80 Prospects in 80 Days: UCLA RB/WR Demetric Felton
Each day leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we will take a look at prospects that should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar. We will look at roughly eleven prospects per round to give a better idea of potential draftees beyond just the first round.
Here's our schedule for the next 80 days:
1st Round: Feb. 8th - Feb. 21st
2nd Round: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 6th
3rd Round: Mar. 7th - Mar. 18th
4th Round: Mar. 19th - Mar. 29th
5th Round: Mar. 30th - Apr. 8th
6th Round: Apr. 9th - Apr. 18th
7th Round: Apr. 19th - Apr. 28th
Prospect No. 46: RB/WR Demetric Felton
College: UCLA
Height: 5'10" Weight: 200 lbs
Draft range: 4th round
Analysis: If I'm being completely honest, there's not another prospect in this draft class that could remind me of Curtis Samuel any more than Demetric Felton does. Coming out of college, they both have similar strengths (speed, home run ability, versatility) and weaknesses (catch in traffic, reliable hands).
If Carolina wants to replace Samuel's production in both the backfield and at wideout, Felton seems like the perfect fit. Like Samuel, he's coming into the NFL with average hands. He's got some room for improvement in that area but aside from that, he's the full package in terms of being a middle-round stud.
Although he spent a little more time at running back at UCLA, he will likely lineup at receiver more often in the NFL.
Analysis from the NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated:
A gadget player who played primarily out of the backfield for the Bruins, Felton is an explosive receiving option who is always a threat to take it to the house. On top of his blazing speed, he is extremely elusive and often makes the first man miss in space. Despite his small stature, he rarely goes down from the first tackler and always keeps his legs churning through contact. This competitiveness is the reason why Felton was asked to take carries between the tackles throughout the season to spell Joshua Kelley. Despite his explosiveness and big-play ability, Felton struggles to keep his eye on the ball with defenders approaching at the catch. This causes him to drop balls that he could easily grab and make a man miss in space. When working out of the backfield, his patience as a runner is worrisome, as he tends to run straight through the hole instead of waiting for his blocks to develop. Felton can’t be trusted in pass protection but wasn’t asked to do as much at UCLA. The California native set a UCLA record for running backs with 55 receptions on the season as a junior. He also set a school record with four scoring plays of at least 75 yards during that campaign.
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