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Louisville Football: Top 4 prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft

By Connor Muldowney

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 26: Micale Cunningham #3 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers on October 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 26: Micale Cunningham #3 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers on October 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – OCTOBER 05: Tutu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals reaches backward to make a catch against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half of the game at Cardinal Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – OCTOBER 05: Tutu Atwell #1 of the Louisville Cardinals reaches backward to make a catch against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half of the game at Cardinal Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

What we saw Tutu Atwell do in 2019 was truly impressive. He went from just a role player in 2018 to a star as a sophomore and burst onto the scene by tripling his stats in just one year.

As a freshman, Atwell caught just 24 passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns and was somewhat an afterthought in the Louisville offense but that changed in a flash. In fact, he caught 69 passes for 1,272 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was an absolute menace to opposing defenses despite his slight frame.

That frame might be the only thing holding him back from a Day 1 grade next year if he decided to leave early as he stands just 5-foot-9 and 153 pounds. NFL teams will be hesitant to pick up on him as a prospect because of the fact that he could be snapped in half by a guy like JJ Watt.

Say what you want about Atwell’s slight frame, the dude is an absolute baller. He’s quick, has great hands and his yards after the catch are unreal. He can turn a short slant into a 60-yard touchdown in a blur and he’ll likely do plenty of that in 2020.

I don’t see Tutu leaving after the 2020 season, but if he did, he’d be a mid-to-late-round steal.

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