NFL Draft: 5 players in danger of slipping out of the 1st round

The NFL Draft is always a fascinating event. While a single NFL game only has two teams at odds, draft dynamics result in all 32 teams playing off one another in what can sometimes appear to be a game of “chicken."

There will always be players who are a lock to go early in the first round, but the real human-interest and competitive-strategy stories come from the players who fall down or skyrocket up the draft board.

Let’s look at five well-regarded college players who may not hear their name called in the first round.

Jordan Love (Utah State)

Love has all the physical tools an NFL quarterback needs to be successful. He just didn’t perform at a high level in 2019. He forces too many throws, turns the ball over too much, and didn’t win a lot of games in a weak conference. Teams will be interested because of his physical skill set, but the film will not do him many favors.

Tee Higgins (Clemson)

Higgins is an agile, athletic deep threat and has played at the highest level of college football for multiple seasons. He led the ACC in touchdown receptions in each of the last two seasons.

Higgins may not see the first round, however, because this year’s wide receiver class is very deep, and teams looking to spend a high pick on the position may have already snagged someone.

J.K. Dobbins (Ohio State)

Dobbins was a workhorse for the nation’s leading offense in 2019, and his ankle injury in the College Football Playoff semifinal may have played a part in Ohio State’s failure to hold the lead.

But there is a growing realization among the analytics community that running backs are generally overpaid and overrated in terms of their contributions to winning. The “running backs don’t matter” crowd has a lot of compelling statistical evidence to point to, which says it is a major blunder to dedicate a first-round pick to the most interchangeable position on the field.

A.J. Terrell (Clemson)

Terrell was a lockdown corner for a Clemson team that played in the College Football Playoff National Championship every year he was in the program.

But in this year's national title game, he got beat down by the elite receivers on LSU’s roster. It was not a strong effort, and certainly could have led scouts to doubt his ceiling.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU)

As with Dobbins, the value of a running back in today’s NFL doesn’t warrant a high draft pick. LSU’s offense wasn’t slowed down in the slightest when Edwards-Helaire went out with injury, and there are any number of other running back options NFL teams can plug and play.

He also doesn’t have significant experience in pass protection, a skill that is critical to success in the NFL.

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