Might Jake Bentley still go pro after this season? ESPN’s draft rankings suggest he could
As the end of the regular season approaches in college football, speculation and projection of the 2020 NFL Draft has started to heat up. And while the South Carolina football team is suffering through a rough season on the field, the Gamecocks are expected to make an impact in this draft.
The headliner of the group remains defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw — ESPN analyst Todd McShay has him ranked 14th in the class, CBS Sports has him ranked 10th and getting picked ninth by the Arizona Cardinals, and USA Today’s Draft Wire has him going 10th overall.
Behind him, however, things start to get interesting.
ESPN+ offers draft rankings for 160 college players, and injured USC quarterback Jake Bentley checks in at No. 144, ahead of five other quarterbacks — including Michigan’s Shea Patterson — and behind 10 others, including Stanford’s K.J. Costello, who is just ahead of him at No. 134.
According to the rankings, Bentley falls among the “borderline draft prospects,” guys who would either be taken in the sixth or seventh rounds or sign as an undrafted free agent.
Bentley, who suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury on the final play of South Carolina’s season opener against North Carolina, faces an uncertain future. With highly-touted freshman Ryan Hilinski stepping up in his absence, Bentley would likely have to compete to win his old job back, and though coach Will Muschamp has said he’d love to have the veteran back, he might choose to go to another program as a graduate transfer.
While Bentley considered going pro after his junior season in 2018, he decided to return and underwhelmed against UNC, leading many to assume that he would need another season in college before trying to make the jump to the NFL. But ESPN’s rankings show that he still remains an intriguing professional prospect with his prototypical size (6-foot-4) and arm strength.
Bentley is not included in CBS’s mock draft, which only covers one round, or Draft Wire’s three-round mock.
Another USC player who draft analysts seem split on is receiver Bryan Edwards. The senior wideout has claimed most of the the receiving records in program history and is projected by CBS Sports to go 26th overall in the draft to the Buffalo Bills, as the 52nd-ranked prospect.
But ESPN+ doesn’t have him among its 160 ranked players, and Draft Wire doesn’t have him going in the top three rounds.
Like Bentley, Edwards is dealing with an injury, a meniscus ailment that he suffered against App State and that kept him out of USC’s game last Saturday against Texas A&M. Muschamp said he “likely” won’t play against Clemson to finish the season.
Another USC senior, defensive lineman/edge rusher D.J. Wonnum, was listed by ESPN+ as the 77th best prospect in the class but went unrecognized by CBS Sports and Draft Wire.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 12:00 AM.
