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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
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2021 NFL MOCK DRAFT - WALT'S | CHARLIE'S ROUND: 1

2020 NFL Draft Prospects who Jumped Out Part 1 - Alabama

Updated June 28, 2019
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

When NFL scouts visit a school or watch tape, they are focused on watching the specific players they are writing reports on for the upcoming draft. Thus, they don't focus on players who aren't eligible for that draft. Sometimes, however, a football player is so good and talented, he is impossible to ignore and scouts can't help but be impressed with how that player impacts the game. WalterFootball.com reached out to scouts to survey them as to who jumped out at them despite not being in the 2019 NFL Draft. We received enough names that this is the first part of at least three entries as we will continue to reach out to evaluators to hear who has generated some buzz with pro evaluators entering fall training camps.

The school to lead off with is Alabama, which has been a factory for first-round talent under Nick Saban. Once again, the Crimson Tide are loaded with future pros and look poised to produce a huge draft class in 2020. In speaking with multiple team sources, here are the players who evaluators say really jumped out at them despite not being in the 2019 NFL Draft: defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, edge rusher Terrell Lewis, linebacker Dylan Moses, cornerback Trevon Diggs, safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Shyheim Carter.

Raekwon Davis could have been a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he decided to return for his senior year. Terrell Lewis has created a buzz from scouts for a few years with what he has shown in practice, but injuries have kept him from showing that talent on Saturdays. Moses had a breakout sophomore year and looks poised to keep Alabama's linebacker tradition alive, as he could end up being a prospect comparable to C.J. Mosley or Reuben Foster if he continues to develop. Diggs was in the running to be the top cornerback prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft before suffering a season-ending injury midway through the year. According to sources, the emergence of McKinney and Carter helped to lead some more experienced players to enter the 2019 NFL Draft because McKinney and Carter were the expected feature defensive backs to go with Diggs for this coming fall.

Of course a lot can and will change in the months to come. A year ago at this time, scouts weren't talking about Quinnen Williams, and he ended up being the consensus best player in the 2019 NFL Draft after a dominant 2018 season. However, some other future top-20 picks like Devin White, Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Brian Burns had already created buzzes in the scouting community. This is just a starting point of players to watch who have made an early good impression on evaluators. Check back in the weeks to come as WalterFootball.com will have more from team sources on the players who jumped out to them last fall and this spring during tape study.