With the 2019 NFL scouting combine coming to an end this past Monday, Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus figured it was a perfect time to release a new mock draft version, his fourth overall.
In his latest mock of the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Palazzolo now has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a wide receiver with their 20th overall selection and it’s Stanford product JJ Arcega-Whiteside and he writes of of the pick:
Arcega-Whiteside has an impressive mix of body control and power-forward-like ball skills, all leading to the best-contested catch rate in college football last year and a new weapon for Ben Roethlisberger.
At the recently concluded combine, Arcega-Whiteside measured in at 6020, 225-pounds with 33 1/4-inch arms and 9 1/2-inch hands. He didn’t do any of the on-the-field stuff while in Indianapolis, however, so his forthcoming pro day will be big for him.
Arcega-Whiteside is also considered an underclassman in this year’s draft class after declaring in January following a career at Stanford that included him catching 135 total passes for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns. Last season he caught 63 passes for 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns.
During his career at Stanford, Arcega-Whiteside prided himself at knowing how to play every offensive wide receiver position and after initially playing in the slot, he moved all around from thre. At the NFL level, however, Arcega-Whiteside probably best projects as a X receiver.
While the Steelers do stand to draft a wide receiver this year in the early rounds to help overcome the loss of trading away Antonio Brown, odds might be good they won’t do so in the first-round. Overall, I feel Arcega-Whiteside is more of a second or early third-round prospect this year so the Steelers might could get him in either the second or third rounds.
Below are a few advanced college stats for Arcega-Whiteside from PFF along with their film room breakdown they have already done of him. Below those is a link the site’s profile of Arcega-Whiteside.
