South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel blew away folks at this year’s Senior Bowl. It just so happens that his partner in crime, Bryan Edwards, is making the same jump to the NFL next year. Edwards may not be getting a ton of hype right now, but the big Gamecock pass-catcher is a legitimate NFL Draft prospect. Let’s take a quick look at his scouting report to see why.
NFL Draft Profile
Wide Receiver- South Carolina Gamecocks
Ht: 6’3” Wt: 220 lbs. Class: Senior
Career: 38 Games, 162 Catches, 2229 Yards, 16 TDs, 13.7 Yds / Catch
2018 Stats: 13 Games, 55 Catches, 846 Yards, 7 TDs, 15.4 Yds / Catch
Games Watched: Tennessee (2018), Vanderbilt (2018), Akron (2018)
Strengths:
- Athleticism
- Polished Nature
- Movement Skills
- Inside Releases
- Analytics
- Upside / Potential
Weaknesses:
- Contested Catches
- Production
- Physicality
- Consistency
- Press Coverage
SUMMARY
Deebo Samuel’s partner in crime at South Carolina. Has had low production throughout his Gamecock career, but mainly the byproduct of abysmal QB play. Possesses a Demaryius Thomas-like physique with freakish athleticism and movement skills for his size. Needs to work on his consistency considerably. Seemingly runs at 75% of what he’s capable of a large portion of the time. Great positional versatility allows for X, Y and slot capabilities. Top-notch size for the position but doesn’t always use it to the best of his abilities, especially in contested situations.
Long strider with great deep speed, but takes a while to work up to it. Lacks burst off the LOS and doesn’t create outside separation as a result. Shows glimpses of aggressiveness at the catch point, but waits for the ball to come to him far too often. Fluid and smooth in his routes, but polished nature can make him look nonchalant in his cuts. Impressive at stacking the CB and getting inside separation relatively easily. Great job at sinking his hips and creates plenty of space on “curl” and “comeback” type designs.
Experienced route-runner with some surprising nuance given his size. Well-rounded with few weaknesses in his overall game, but doesn’t necessarily have an “identity” on the football field, which leads to concerns of being “just another guy”. A favorite amongst the analytics crowd given his strong “market-share” value.
Ultimately a high-upside prospect given his size, athleticism and movement skills. However, he doesn’t have a clear transition given some of his current issues, and drops in strong WR class as a result. Starting upside, but should ideally be a Day 3 pick. Likely to start on special teams as a gunner given his quality size and straight-line speed.
Pro Comparison: David Moore WR Seattle Seahawks
NFL Draft Outlook: 3rd / 4th Round Selection
Carter Donnick is a writer for PFN covering the NFL Draft. You can follow him @CDonScouting on Twitter.