Kenny Willekes returned to Michigan State because of low pre-draft grades

The 2020 NFL Draft will have a deep pool of edge rushers thanks in part to Kenny Willekes decision to return to Michigan State in 2019.

Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes will begin the 2019 college football season as one of the top defensive prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft. He considered declaring for the 2019 NFL draft, but his projected draft grade simply wasn’t good enough to make the jump.

Willekes, like most underclassmen weighing the decision to turn pro, sought feedback on where he would likely get drafted. The results weren’t where he wanted them to be.

“I didn’t get the (draft) grades I wanted to receive,” Willekes said in April via The Athletic. “I just gotta use it as motivation to improve my pass rushing. I know that’s something I gotta improve.”

According to The Athletic’s Colton Puncy, Willekes’ grades varied from as high as the second round to as low as the sixth. The draft is inherently unpredictable, but underclassmen need a bit more certainty than a range that goes from early Day 2 to late Day 3.

I reviewed Willekes’ game in our Scouting the 2020 NFL Draft series and came away with a similar impression of his draft value at the end of the 2018 season. He’s a good, hard-nosed football player, but he lacks any particular ‘wow’ trait that’s generally required for a player to be pegged as a first-rounder.

One thing Willekes definitely has going for him is his motor and his ‘want-to’ on the field. He’s aggressive in pursuit of the quarterback in pass-rushing situations and is non-stop when chasing down running backs or other ball carriers in the running game. His approach from rep to rep is a fantastic foundation to build off of.

Willekes had 8.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss last season.

If he expands his arsenal as a pass rusher and flashes a little more burst off the edge, there’s no reason to think he won’t end up at the higher end of his pre-draft assessment. He’s a solid second-day prospect right now, and that may ultimately be where his ceiling is by season’s end.