2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: WR Cornell Powell, Clemson
WR CORNELL POWELL
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 205 lbs.
Class: Senior (red shirt)
School: Clemson
He has five, yes five, ACC titles to his name. A four-star recruit out of Greenville, North Carolina, where he attended J.H. Rose High School. Powell was a part of the 2016 recruiting cycle.
He was unproductive for most of his career--had 40 total catches in 4 seasons until 2020, but had a breakout 2020 season. He recorded 53 grabs for 882 yards and seven touchdowns in 2020, which led him to be a Third Team All-ACC selection.
Traits
He has good size and length with good overall athletic ability. Change of direction and short-area quickness is good, but his speed, in general, is solid at best. He seemed to be at Clemson forever, was there for five years, and only had one real year of production, which was 2020.
Powell gets vertical well despite his lack of elite speed, shows solid lean off the line of scrimmage and varied releases that assist with his ability to create separation. He’s a bit of a long strider as well. He uses his hands well at the line of scrimmage to defeat press coverage.
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He brings a substantial amount of balance and control to his routes which he put on display at the Senior Bowl one on ones. He’s smooth in and out of breaks and shows burst--shiftier for a bigger receiver in space as well. Powell hit his stride when quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei filled in for an injured and COVID-diagnosed Trevor Lawrence.
Powell showed the combination of good route running ability, excellent body control, adjustment to the football when it’s airborne, and very strong hands that he uses to extend away from his frame and pluck the ball effortlessly. He does a very good job winning after the catch, and he’s good in one-on-one situations.
He plays with exceptional play strength in all areas of his game: tough at the catch point, will lower his shoulder and attempt to run people over, defeats press with strength and lateral movement skills, and he’s a willing and good blocker on the perimeter. He has the big play type of ability that flashed in some big moments for Clemson in 2020.
Another exciting thing about Powell is that he’ll essentially have two pro days; he assisted Trevor Lawrence at his pro day, and a lot of teams were in attendance. He looked very smooth, explosive, and adept in those drills. Any extra help will be good for Powell since his college tape shined bright, only for a brief moment, towards the end of his long college career.
Overall, Powell is an interesting Day 3 selection that would be drafted much higher if he was more consistent throughout his time at Clemson. Powell never had more than 50 yards receiving in a game until Week 9 of his fifth and final season.
He will be 24 years old soon. I think Powell is an intriguing player, but not until Day 3 because of these concerns and a lack of top-end speed. He also doesn’t have one trait that he’s great at either, but he’s solid all around.
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