Redskins: Five 2020 draft prospects to watch in college football

No. 5 – Missouri TE Albert Okwuegbunam

The 2019 tight end class was hyped up as one of the better ones in recent memory. As many as four tight ends were candidates to go in Round 1, and two of those players came from the same school. Two such players went in the top twenty, and sixteen tight ends were selected overall.

It was a strong class, with a surplus of top-end talent. Thus, it just makes it all the more impressive that Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was, at one point, considered to be a first-round candidate.

Of course, Okwuegbunam, while he has a first-round name, didn’t quite have the first-round game last season. But he made the right decision to go back to school for his senior season, and he has the tools to drastically elevate his game.

Okwuegbunam is a stellar athlete for his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame, and his production is very impressive. He benefitted from an opportunistic Missouri scheme and a historic 2017 season from Drew Lock, but Okwuegbunam frequently showed off his tantalizing size-speed combo up the seam. During that 2017 season, Okwuegbunam caught 11 touchdown passes on just 29 catches, and in 2018, he added some consistency to his game, amassing 466 yards and six touchdowns on 43 catches,

Okwuegbunam still has a lot of refining to do. He’s not a technician as a route runner, and he could do more to match his frame with physicality. But he has a turbo button up the middle of the field, and he has the length, focus, and strength at the catch point to win in traffic. His game is incomplete, but the athletic traits are there, and with another season to learn and hone his positive qualities, Okwuegbunam could capitalize on his potential, and give the Redskins a high-upside option to succeed Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis.