What Are Scouts Saying About Baylor's Top Prospects?
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Baylor football is hoping for a big weekend when the NFL Draft gets underway here in just a week. They have three main prospects who hope to hear their names called. Eventually, mock draft simulators will be obsolete for the year, and we’ll know where the players have gone.
These players have been analyzed and re-analyzed by anyone who watched football over the last year, but there are opinions that truly matter in this process, and those of people who actually get paid to scout the players.
So what are the scouts saying? Here is a look at some of the commentary of Baylor’s draft hopefuls.
Sawyer Robertson
Robertson is likely to be picked on Day 3 of this year’s draft. He has plenty of experience that should attract NFL teams, but a limited arm likely limits his upside in terms of what type of player he can be at the next level.
“He’s a lot like (Tyler) Shough from Louisville,” one scout said to McGinn.
“Nobody knew about him until he got in the all-star games and all of a sudden he’s a second-round pick in New Orleans. To me, that’s kind of what Sawyer is. A guy that wasn’t on the radar at the start of the year, then had a good year and did decent at the Senior Bowl. Just a name on the board at the start of the year before he started throwing for 400 yards and threw the ball accurately. He’s a pocket quarterback but is going to run when he has to.”
One question surrounding Robertson comes down to some of the fundamentals and finer points of playing quarterback.
“Erratic with his footwork, setup and decision-making. Indecisiveness lulls in processing ands release times affect his overall accuracy. Got good enough short-area accuracy but spotty and erratic on the move. He has traits but needs extensive refinement.”
Robertson will get drafted, but he’ll likely have to wait the entirety of the weekend before hearing his name called some time on Saturday.
Josh Cameron
Cameron is an intriguing receiver prospect, but went unranked in Bob McGinn’s rankings. His best bet early in his career is likely to be a punt returner. Cameron excelled in college in that role, but could grow into a better receiver as he develops at the next level.
“Cameron is built like a big running back and is not shy about using that size, strength and body control to rack up touchdowns in the red zone,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said.
“He’s smooth in tracking and adjusting to throws. Drops are a rarity. However, he lacks suddenness to beat press and needs plenty of route work to avoid seeing a heavy percentage of contested targets. Proving he can move beyond the relatively simple asks of the Baylor offense will be critical if he is to become more than a backup. Cameron has traits but the development could take some time.”
If Cameron lands in a situation that could afford him time, he could become one of the diamonds in the rough of this draft class.
Michael Trigg
Trigg is probably the most exciting prospect for Baylor in this year’s draft class. He has the potential to be a matchup nightmare at tight end if he falls in the right offense. He could be picked anywhere from round three to round five in this class, but is a slam dunk to get drafted.
“He’s one of those guys that either is gonna make it or he’s gonna go bust,” said one scout to Go Long’s Bob Mcginn.
“He flunked out (of Ole Miss). He could go anywhere (in the draft). Somebody’s going to see something they like and has a coach that thinks he can get it out of him, sees the highlights and this is his best, and we’ll travel with the best.”
Another scout echoed similar sentiments about Trigg. There are concerns as to whether he has matured from his past at Ole Miss.
“Ole Miss basically told him to leave,” a second scout said to Mcginn.
“It’s hard to get thrown out at Ole Miss. Talentwise, he deserves to go third round. It’ll just be what (teams) uncover in terms of what his true value is. He’s more talented than Max Klare but he’s not as consistently reliable. He’s got some catches on tape, I mean, over the top of people. He also has some points where you go, ‘Huh? A little lazy there, young man.”
All it takes is one team to want to take a chance on Trigg’s talent, and there certainly will be someone at some point in the middle rounds of this class.
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Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.