NFL Draft 2018: 5 players that should have returned to school
The allure of the NFL Draft and the payday that comes with it is obvious for college football players, but these five guys should have stayed in school.
It’s pretty difficult to talk bad about a student athlete’s decision to forego a year or two at the collegiate level and declare for the NFL Draft. When the dollar signs that a player could potentially make at the pro level are in front of them after not getting paid to play in college, that’s incredibly enticing. What’s more, playing in the NFL is the ultimate dream and goal for many of these young men, and they have the chance to realize that.
Having said that, there is always going to be the feeling that some players should have stayed in school rather than enter the NFL Draft. There are many reasons for this. Maybe some players are severely overestimating their draft value. Or perhaps there are players that could have boosted their stock even higher had they stayed in college. Then there are also the guys that simply would have benefitted in terms of the quality of their pro career if they would’ve stayed and developed more at the collegiate level.
So, while you can’t really fault these young men from going after money and dreams, there is sound reasoning behind saying that some players would have been better off staying in school. At the same time, that’s not to say these players won’t be successful in the NFL either. It simply means that, at the present time, such players would have been better served with another year in the NCAA.
With the 2018 NFL Draft early declarations now subsided, let’s take a look at five of those players that should have stayed in school for at least another year.
5. John Kelly, RB, Tennessee
John Kelly is undoubtedly the “smallest” name that will appear on this list. However, that’s really part of the issue when talking about the fact that he should have stayed in school. Kelly had a decent junior season for the Tennessee Volunteers this past year, carrying the ball 189 times for 778 yards and nine touchdowns while also catching 37 balls for 299 yards. While that’s not overly productive, you see some great things on tape from the running back with the ability to fight through contact, display great vision and generally be a force running downhill.
With that said, this past year went about as poorly as possible for the Volunteers and Kelly wasn’t immune to that. He was suspended after being popped for marijuana possession in the middle of the season. What’s more, his play on the field was often inconsistent because of just how bad Tennessee was on the offensive side of the ball this season. Defenses could more or less hone in on Kelly and the run game because there wasn’t a threat of much else happening.
Kelly’s talent is obvious enough, however, that it would’ve been ultimately refreshing to see him come back for another season and hopefully thrive in a year of more normalcy in the Tennessee program. While that’s not a guarantee, it would’ve put him on a bigger stage and perhaps not cause him to get lost in the shuffle in a deep class of running backs in this 2018 NFL Draft.