As time ticks away until Thursday night's start of the 2020 NFL Draft, experts and analysts are giving their final thoughts on who's going where and when in this year's version of the annual event.
South Carolina wide receiver Bryan Edwards continues to receive praise from experts who break down his film and currently projects as a third- or fourth-round pick in most mock drafts.
NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah spoke in-depth on Edward's game during a conference call with NFL media last week when he compared Edwards to two of the best receivers in the league.
“Well, I think he’s got a skill set, first of all, that just about every team is going to covet for what he can do," Jeremiah said, via Syracuse.com. "He’s somebody that reminds me a lot of (Chris) Godwin, the way he plays, when you watched Godwin come out of college and see what he’s been able to do at the NFL level with the Tampa Bay Bucs, but just very physical. Can play inside, can play outside. You watch the 'Bama game and what he does on a reverse in that game to a corner should be illegal. Everybody that I’ve talked to at South Carolina, and I’ve talked to a bunch of their coaches about him, just say this kid is a pro. He trains like a pro. He handles himself like a pro. He’s been that way since he got there."
Edwards was literally a starter from the day he arrived in Columbia, re-writing the school record book for wide receivers.
The Conway, S.C. native set school records for consecutive games with a catch (48), making a catch in every game in which he appeared, career receptions (234) and career receiving yards (3,045). He also ranks third in school history with 22 career receiving touchdowns, one behind Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery.
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Edwards was invited to the NFL Draft Combine and appeared but couldn't work out after fracturing his fifth metatarsal while training.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported around two weeks ago that Edwards is out of the protective boot he’d been wearing and is moving around around well. NFL teams have received updated scans of his foot, Rapoport said.
Most mock drafts have Edwards on the fringe of the third and fourth round, though Jeremiah has him as the No. 94 best player in the draft, which would put him right at the end of the third.
"He’s my 94th player, so that’s kind of where I see him going in this draft," Jeremiah said. "But Allen Robinson and Godwin, he’s got that type of ability. So when you start looking at teams and say, okay, what teams could use somebody like that, darned near all of them. If I had to script the perfect one, it would be Buffalo just because they have so much skill and speed and kind of smaller packages with their receiving corps, they don’t have a kid like this. So that would be a fun match to me would put him in Buffalo.”
The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off with the first round on Thursday at 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN/NFL Network).
Rounds 2-3 are set for Friday (7 p.m.) with the final four rounds starting at noon on Saturday.
