Eastern Kentucky vs Marshall: 3 2021 NFL Draft prospects to watch

HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 02: Brenden Knox #20 of the Marshall Thundering Herd runs the ball defended by Kenneth Orji #10 of the Rice Owls and Blaze Alldredge #55 in the first half on November 2, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 02: Brenden Knox #20 of the Marshall Thundering Herd runs the ball defended by Kenneth Orji #10 of the Rice Owls and Blaze Alldredge #55 in the first half on November 2, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
2 of 4
2021 NFL Draft: Eastern Kentucky vs. Marshall
Eastern Kentucky vs. Marshall feature a handful of 2021 NFL Draft prospects.. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Josh Ball, OT, Marshall

Woah, what is this an Offensive Lineman? That’s right, they get drafted too. Shocking to some of you, mainly you fantasy players, but its true. This right here is a big-boy like a type you just let stand there and he is still difficult to get around standing 6-foot-8 tall and dominating the scale-like he does defenders at 308 pounds.

Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy has been singing the praises of Ball as he enters his Redshirt Senior season with the Thundering Herd:

"“Marshall LT Josh Ball started only one game last year but it wouldn’t surprise us if many NFL scouts put Day 2 or early Day 3 grades on the former four-star this summer. Ball is a giant-sized guy with heavy hands and he can really move.”"

More from With the First Pick

With Ball being a Senior he should be locked into setting his sights on the 2021 NFL Draft. Last year we saw 13 offensive linemen taken in the first two rounds of the Draft. I would look for that to continue as we are going to a more pass-happy NFL, the offensive line has become more important than ever. He should be a lock for the senior bowl this year, as many seniors most likely won’t be eligible or even opt-out, this could also help boost his stock.

I expect Ball to continue on his upward trend and end up in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft unless Marshall goes on a wild run and he clocks a solid 40-yard dash time. If he can put it all together Marshall might have a top-50 pick on their hands on the offensive line.