Which Cal NFL Prospects Are Hurt Most by the Loss of Fall Football?

The 2020 season was expected to give some draft-eligible Cal players a boost to their NFL draft status.

The cancellation of the fall football season prevents that, and the possibility of a spring Pac-12 football season looks like a longshot. Even if there is a spring season, it probably would not be completed by the time the 2021 NFL draft is held April 29 through May 1.

Yahoo.com identified 12 Big Ten draft-eligible players and 11 Pac-12 draft-eligible players whose draft status may have been hurt by the cancellation of fall football. Cal was the only Pac-12 school with two players on the list.

We named two other Cal players whose draft status may have been hurt, giving us four such Golden Bears. Presumably players will get another year of eligibility if there is no football this school year, but some players will have to make tough choices.

One of the players cited by Yahoo was quarterback Chase Garbers, and here is what Yahoo said about him:

A redshirt junior, Garbers is believed to be Senior Bowl-eligible if he enters the 2021 draft picture. He was expected to benefit from the tutelage of former NFL QB and coordinator Bill Musgrave this season, so Garbers might stick around in 2021.

The 6-2, 205-pound passer has nice first- and second-level accuracy and is a good athlete for the position, able to move well in the pocket and pick up first downs by scrambling.

Garbers’ arm strength is in question, and his experience has been limited by opportunity and injury.

He has a tough call coming up, but staying in school might be the safer play.

I would be shoked if Garbers enters the 2021 NFL draft, because he has not yet shown NFL-caliber skills and durability. His steady improvement over the past two seasons suggests he could get there, though, and he needs another season of college ball to prove it. His experience with Musgrave in a pro offense would be a feather in his draft-status cap, but he has to demonstrate he can operate that offense and that he can stay healthy for an entire season.

Garbers has the personality and physical attributes to be a good pro quarterback, and he seems to have the requisite confidence. None of those things sets him apart from a lot of other quarterback prospects, though.

His statement after the Pac-12 fall season was canceled suggested he was looking forward to the 2021 season, and this Garbers Tweet indicates he plans to return to Cal:

See y’all in 2021 #GoBears pic.twitter.com/Gjltve1iJE
— Chase Garbers (@ChaseGarbers) August 13, 2020

The other player Yahoo identifies as being hurt by the loss of a fall season is senior linebacker Kuony Deng:

Deng remains in the “fascinating prospect” category, rather than being a refined athlete. The 6-6, 235-pound Deng is also a curiosity, possessing great length but also a positional-fit question at the next level.

Deng had a few rough patches in coverage, getting nickeled and dimed against UCLA and a few other teams. Can he cover in the NFL? Do you want him on the edge? Covered up between the tackles? Scouts appear unsure of his pro fit, and he’s viewed as a later Day 3 prospect.

There were enough fascinating elements to Deng’s game, including some surprising strength and his freaky length, that a big senior season might have boosted his stock a notch or two.

I agree with this assessment except to add that I think Deng is a can't-miss NFL player. He has the intelligence, athleticisn, length (6-foot-6) and work ethic to become a solid pro, and he has shown steady improvement since deciding to concentrate on football rather than basketball.

Deng received no football scholaship offers from FBS schools coming out of high school, and he has been a rapidly rising pro prospect ever since.

NFL scouts are not sure what position Deng would play as a pro, and he needs to demonstrate his progress on the football field before NFL scouts can visualize where he might fit in at the next level.

Two other Cal players may be hurt by the loss of fall football.

Defensive back Camryn Bynum returned to Cal rather than enter the 2020 draft, partly because he wanted to show his versatility. A three-year starter as a cornerback, Bynum was scheduled to get playing time at safety and nickel back this season, making him more appealing to pro teams.

Bynum was scheduled to graduate this December, so he will face some difficult choices.

Also, senior center Michael Saffell would like to show pro scouts he can play an entire season. Cal's offensive line is noticeably more effective when Saffell is on the field, and he could be a late-round NFL draft choice, but he has missed games with injuries each of the past two seasons.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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