2022 NFL Draft: 3 Costal Carolina sleepers to keep an eye on
EDGE Jeffrey Gunter
Jeffrey Gunter is one of the more unique cases in the 2022 NFL Draft, as he began his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina, transferred to North Carolina State for a year only to never play a snap because of transfer rules, and then transferred back to Coastal Carolina to finish his last two years of college. In two different stints with Coastal Carolina, Gunter had two separate careers that would be enough to make him a campus legend. When people evaluate both two-year stints together, his career at Coastal Carolina is awe-inspiring.
As an edge rusher at Coastal Carolina, Gunter was so impressive that analysts are falling for him.
Edge rushers that are most likely to get #MyGuy stamps in this class from me (because I love their game and/or am higher on them than most):
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) March 3, 2022
1. Jermaine Johnson II, FSU
2. Tyreke Smith, OSU
3. Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina
It is easy to understand being high on Gunter because of everything he brings to the table. The job of a defensive player is to stop the other team from scoring in any way possible, and throughout Gunter’s four seasons at Coastal Carolina, he found ways to contribute in every statistical category, including forcing nine career fumbles, with six of them coming during the 2020 season while playing alongside Tarron Jackson,
His production drop in 2021 is one concern about him, as not playing alongside another draftable talent gave teams more chance to focus on him and limit his ability to wreck a gameplan. He also relies heavily on motor and effort to make plays rather than elite athleticism or technique. Still, watching Gunter against BYU in 2020 and Kansas in 2021 shows the upside he can bring when facing tougher competition.
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Jeffrey Gunter is an intriguing prospect for people to keep their eyes on during the 2022 NFL Draft, as his upside puts him in a position to be a key contributor for the NFL team that drafts him. His downsides, however, could hurt his draft stock and his career at the NFL level. In the lead-up to the NFL Draft, Gunter needs to prove that he is a great and complete player to add clarity to his draft stock.