One of the top wide receiver prospects entering the 2020 college season has decided he’s going straight to the 2021 NFL Draft. Minnesota Golden Gophers standout Rashod Bateman has opted to sit out the college season and will spend the next few months prepping for the draft and the NFL.
Bateman has been a common fixture in first-round mock drafts for 2021 already. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Golden Gopher posted 60 catches for over 1,200 yards and 11 TDs in a breakout 2019 season. NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently compared Bateman to New Orleans Saints standout Michael Thomas, while others have noted his similarity to perennial Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry.
Expect the Lions to take note of Bateman’s decision. The team is starving for wide receiver talent in the long-term, with only fifth-round rookie Quintez Cephus locked up beyond the upcoming season at this point. Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola and Marvin Hall — the Lions’ top four wide receivers — are all entering the final year of their respective contracts.
