Shenault Could Become Fifth Buffs WR Taken In First Round Of NFL Draft
April 23, 2020 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With 24 first-round NFL Draft picks in their history, the Colorado Buffaloes have had their fair share of selections at a number positions.
The list includes five offensive linemen, four running backs and four defensive linemen — positions for which the Buffaloes have been known throughout the years.
But wide receiver has also been a productive first-round position for the Buffaloes. In fact, if CU's Laviska Shenault Jr. hears his name called Thursday night, he will be the fifth wide receiver in Buffs history to go in the first round.
For the last two seasons, Shenault has been part of a celebrated group of Buffs wide receivers that also included K.D. Nixon, Juwann Winfree (a sixth-round pick last season) and Tony Brown (a possible draft pick this year). That group came on the heels of another standout group — Shay Fields, Bryce Bobo and Devin Ross — that helped lead CU to the 2016 Pac-12 South title.
But those groups are just two of a long list of outstanding receiving corps the Buffs have produced over the years, including a lineup in the early 1990s that boasted three future first-round picks.
That's right — three first-round picks. In 1992 and '93, Colorado's roster included Charles E. Johnson, Michael Westbrook and Rae Carruth, and all three ended up as first-round NFL picks: Johnson to Pittsburgh in 1994, Westbrook to Washington in 1995 and Carruth to Carolina in 1997. Those picks came on the heels of CU's first wide receiver taken in the first round, Mike Pritchard to Atlanta in 1991.
It was part of a 10-year stretch that saw the Buffs have eight receivers drafted. Along with Pritchard, Johnson, Westbrook and Carruth, the list also included Jeff Campbell (fifth round, Detroit, 1990), Rico Smith (sixth round, Cleveland, 1992), Phil Savoy (seventh round, Arizona, 1998) and Darrin Chiaverini (fifth round, Cleveland, 1999).
But in terms of an abundance of talent on one roster, it would be hard to match those 1992 and '93 CU teams, whose wide receivers coach was a young man by the name of Karl Dorrell.
Dorrell returned to Colorado this year in Februar,y when he was named the Buffaloes' 27th head coach. Along with coaching CU's receivers in 1992-93, he also served as an offensive assistant at CU from 1995-98 — meaning he coached five of the eight Buffs receivers drafted in the 1990s.
That 1992-93 bunch is one he remembers quite clearly.
"That group of receivers were very, very hard workers in practice.," Dorrell said. "Very prideful. There was a brotherhood about them in terms of them competing against our DBs. We kind of created that edge for ourselves in practice that made both groups better."
And that competition in practice, Dorrell said, manifested into production on game day.
"I think it really portrayed itself on Saturdays," Dorrell said. "We always had a lot of confidence that we could accomplish a lot of stuff. All those guys were very productive, very confident, very talented individuals. But it all came from a lot of hard work."
Now, Dorrell's aim is to recreate that atmosphere on the CU practice fields and Folsom Field.
"That was a very, very unique time," Dorrell said. "Those are the kinds of stories that I've been telling the team I'm coaching now. It wasn't very long ago that we had some really talented teams and we won a lot of games. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get to that level. It was a team concept, it was a culture that we had then that we're trying to restore in 2020."
The latest draft projections — mock drafts that have changed on a daily basis over the last couple of weeks — have Shenault going anywhere from the mid-first round to the late second round. An ultra-talented and physically gifted player, the only downside to his resume´ is that he underwent surgery soon after the NFL Combine in early February. But his agent recently released a doctor's report that said Shenault should be 100 percent healed and healthy by draft day.
Dorrell never coached Shenault, but the CU receiver was definitely on Dorrell's radar last season, when he was wide receivers/assistant head coach with the Miami Dolphins. Since taking the job in Boulder, he had the opportunity to meet with Shenault.
"He has enough on tape to prove to people that he's definitely an NFL-quality player and he can help somebody put some points on the board," Dorrell said in late March. "My advice for him was that everything about him and what he does is what he does from this point forward … Are you going to prepare yourself both mentally and physically in doing the necessary things for you to have the success that you garner for yourself? It's really just him putting himself in a mindset of looking forward and with that the impression and understanding that he's not a finished product and he knows he has so much to learn."
Shenault is one of a handful of CU players whose names have popped up on a variety of the mock drafts over the last couple of weeks. Other Buffs prospects:
— LB Davion Taylor, a terrific athlete with a huge upside, has seen his stock rise steadily. ESPN recently named him one of the "top seven movers" in the draft and he is being projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.
— Quarterback Steven Montez, who had a strong NFL Combine, is still being projected anywhere from the fourth to seventh rounds.Â
— OT Arlington Hambright's name has popped up in the late rounds of some recent mock drafts.
— WR Tony Brown, who had steady, consistent seasons the last two years for Colorado, is also a possible draft pick or free agent signing.
Other Buffs who are seen as possible draft picks or free agent signees include cornerback Delrick Abrams Jr., punter Alex Kinney, offensive lineman Tim Lynott Jr., safety Mikial Onu, tight end Jalen Harris, tight end/special teams player Beau Bisharat, kicker Davis Price and linebacker Alex Tchangam.
The draft will be held Thursday through Saturday. Originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, it will be a "virtual" affair.
 The first round will be conducted Thursday, beginning at 6 p.m. MT. Rounds 2-3 will be held Friday beginning at 5 p.m. MT with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.
The draft will be televised by ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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