The contracts haven’t even been signed in a lot cases for all the players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft and already many experts are already looking in the crystal ball towards the 2021 NFL Draft. Nobody knows what kind of college football season we’re going to have, but we know where we’ve been. There are guys seen as can’t miss prospects, and others that have the tools to develop into something really special.
ESPN recently published a wide-ranging roundtable on some of the prospects in the 2021 draft class. The panel focused on quarterbacks, sure-fire first-rounders, fast risers, and more.
When it came time to focus on a player other than a quarterback to build around, Bill Connelly went a different direction than everyone else and pointed to Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade. His reasoning is sound, and here’s what he said about the potential shut-down corner.
Next … What Connelly said about building around Wade
Connelly on why an NFL team should build around Ohio State’s Shaun Wade
“My reflex answer was Parsons, but since analytics are suggesting that pass coverage might be more important and sustainable than pass rushing or run defense, let me make the case for Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade,” writes Connelly. “He has good size (6-1, 195) and can play well near the line of scrimmage (four tackles for loss, four run stuffs). Although Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and others are awfully close, Wade might have the best pure cover skills as well. He can even rush the passer! The Buckeyes sent him on 13 pass rushes last season, and he got to the QB twice. (That, uh, doesn’t include his most famous sack, the one that got him ejected for targeting in the Fiesta Bowl.) He’s dynamite and could quickly become one of the league’s better corners.”
We can’t say we disagree. In fact, look for Wade to really make an impression this year as Ohio State’s No. 1 guy in the secondary this coming season. He has all the tools to be the next great one in Columbus.
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