Countdown to College Football Kickoff: Top NFL prospects at Texas Tech

Can DeMarcus Fields follow Jordyn Brooks' footsteps with a breakout senior season?

College football is scheduled to return Saturday, August 29. Each day until then, NFLDraftScout.com will be evaluating the rosters of the best teams in college football, including all 64 within the Power Five conferences.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Head Coach: Matt Wells (second season)

2019 Record: 4-8

2020 NFL Draft Picks: Jordyn Brooks, OLB, Seattle Seahawks – 1st Round, No. 27 overall

Broderick Washington, DT, Baltimore Ravens – 5th Round, No. 170 overall

Overview:

Winning half as many games as they lost – including just two in Big 12 conference play – won’t have Red Raider fans planning any parades for head coach Matt Wells just yet, though his team did flash his first year at the helm, surprising then-21 ranked Oklahoma State 45-35 and thumping West Virginia 38-17 in Morgantown.

Like predecessors Kliff Kingsbury and Mike Leach, Wells comes from an offensive background, playing quarterback, himself, at Utah State in the 1990s prior to landing the head coaching job at his alma mater back in 2013. As such, though the Red Raiders scored nearly a touchdown less per game in 2019 (30.5) than they did under now Arizona Cardinals head coach, Kingsbury, a year earlier (37.3), it should not be surprising that they still ranked among the most productive offenses in the country.

Unfortunately, the defense surrendered points very nearly as fast as Tech scored them, giving up 30.3 points per game, which ranked 84 out of 130 FBS teams. And remember, that was with a first round NFL draft pick in Jordyn Brooks wreaking havoc at linebacker.

Brooks was among the many Red Raiders who struggled with durability last season, however, contributing to Texas Tech’s shoddy record, along with inconsistent quarterback play.

There is plenty of reason to believe Tech’s play on defense and offense will both improve in 2020, even with the response to COVID-19 limiting practice time. That is because Tech returns former starter Alan Bowman at quarterback - who has 10 career starts under his belt and career passing numbers of 3,658 yards and 23 touchdowns – as well as an underrated defensive back seemingly on the verge of a breakout campaign.

Featured 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: DaMarcus Fields, CB, 6-0, 200, 4.55, rSR

It wasn’t too long ago that virtually every NFL prospect out of Texas Tech played on the offensive side of the ball, with Super Bowl champion and MVP Patrick Mahomes, of course, the best recent example of Tech’s contributions to professional football.

Following in the footsteps of last spring’s surprising first round pick Jordyn Brooks, however, is Fields, who quietly ranks among the more intriguing defensive backs in the Big 12 – a conference well-known for producing them.

Fields did not sign with the Red Raiders amid great fanfare despite his growing up in the talent-rich state of Texas and starring on not only the gridiron, but the basketball court and track, as well. In fact, if Fields performs as well on the field this year for the Red Raiders as expected, he could enjoy a nice boost late in the draft process with his workouts, showing impressive speed (10.52 in the 100 meters) and leaping ability (43-9” in the triple jump) during his high school days.

After choosing Tech over TCU, Baylor, Kansas, SMU and UTEP, among others, Fields was expected to compete for immediate playing time. Instead, he suffered a shoulder injury, which forced him to redshirt the 2016 season.

He quickly emerged as one of Tech’s better defenders the next year, however, starting the final 11 games of the season, finishing fifth on the team with 51 tackles and second with seven passes broken up. His first interception was a doozy, plucking a pass from future Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph as Big 12 play opened and racing it 95 yards back for a touchdown.

House call, DaMarcus Fields. Tie ballgame. #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/giuJIQZnYZ

— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 1, 2017

Fields enjoyed arguably the best season of his career in 2018, starting all 12 games for the Red Raiders and collecting another 38 tackles, again finishing second on the team in passes broken up (11). Despite not intercepting a single pass, the conference coaches placed Fields on the honorable mention All-Big 12 team at the end of the season.

When on the field last year, Fields was again one of Tech’s best players. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury against TCU which robbed him of a quarter of the season. Still, he jumped to a career-high three interceptions (all in conference play) and recorded another five pass breakups, leading the Red Raiders. Showing the physicality which has earned him looks at safety, he also chipped in another 54 tackles, including six for loss. For the second consecutive year, Big 12 coaches acknowledged Field’s quality play, listing him again as a member of the Honorable Mention team while the media ignored him.

Expected to take the mantel as Tech’s top NFL prospect in 2020, Fields is likely to be much more recognized in the media this year, projecting as a possible Top 100 selection in next spring’s draft.

Strengths: Looks the part of an NFL cornerback with an athletic frame, including broad shoulders, a tapered middle and long limbs. Quickly gains depth with a low, tight backpedal, showing light feet, lateral agility and balance in his transition. Comfortable up close in press, extending his arm to reroute receivers with a jam occasionally, but doesn’t require it, trusting his own agility and acceleration to be able shadow opponents. Confident in coverage, waiting until the mesh point before committing. Quick to jump underneath routes, showing a nice burst back towards the ball. Among Fields’ better attributes are his field vision and ballskills. He plays with a “my ball” mentality, tracking the ball like a receiver and showing good timing on his leap and hand-eye coordination to make a play on it.

Dangerous with the ball in his hands. Looks to create, taking advantage of teammates’ blocks and showing elusiveness, speed, strength and determination, forcing opponents to tackle him. Enters his senior campaign with four interceptions (three in 2019), taking the first of his career 95 yards for a touchdown…

Aggressive and reliable open-field tackler who uses his long arms and impressive grip strength to rip ballcarriers to the ground. Delivers clean, physical hits and shows good awareness and toughness near the line of scrimmage. Sneaky hands to rip at the ball and shows good timing and accuracy with his hits, forcing three fumbles over his career… Has mostly played cornerback for Tech but has some practice time at the “spur” position, a safety/linebacker hybrid.

Weaknesses: Appears to possess good but not elite straight-line speed and lacks a second burst to recover if beaten. At times appears too focused on simply knocking the ball away, needing to turn more of his PBUs (22) into INTs (four)… Requires some off-field vetting, both due to injury concerns and character red flags… Missed the 2016 season following shoulder surgery and had a second procedure completed on the same shoulder following the 2017 season… Missed three games in 2019, as well, though the specifics of this injury were not made available... Among four players suspended by head coach Matt Wells over the 2019 summer for an unknown violation of team rules, though, to his credit, Fields was the first to work his way back onto the team…

NFL Player Comparison: Desmond King, Los Angeles Chargers – It will be interesting to see where NFL teams like Fields best. He could be asked to move to safety, as the 5-11, 200 pound King has since starring at Iowa at cornerback. Like King, Fields is a quality tackler with better awareness of the ball than straight-line speed, making pre-draft workouts (and medical evaluations) critical to his final standing.

Current NFL Draft Projection: Third-Fourth Round

The Top 10 NFL Prospects at Texas Tech:

1. DaMarcus Fields, CB, 6-0, 200, 4.55, rSR

2. Riko Jeffers, ILB, 6-1, 245, 4.70, SR

3. T.J. Vasher, WR, 6-5, 190, 4.55, rSR

4. Jack Anderson, OG, 6-4, 320, 5.30, rJR

5. SaRodorick Thompson, RB, 6-0, 200, 4.50, rSoph

6. Eli Howard, DE, 6-3, 270, 4.95, rSR

7. Dalton Rigdon, WR, 5-11, 170, 4.45, JR

8. Dawson Deaton, OT, 6-5, 305, 5.15, JR

9. Zech McPhearson, CB, 5-11, 188, 4.50, rSR

10. Thomas Leggett, S, 6-0, 185, 4.55, SR

*All 40-yard dash times are estimates