As of December 22, Canes trio leads latest underclassmen draft declarations

As the College Bowl season begins and the 2020 NFL Draft process starts to heat up again, more prospects are making their 2020 NFL Draft intentions known. The biggest names making news in the NFL Draft community this week are a trio of Miami Hurricanes. Cornerback Trajan Bandy, defensive end Jonathan Garvin, and running back DeeJay Dallas face significant decisions for their NFL future and will be making their intentions known very soon. PFN’s Tony Pauline mentioned the trio in his Saturday blog as potentially the latest underclassmen draft declarations.

Stay up to date with the latest underclassmen draft declarations as we inch closer to the January 20 deadline with our 2020 NFL Draft Underclassmen Tracker. Not only does this include confirmed declarations, but it also includes the latest rumors that PFN Draft Analyst and Insider Tony Pauline is hearing from around the scouting community. 

Below, I will take a look at the big decision this talented group faces, along with other big-time NFL prospects looking to leave school early for the 2020 NFL Draft. The landscape of April’s Draft is taking shape over the coming weeks and months, and it all kicks off here with the college bowls.

Missed our latest first round 2020 NFL Mock Draft that we published on Sunday morning? Click here to see who we mocked to your favorite team. Hint: Six quarterbacks are taken in the first round, with three in the first nine picks.

A storm is coming and going in Miami

This week in Pauline’s Live Blog, he discussed the Hurricane trio of Bandy, Garvin, and Dallas as the potential latest underclassmen draft declarations. We mentioned Garvin a few weeks back as a lock to leave the school early, as well as DeeJay Dallas. However, with the injury Dallas suffered late in the season, his decision could be delayed or even altered. Dallas was the backbone of a struggling Miami offense in 2019, and his talent is undeniable. He rarely goes down on the first contact and is a great weapon receiving out of the backfield. Nationally, Dallas may not get the attention he deserves, but he is the next great running back in the long line of prospects that Miami has produced at the position.

Garvin now appears to be the most certain out of the group to bolt for the NFL following his junior season. The speedy pass rusher showed great promise early in his career but seemed to struggle in 2019. That part of the process seems to make this declaration the most head-scratching of the three. According to Pauline, he has “yet to speak with one person inside the league who feels it was a good decision” for Garvin to leave Miami early. He’s never topped more than 5.5 sacks in a single season and looks ticketed for a situational pass-rushing role at the next level. He likely won’t be taken before the fifth round, if he’s drafted at all.

Maybe the most intriguing name here is the nickel corner, Trajan Bandy. Bandy is another player that was ticketed for a big season in 2019 and only disappointed his backers. He is an undersized corner at 5’9″ but has the quickness and ball skills to make an impact as a nickel corner in the NFL. His disappointing 2019 season ended with zero interceptions, which could be explained by the lack of targets he faced from ACC quarterbacks this year. In addition to slot duties, Bandy could also be a core special teamer in the NFL. He plays with reckless abandon and has no qualms about putting his body on the line to make a tackle, like the one below.

Trajan Bandy doesn’t care how big you are. He hunts and inflicts pain upon arrival. There aren’t many cornerbacks that would put their body on the line like Muddy Badger pic.twitter.com/2J1r2ER95C

— CanesCutUps (@canescutups) July 20, 2019

Bandy was the clear top dog in the secondary for Manny Diaz’s unit, and he did not face the same challenges he did from the same volume of targets in 2018 and 2017. If Bandy decides to declare, his draft spot will be tenuous, but I could see him taken as early as round four based on his ability.

Missed our latest first round 2020 NFL Mock Draft that we published on Sunday morning? Click here to see who we mocked to your favorite team. Hint: Six quarterbacks are taken in the first round, with three in the first nine picks.

Other prospects potentially moving on

Utah Utes junior cornerback Javelin Guidry is reportedly close to becoming of the latest underclassmen draft declarations for the 2020 NFL Draft. Last month, his teammate Jaylon Johnson made his intentions known, and now Guidry seems close to joining him on that list. Guidry is smaller than Johnson and will likely be looked at as an inside corner at the next level. He finished with 42 tackles and 6 PBUs in 2019. 

On Saturday, Pauline also reported that San Diego State junior center Keith Ismael is likely to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. He could also be a late addition to the Senior Bowl as an early graduate, and that could help elevate his stock. Ismael has good size and is strong at the point of attack. He started his career at guard before moving to the center position this season. That versatility could help him get drafted in the middle rounds, if not sooner. 

Pair of Demon Deacons eyeing 2021 Draft

Another big piece of news that dropped on Saturday involved the decision of two significant Wake Forest prospects. While pass rusher Carlos Basham Jr will return to Winston-Salem for the 2020 season, QB Jamie Newman is still undecided.

Newman was a surprise playmaker for the Deacons in 2019 and according to Pauline, the overall belief is that Newman could vault into the first round if he returns to Wake and improves upon what was a good 2019 season.

Basham came into this season as one of the up-and-coming pass rushers available for the 2020 NFL Draft. Pauline lists Basham as a current third-rounder with top-45 potential, but he will look to improve on those prospects and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.