NFL Draft: What we learned from D.K. Metcalf
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With the NFL Combine in the books and pro days around the country in full swing, the NFL Draft first-round picture is starting to take shape. Since the season has ended several players have seen their stock rise and fall, including several now projected to go in the first round that weren’t even in the conversation just a few months ago.
In a week-long series at Rivals.com, we take a look at some of the unconventional prospects that are likely to go in the first round and what their rise has taught us about identifying similar prospects during the rankings process in the future. Today we take a look at Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.
Rankings history: Metcalf was a fixture in the Rivals100 during his recruitment and nearly made it to five-star status following his senior high school season. He went into the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a player to watch in terms of earning his fifth star but after struggling with drops during the week of practice, he slipped in the final rankings, settling in at No. 70 overall.
Wide receivers ranked ahead of him: N’Keal Harry, Tyler Vaughns, Nate Craig-Myers, Cornell Powell, Theo Howard, Michael Pittman, Sam Bruce, Devin Duvernay, A.J. Brown, Elijah Stove, Javon McKinley, Donnie Corley, Scott Bracey.
What we said then (following the 2016 Army All-American Game): “Metcalf was the highest-ranked four-star coming into the game and coming off a really good Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game and then he had a really rough week against the best. Very little separation coupled with dropped passes equals not much momentum heading into a rankings meeting to determine the final five-stars.”
What we know now: Metcalf has been the talk of the draft season, from going viral thanks to his impressive physique on social media to posting an incredible 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine. His college career was up and down, as injuries limited his playing time both as a freshman and during his freshman and junior seasons. Nevertheless, his immense physical potential and upside has many speculating that Metcalf could end up as a first round draft pick.
WHAT METCALF TAUGHT US
“Metcalf had us questioning his speed out of high school, if you can believe that. He showed flashes of separation, but many times against the best competition he struggled to get a lot of distance between himself and the defensive backs. He looked like a million bucks but had some consistency issues with his hands as well.
"What we’ve learned from his development at the college level is that bigger receivers like Metcalf can get faster — much faster — with the proper coaching and become physical freaks. That will make us take a longer look at huge wide receivers and see if they are just starting to develop their skills or have topped out.
"In Metcalf’s case, he was just starting to peak. His production wasn’t great in college but someone will take him in round one or early in round two because of his physical skills. We always like big wide receivers, but guys like Metcalf will make us debate a bit longer about their speed potential down the line.” - Mike Farrell, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director
