As I sit here writing this, I’m re-watching the film on Bryan Edwards, and by the time the NFL Draft comes around, I am confident that Edwards is going to stay solidified in my top ten. Edwards is physically gifted standing at 6’3”, 215 pounds of muscle. He suffered a knee injury his final season; missing two games. To make matters worse, he suffered a broken foot just before the Combine. It’s unclear how he would have performed at the Combine, but Edward’s film shows that some team will get a very good player. Edwards is the all-time career receptions leader at South Carolina; hauling in 234 career receptions and accumulating 2,331 yards. He showed versatility and the ability to score as well by averaging almost six touchdowns in his career and finishing with 22 receiving touchdowns. Edwards is an interesting player and ranks inside my top ten for several reasons.
The first reason is athletic traits, his size and athletic ability allow him to bully smaller cornerbacks and his toughness shows in the types he runs. Edwards can be a true chain mover, using his quickness to move well in short areas. Edwards is by no means the fastest receiver in this WR class but can make tight coverage catches and understands the concepts of finding soft spots and using athleticism to create after catch and separate enough for deep throws.
The second trait that Edwards possesses is his position versatility. Watching the South Carolina game against Missouri, Edwards played outside receiver almost exclusively, while in his game against Appalachian State, he played a great number of big slot snaps. Edwards is really able to use the athletic traits mentioned above to be effective in both spots.
The third reason that isn’t mentioned often in regards to Edwards being able to create an impact in fantasy football is his ability to block, one of the best if not the best blocker in the class on runs outside, and one reason why he lines up in the slot as well.
Another positive for Edwards is body control. Although isn’t perfect it is undoubtedly better than a good amount of his peers in this class. One reason that Bryan Edwards has made some absolutely terrific catches is because of necessity. His quarterback play was average at best and often made Edwards adjust on what should have been easy catches. He was missed multiple times over the middle in stride having to adjust for off-target throws thus affecting his opportunity after the catch.
I’ve spent so much time telling you all the things Edwards does well. Though there are some great aspects to Edwards’s game, his route running is average at best. Edwards relies too heavily on his athletic skill set and designed open space plays to win. He telegraphs his routes and does not do enough to make cornerbacks make mistakes by using his feet and body movements. He won a good amount of times in college but he must be willing to dig deeper and work harder on his route running to beat NFL cornerbacks.
In conclusion, Edwards could be a Draft Day steal both for NFL teams and dynasty owners looking for upside on Day Two as a future NFL WR1. Edwards has the physical size and traits to be special and the position experience to play outside or in the slot similar to Larry Fitzgerald. Edwards’ injury history, is concerning, not because of the fact they happened, but because they involve his feet and knees. Edwards would fit well on a team, like the Houston Texans or Kansas City Chiefs that have speed but lack the truly big physical receiver. Check out my 2020 Rookie WR below to see how Edwards stacks up in my opinion, in this loaded class.
2020 NFL Rookie WR Rankings
- CeeDee Lamb – Oklahoma
- Jerry Jeudy – Alabama
- Denzel Mims – Baylor
- Jalen Reagor – TCU
- Tee Higgins – Clemson
- Justin Jefferson – LSU
- Brandon Aiyuk – Arizona State
- Bryan Edwards – South Carolina
- Henry Ruggs – Alabama
- Van Jefferson – Florida
- Tyler Johnson – Minnesota
- Michael Pittman, Jr. – USC
- K.J. Hamler – Penn State
- Isaiah Hodgins – Oregon State
- Devin Duvernay – Texas
