2017 NFL Draft Stock Report: Leonard Fournette falling
Week 7 of the college football season is here and here are a few players who have seen their NFL Draft stock on the rise and a pair who have seen it drop.
The 2017 NFL Draft is still 6.5 months away, but it is never too early to start evaluating some of the top players in college football and how they fit in the NFL. The regular season still has the second half of the year and bowl season to see players make impressions and boost their stock or hurt their stock. However, we begin this week’s stock report with an edge rusher from Pittsburgh who is having a breakout season in his sixth season on campus.
Ejuan Price, EDGE, Pitt: Stock Up
Pitt was ecstatic to get a healthy Ejuan Price back for a sixth season after the lineman missed all of 2012 and ‘14 with injuries. Everything from a injuring his back to tearing a pectoral muscle has put this kids career on ice. After everything he’s been through physically, there’s not too much to ask from him.
Midway through a 2016 season with little expectations, Price now leads the country with 8.5 sacks in six games. The 23-year-old is on pace to rank within the top five of the ACC’s all-time sacks list. He is currently tied for tenth with Gaines Adams with 21, but if healthy he could finish his career with 27 and tied for third with Clint Sintim.
Price’s medical history will drop his draft stock next spring, but he won’t be left hanging for long. An athletic pass rusher can be hard to find in the NFL, and the Cowboys proved last year they can look past a major injury. While not everyone will pull the trigger like Jerry Jones did on Jaylon Smith in the second round, a clean bill of health during the draft process would go a long way.
Pitt is playing in the ACC part of their schedule, giving Price a major opportunity. He will face both blue-chip and bottom of the bag offensive linemen and could put out some strong tape highlighting his ability to work against both kinds of players. He has enough bend and hand technique to get under and around offensive tackles, and has a great opportunity to show that off.