Predicting which prospects will work out in the NFL and which will go bust is always a bit of a guessing game. Even the best college players sometimes can never really make the adjustment to the speed and talent on display at the pro level.
For what it’s worth, one of last year’s top defensive backs believes Falcons cornerback Kendall Sheffield has all the tools he needs to succeed. Denzel Ward played with Sheffield at Ohio State before he was picked No. 4 overall by the Browns in the 2018 draft. Here’s what Ward had to say about Sheffield’s game, per Vaughn McClure at ESPN.
“I think Kendall is going to do really well in the NFL. . . He has all of the attributes: speed, size, everything. He just has to go in and prove himself, learn the playbook, and get to work.”
Ward certainly knows what he’s talking about. That college to NFL transition did not prove terribly difficult for him. Ward wound up playing in the Pro Bowl as a rookie after posting three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
Atlanta got Sheffield in the fourth round, but he told McClure he believes hes a first-round kind of talent. Time will tell if he’s right or if his slide to No. 111 was justified.
