Jalen Reagor

NFL Draft Rumors: Reagor, WRs, Dantzler

Despite his lack of size, Jalen Reagor is making a name for himself in this year’s uncommonly deep crop of wide receivers. And, at his recent workout, Reagor boosted his stock even further. The TCU standout ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.28 and 4.22 seconds, according to the stopwatches of two observers, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. The hand-timed accuracy may be called into question, but no one is questioning Reagor’s speed as the draft draws near.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver turned in a 1,000-yard campaign in 2018, then dipped to a 43/611/5 line in 2019. Still, he stands as one of the more intriguing WRs up for grabs.

Here’s more on the NFL Draft, including this year’s WR market:

  • The RaidersTitansVikingsColts, Packers, 49ers, Jets, Eagles, and Broncos are all in the hunt for wide receivers in the first three rounds, Adam Caplan of NFL.com tweets. Even after the likes of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and Tee Higgins are off the board, there will be plenty of high-caliber talents available for them.
  • The top four receivers figure to go inside of the Top 20 this year, but several receivers are in play for the back-end of the first round, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Pelissero lists Reagor, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, Baylor’s Denzel Mims, and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr. as players who could make the first round cut.
  • After a disappointing 4.6-second 40-yard-dash at the combine, Mississippi corner Cameron Dantzler ran a 4.38-second 40-yard-dash this past week and backed it up with video proof (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Meanwhile, Dantzler’s agent tells Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News (on Twitter) that his combine time was slowed by an injured hamstring. Most projections have Dantzler going somewhere in the first two rounds.

Draft Notes: Tua, Okwuegbunam, Reagor

As Tua Tagovailoa continues to rehab from a hip injury, the quarterback is uncertain whether he’ll enter the NFL Draft or stay at Alabama for another season. In a conversation with Cecil Hurt of TideSports.com (and passed along by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter), Tagovailoa said he’ll continue to discuss his future with his parents in anticipation of the January 20th deadline to declare for the draft.

“There is a risk and a reward if I stay and a risk and a reward if I go,” Tagovailoa said. “The risk if I stay is obviously ‘Do I get hurt again?’ The reward is that I could come back and have another good year like my sophomore year and elevate myself back to the very top of the (NFL) draft.

“If I leave, I think the risk is a little higher. That risk would be how far do I drop in the draft. To me, it’s 50-50 between going in the first round and possibly going in the second round. If I go somewhere from first (overall) to around 24th, the money will be set. But let’s say — and I am just picking a number — that I go to the 31st pick. That would be about 9 million dollars. That’s a lot of money, an amount of money I’ve never had before, but it’s not high first-round money and you can never make that money up. They say you can (make it up) on your next contract but money lost is money lost to me.

“Those are the deciding factors. If my parents tell me that they think I should leave, that is obviously going to be a factor. But so far, they’ve told me that it’s my decision.”

The quarterback doesn’t have a timetable for his return from injury. Even with the ailment, we recently heard that Tagovailoa would still be a first-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Let’s check out some more draft notes:

  • TCU wideout Jalen Reagor announced on Twitter that he’s entering the 2020 draft. Following a 1,000-yard campaign in 2018, Reagor finished 2019 with 43 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver is listed as the sixth-best player at his position by CBS Sports.
  • Maryland RB Anthony McFarland Jr. has declared for the 2020 draft. The former redshirt sophomore still had two years of eligibility. McFarland finished his season having compiled 614 rushing yards and eight scores on 114 carries. He added another 17 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
  • Missouri will be losing a trio of contributors, as defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, and offensive lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo all declared for the 2020 draft. Okwuegbunam is easily Missouri’s top-rated prospect, with the tight end ranking third at his position, per CBS Sports.
  • Oregon State receiver Isaiah Hodgins will enter the NFL Draft, the player announced on social media (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The son of former NFL player James Hodgins, the Beavers wideout finished this past season with 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns. Considering the receiver depth in the upcoming draft, Hodgins will be hard pressed to be an early-round pick.
  • Colorado wideout Laviska Shenault Jr. is entering the draft, the team announced on Twitter. “Laviska Shenault represented our relentless culture and was one of the most dynamic, dominant and versatile players that I have ever coached,” said head coach Mel Tucker. Shenault had 1,775 yards and 10 touchdowns between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.