Every year, NFL fans gather with anticipation to see which young star their team will add through the NFL Draft. The harsh reality is that most draft selections will not end up panning out. Many prospects are hyped up, but few live up to their potential. This year's draft class is no different.
Here are five players who could end up out of the league sooner than later.
5. Kolton Miller
Miller is a junior left tackle out of UCLA. He played right tackle in 2016 and moved over to the other side of the line after Connor McDermott left for the NFL. He started all 13 games in 2017, anchoring UCLA's mediocre offensive line.
Miller possesses elite size at 6'8″ 310 lbs. This allows him to generate a lot of power while run blocking, but it also presents a large downside. He does not have great bend, and plays more upright than is desired. This allows defensive players to win the leverage battle against him, driving him back and collapsing the pocket.
His overall athleticism is not great, which limits his potential. Miller is a decent tackle prospect, but since the combine, his stock has climbed to where he is getting a lot of first-round talk. The problem is, he projects more as a good right tackle than a good left tackle, and a team drafting him to be the cornerstone of their line may end up disappointed.
4. Arden Key
This draft class is somewhat lacking in top-tier pass rushers, and Key is partly responsible for that. At 6'6″ 238 lbs, Key is very skinny for a pass rusher. For comparison, former LSU EDGE Barkevious Mingo's biggest issue was that he never had the size to face NFL offensive lineman, and he was 6'4 241 lbs when drafted.
Key's leanness could hurt him in the NFL, but that isn't his biggest problem. Teams have to question his dedication to football, for multiple reasons. He does not give consistent effort from play-to-play, picking and choosing when to try hard and when to take plays off. His production dropped from 11 sacks in 2016 to just four in 2017.
Key left the team after the 2016 season, and when he rejoined the Tigers shortly before the 2017 season began, his weight had increased to 278 lbs.
What caused him to take a leave of absence? No one knows, at least outside of NFL teams. Key has natural speed and quickness that few pass rushers have, but if he can't be relied upon to consistently be dependable, he won't succeed in the NFL.
3. Lamar Jackson
The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner is one of the most electric players that college football has ever seen. His athleticism makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball, no matter what happens in the pocket. As a runner Jackson is incredible, as he is able to switch directions on a dime and see running lanes before they open up.
However, he is still a work in progress throwing the ball. Jackson's accuracy is extremely inconsistent, and his footwork is atrocious. He struggles to throw more complex routes, such as deep fades.
His lighting-quick release and rocket arm give him elite potential, but he will need a lot of time to develop under a good coach in order to reach it. If he is thrown into the fire too quickly, things will not go well.
2. Taven Bryan
When drafting in any round, NFL teams have to balance a prospect's production vs. potential. For a first-round pick, that importance is amplified.
Taven Bryan is a prime example of one of these risks. He possesses elite size and athleticism: 6'4″ 291 lbs, 4.98 40-yard dash, and a 35-inch vertical jump.
Physically, Bryan is the ideal interior pass-rusher. Unfortunately, that hasn't manifested on the field. In 2017, Bryan logged just 37 total tackles and four sacks. Production is a big part of projecting how a defender will fare in the NFL, as his competition will be much stiffer, and if he is unable to dominate at the collegiate level, it's hard to think he will against pros.
Bryan's grasp of defensive concepts and advanced techniques is iffy, at best. If he can reach his vast potential, he will be a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive line. If he is unable to learn the nuances of the game, he will go down as yet another “what could have been” story.
1. Josh Allen
Allen is one of the most polarizing prospects in recent history. It feels like he will either flame out or become an all-pro. There is no in-between.
When he is drafted, Allen will have possibly the strongest arm in the NFL, rivaled by only Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Patrick Mahomes.
In his two seasons, Allen's completion percentage was just 56%. His accuracy is lacking, as is his consistency. Allen has throwing motion and footwork issues. He also has a plate and eight screws in his throwing shoulder. But, he is getting first-overall consideration (at least by the media).
Allen has flashes of brilliance every so often, throwing a 50-yard laser while rolling to his right off-balance. His mobility is ideal, and he can navigate the pocket well. His potential makes teams and pundits salivate, but he is nowhere near a finished product.
Allen needs, at the very least ,one season to hold a clipboard and learn while improving his mechanics and footwork. He needs a supportive coach who will teach him how to play QB in the NFL.
Allen needs to greatly improve his ability to read the field and anticipate open receivers, rather than waiting for them to come open before firing the ball in.
Allen has the potential to be an all-time great, but if he does not develop correctly, he could go down as a bigger bust than even the infamous JaMarcus Russell.
The 2018 NFL Draft class is filled with potential, but most of it inevitably won't be realized. It will be very interesting to follow these players for the next few seasons as they attempt to prove themselves worthy of a top draft selection.
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