Q&A with ESPN NFL Draft expert: Breaking down Ikem Ekwonu, Sam Howell, ACC prospects
The next few months are critical when it comes to the futures of NFL prospects.
The NFL Combine starts in Indianapolis on March 1. After that, it will be Pro Days at various campuses. On April 28, the 2022 NFL Draft starts.
Between now and the end of April, scouts, coaches and general managers will watch countless hours of film, evaluating thousands of players.
Former North Carolina Central University quarterback Jordan Reid will be one of those scouts pouring over film. In November, Reid, who also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, accepted a position as an NFL Draft and college football analyst with ESPN. Reid has worked with the biggest draft gurus — Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay — since taking the position.
Reid, a High Point native, took time to talk with News & Observer writer Jonas Pope IV about some of the top local prospects ahead of the draft.
Jonas Pope IV: Is there anything between now and the draft that N.C. State lineman Ikem Ekwonu can do to move up to No. 1 overall?
Jordan Reid: I don’t think there’s anything necessarily that he can do. It’s just a matter of him just matching what a lot of people have seen on his tape, which is a very athletic player, probably going to run in the 4.9, low 5.0 area, which would be good for him. The big thing for him is just the measurables. I think he was listed at 6-foot-4, 320 (pounds), so as long as those measurables are true and come to fruition at the combine, I think he’ll be fine. I don’t think he gets outside of the top 10, I don’t see that happening at all. It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes No. 1 to the Jaguars, either. I think that’s something you’re probably going to see a little more as we get closer to the combine.”
JPIV: Does he need to go to the combine and do all the drills, or does his tape and body of work speak for themselves?
JR: I think his tape speaks for itself, but I think just the competitor in him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he does end up doing everything, but I don’t think he has to do anything. The tape speaks for itself.
JPIV: Is he locked in as a tackle or will some teams switch him to guard?
JR: I can’t really speak for teams, but for me, I think he’s a tackle for sure based on what he put on film this year. He does lack height and I think his arm length might be a little bit lower than some metrics for some teams, but as far as what he’s put on tape at left tackle, he’ll be fine there. I think he’ll be a Day 1 starter. There are going to be some teams that do have him as a guard because of some deficiencies he does have in his pass set. He does something called over-setting, which is letting some people get underneath him as far as that inside shoulder. Having people on either side of him if he was at guard eliminates that, so that’s probably why some people like him a little better at guard.
JPIV: How much did Zonovan Knight improve his stock by showing his ability as a kick returner?
JR: It helps him out a lot, especially when you’re talking about running back, a position that really is disposable. You rarely see those guys go in the first round anymore. You see some go in the first round every now and then, but with the success these later round backs are having in the NFL, now you’re seeing teams really wait until Day 3, that fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh round to take guys. I think that’s probably the range he’s probably going to go. He’s going to be a Day 3 guy. Him being able to wear more hats, showing that he can be a return specialist, that definitely can help him out a lot, especially if he goes to a team that has a running back that gets a lot of carries. He can find himself on the field quicker, just because he is a return specialist. Also, he’s going to be required to play special teams.”
JPIV: What does Knight need to show teams at the combine?
JR: I think he needs to run well, probably in the 4.5 range, high 4.4 is where I think he’s going to end up. Just his ability to catch out of the backfield, so I think the on-field drills are going to be huge for him, just showing, when you’re talking about a late round back, you have to be able to catch out of the backfield. If you’re a two-down back, going into Day 3 that’s probably not going to be good for you, you have to have that third-down value showing; that you are polished in the pass protection and able to catch the ball.
JPIV: Ricky Person, Jr. (N.C. State running back) played on the kickoff team late in the season. Like Bam, did he show his value as being more than a running back?
JR: I think so. The more hats you can wear, the better. Especially as a running back. The lower you are on the depth chart, the more special teams you’re going to be involved in. Him putting on tape that he can run down and make tackles on kickoff is going to be huge for him just because when they pull up his scouting report those scouts are reading the value he can provide to the team right away. He might have to make a name for himself on special teams. Him already having the experience doing that, that’s going to help him.”
JPIV: How important is the right fit/team for Emeka Emezie? He left N.C. State with the most catches in school history.
JR: I was really surprised, honestly, that he didn’t receive an invite to the combine. I’ve gotten two live viewings of him, I saw him against Wake Forest and I was at the Shrine Bowl out in Vegas and I thought he played well. He’s not an overly twitching guy, as far as fast, straight line, but he’s really smart and he’s really good as far as the details in his route running. I think that will take him a long way. With him, once again, he has to be a special teams guy and then figure out a way to provide value on the depth chart because he’s probably going to be one of those middle-of-the-road, lower-tier types of players. He has to help himself on the special teams area. Being a smart, detailed route runner is going to help him go a long way because I don’t think he’s going to run very fast.
JPIV: Is he a prototypical possession receiver?
JR: He’s a possession guy. He has really strong hands, that’s something that you notice right away. He’s probably going to be that third or fourth wide receiver on the depth chart coming into the league. He’s going to probably have to navigate his way through special teams early, he could get some catches here and there and work his way up after that.
JPIV: Is UNC quarterback Sam Howell without a doubt a first-round guy?
JR: He’s one that’s kind of hard to get a feel for, honestly. The people that I’ve talked to around the league, some people see him as a bonafide first-rounder and some people see him as a top-of-the-second-round type of player. The thing that’s really hard to figure out about him is just the offense he played in with (UNC offensive coordinator) Phil Longo. Everything was so run-pass option-centric and depending on the landing spot he goes to, he’s not going to be doing that predominantly in the NFL. He threw the ball a lot over the middle of the field and deep, those were the only portions that you saw of him. At the Senior Bowl, you could tell that he was kind of uncomfortable because there were some things he had never done in his career. Simple things like calling plays from the huddle, taking the ball from under center. There were times when he did struggle, but he got better as the week went along. He’s kind of hard to figure out, but I think he’s going to end up being a first-round guy.
JPIV: What impresses you when you put on the tape or when you watched him live?
JR: I’ve seen Sam three times now. I saw him at the Senior Bowl, I saw him in the bowl game versus South Carolina and one other game. The deep accuracy is probably the one area I think is the best in his game. He has fantastic deep touch. I think he’s the best deep-ball thrower of any quarterback in this class. And he has a very strong arm, that’s something that’s noticeable about him.
JPIV: What do you like about Mateo Durant, who set Duke’s 49-year-old single-season rushing record with 1,241 yards? Where do you see him falling?
JR: He’s a little bit of a smaller back (6-1, 195). Like Bam and Ricky, he’s probably going to have to find a way through special teams early on in his career. I think he’s probably going to be an undrafted guy. The best thing about him is that he gets to pick his spot. We’ve seen these late-round or undrafted guys go on and have great careers. The best thing for him is, he just has to find the right landing spot. I think he has the talent to stick on a roster, but it’s probably more of a second or a third guy.
There are always diamonds in the roughs at smaller schools. Shaw linebacker Devon Hunt was highly productive for the Bears. The 2018 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, will participate in the HBCU Legacy Bowl, giving him a chance to perform in front of scouts. He finished his career at Shaw with 361 tackles.
JPIV: Is there any buzz around Devon Hunt? Can he be a late-round guy?
JR: He’s probably going to end up being a free agent. He was really productive. He does have some buzz as an undrafted guy right now.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Q&A with ESPN NFL Draft expert: Breaking down Ikem Ekwonu, Sam Howell, ACC prospects."
