll need more overall seasoning, but the overwhelming consensus was that he’s an electric player with exciting potential.
Once again, we aren’t talking about Jackson here, but Cunningham could potentially be a very poor man’s version of the MVP if everything goes right.
https://twitter.com/pff_seth/status/1252268588754522123?s=20
Lamont Wade, DB, Penn State
No matter the scheme or the coach, you want your DBs to bring swagger. Thankfully, Penn State’s Lamont Wade brings more than enough of it.
A safety/nickel hybrid, the former 4-star recruit does a little bit of everything, and it’s that versatility—combined with his athleticism and attitude—that made Crabbs give him a draftable grade heading into 2020.
“He’s a firecracker who plays with high energy and effort,” Crabbs noted in his evaluation. “He shows a great knack for attacking the football as a tackler and has the mentality and confidence you look for at the position.”
Despite these positives, Crabbs did point out that Wade still has plenty of issues in his current game, including ball skills, coverage awareness, and overall processing.
“He’s better fit to serve in the slot and play in nickel compared to working in off-coverage or deeper zones,” Crabbs noted. “He has loose moments in coverage and is often caught peeking in the backfield. He’s a quality athlete, but processing is a major question mark.”
When you combine these issues with the fact that Wade has never recorded a collegiate interception, things get worrisome for the 5-foot-9, 199-pound Nittany Lion. Still, he’s got some traits at the position, which is why he’s a name worth monitoring heading into the 2020 season.
https://twitter.com/MarkWogenrich/status/1198648922270523392?s=20
How do you evaluate future classes?
You’ll hear it in the media all the time: “Next year’s class is better.”
Sure, it's easy to say a season in advance, often because you’ve yet to dig deep and find flaws in those aforementioned prospects. Do real organizations spend time on future classes though? Reid asked Harris exactly this, with the results of the conversation posted below.
“Drae, I want to specifically ask you, because you’ve been in draft rooms before. Do teams plan years before? Let’s say a big-time QB like Lawrence is scheduled to come out, do you wait and not spend as much time at a position knowing an owner might want a specific type of layout ahead of time?” - Reid
“I think it comes down to the individual building because you have to understand that the front office is often on a different timetable and schedule than most coaches are. Some coaches nowadays only have 2- or 3-year deals in terms of, if you don’t win in two years, your seat is getting really hot. There’s usually a bit more job security with the GM, who usually has a chance to hire at least two head coaches. Coaches are all about winning right now because there's no guarantee they’ll be there in two years. So in those cases, you can’t look too far in advance.” - Harris
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