NFL evaluators continue to compare Sony Michel to likely NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara
Many Tennessee fans could have told NFL teams that Alvin Kamara had big-time star potential at the next level. While Kamara was rarely featured in the Tennessee offense, he put on a show nearly every game he saw significant action in for the Vols.
You’d likely hear much of the same from Georgia fans this spring about Sony Michel. After Nick Chubb burst onto the scene as a true freshman, Michel temporarily took a backseat to his teammate but over the years, you could argue Michel has developed into the more NFL-ready running back.
Kamara and Michel share some traits that make them particularly valuable at the game’s highest level, most notably being able to hurt defenses in the backfield just as well as in the flat or out wide.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, it appears some NFL draft evaluators are determined not to make the same mistake they made with Kamara when it comes to Michel. Despite being taken with the 67th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, Kamara is likely to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Could Michel make that type of impact in 2018?
Robinson recently shared this tweet on Kamara from last January:
Spoke to several #NFL personnel guys. Tennessee #Volunteers RB Alvin Kamara's name came up frequently. Lot of teams anxious to work him out.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 2, 2017
He used that tweet as a reference for the thoughts regarding Michel heading into the beginning of the pre-draft process for 2018.
Last January, multiple #NFL personnel evaluators named Alvin Kamara as the player they were eager to see during the draft process. This year? Many of the same guys are hyped up on #Georgia #Bulldogs RB Sony Michel. https://t.co/JRQB8CQ28R
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 23, 2018
Based on Michel’s heroics toward the end of his Georgia career, he was nearly unstoppable in the College Football Playoff, and Kamara’s star performance in his first NFL season, it would be a surprise if Michel lasted nearly as long in the draft as the former Tennessee back did a year ago.