Reese’s Senior Bowl 2019: 10 NFL Draft prospects to watch

By John Mitchell | Jan 23, 2019

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 17: Quarterback Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers leaps into the end zone for a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter on November 17, 2018 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State upset West Virginia 45-41. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

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One of the most explosive players in the SEC over the last few seasons was South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He had some tough injury luck with the Gamecocks, including a broken ankle that ended his 2017 season prematurely, but when he was healthy he was a consistent home run threat as both a receiver and a returner in Columbia.

Samuel boasts elite burst and acceleration to get open, and there’s not many better than him once he has the ball in his hands. He lacks the size, but he runs angry and takes on tacklers with a willingness of a player much bigger than he is.

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The one concern with Samuel is his injury past, and he didn’t look quite as explosive this season at South Carolina after returning from the ankle injury last year. He looked a step or two slower, but it also looked like he was playing at a heavier weight than he had over the last couple of seasons. He still put together a productive senior season, racking up 882 yards and 11 touchdowns as a receiver. He also had four kick-return touchdowns over his career with the Gamecocks.

Both Kiper and McShay have Samuel among their top-10 wide receivers on their big boards, which means he’s likely looking at a day two selection somewhere in the second or third round of the draft.

This week will be important for him, though. With some supremely talented quarterbacks throwing him the ball, can Samuel show that separation from NFL caliber corners that made him so deadly at South Carolina? Samuel figures to be best utilized as a slot receiver in the NFL, and should make an immediate impact in the return game.

A big week could see him fight toward the end of the first round of the draft, while some struggles in Mobile could knock him all the way down to day three.