Penn State Football: Just how high will KJ Hamler go in 2020 NFL Draft?

Penn State football’s KJ Hamler decided to leave school early. How high of a selection in this year’s NFL draft will he garner?

KJ Hamler is one of the most athletic and dynamic playmakers in this year’s NFL draft. The Detroit-area native only played two full seasons at Penn State, taking a redshirt his freshman year due to injury. However, he made the best of those two seasons, finishing two shy of 100 receptions. He racked up over 1,650 yards and hauled in 13 touchdown receptions.

Last season, he earned second team All-Big Ten honors as a receiver, honorable mention as a return man and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the the most versatile player in the country.

Hamler decided to skip his last year of eligibility to chase his dreams at the pro level. Never can fault a kid for leaving early. Strike while the iron is hot. There will be plenty of teams looking at the electrifying receiver.

Strengths

Speed, speed and more speed. Hamler’s killer speed is well known at the college level and will be a huge asset in the NFL. Give Hamler just a little bit of open space and he can out run any defender. He is excellent at picking up the valuable yards after the catch.

Athleticism is apparent once Hamler has the ball in his hand. He lives up to his nickname of “Human Joystick”. Can stop on a dime, change direction and return to top speed quickly. He has tremendous vision and agility, too.

While end-arounds and trick plays are not as widely used in the NFL, Hamler’s speed alone warrants some attempts at those type of gadget plays.

Weaknesses

Hamler’s size should be the biggest concern of potential suitors. He stands at only 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds. He does not use his physicality to create separation, relying solely on his speed. Against bigger defenders at the next level, they can attempt to neutralize Hamler in a press formation. The lack of size could also lead to durability issues.

His tracking of the ball could use some work along with catching less with his body. As far as his hands go, when he makes the catch it can be a hold your breath type of moment as he has the ability to make a huge play. However, he did have some drop issues at Penn State, with a 17 percent drop rate last season. His drop rate is one of the worst among the receivers in this year’s draft class.

Draft Projection

Due to his lack of size, Hamler projects as a primary slot receiver. He has tremendous potential to give opponents trouble from the slot with his ability to burn pass coverage. The speedster should garner enough targets in the NFL, having the skills to turn every play into a game-changer. He can afford to add a little bulk and yet maintain his lightning quick speed. Hamler should go fairly high in the draft and make the roster of an NFL team.

Projection: Second round