Daniel Jeremiah's Final Pre-Draft Takeaways: 'Position-Less' Players & WR Evaluation

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Below are three takeaways from Jeremiah's call:


1. 'Position-less players' gaining prevalence


If there's a quality that scouts and general managers look for in a player, it's versatility.


Jeremiah said the ability to do damage in the run and pass game has "never been more important" than it is in today's NFL, and that will certainly come into play as teams select prospects this year.


"We use the phrase in scouting, we talk about 'position-less' players, and that's where it's headed, where you're not going to be labeling these guys anymore … as 'receiver' or 'running back' – no, they're offensive weapons," Jeremiah said.


He referenced Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, who in 2019 actually had more receiving yards (993) than rushing (557), and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who topped 1,000 yards on the ground and through the air.


"Deebo Samuel, who's a wide receiver who can also play running back – that's where the value is," Jeremiah added.


And the versatility on offense demands a similar quality on the other side of the ball.


"Defensively, you've got to find a way to match up with those," Jeremiah said. "You see guys like [Chargers safety/linebacker] Derwin James, you see what we see here with [Clemson LB/S] Isaiah Simmons where it allows you to keep your guys on the field and not get manipulated, where they can sub and get you in a look. And once they get you in a look, they're going to crank the tempo and they're going to isolate the guy that's out of position and go at him.


"Well, when you've got players with versatility they have that ability to be able to cover at tight end but yet somebody that can also hold up at the point of attack if you want to try and run it down their throats, somebody that can cover in the slot, somebody who can drop back and play the deep pass, it allows you to disguise your looks defensively, allows you to confuse quarterbacks and allows you to match up with the athletes you're going to see," Jeremiah continued. "Those guys have never been more valuable, and one of the conversations that I've had over the last few years and really even more so this year is with the linebackers – it doesn't matter if you are an unbelievably instinctive player and you're tough and you're physical. If you cannot run, they can't hide you anymore. You're going to get exposed."