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Although West Virginia has not seen many of its players go in the early rounds of the NFL draft in recent years, there are still many notable mountaineers throughout the league. While some players have overperformed, others have not lived up to their potential. However, there are several young mountaineers at the next level that have the opportunity to break out this upcoming season.
Overpreformed
Rasul Douglas, CB
Douglas was drafted in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2017. During his three seasons in Philadelphia, he was a pivotal contributor to the Eagles’ defense totaling five interceptions and 25 passes defended. Unfortunately, he was viewed as a liability on their defense, giving up a 101.3 passer rating against opposing quarterbacks, and the Eagles eventually released the corner before the 2020 season. Douglas signed with the Panthers after being released, but his struggles continued. However, the cornerback had a career year with the Packer in 2021, totaling thirteen passes defenses, five interceptions, and two touchdowns. Douglas looks to continue his success with Green Bay moving into the 2022 NFL season.
David Long Jr, LB
Another mountaineer selected in the later rounds, David Long Jr, has worked his way into the starting rotation in Tenessee. In his three seasons with the Titans, his progress is visible. Although he hardly had any stats in his rookie season, in 2021, Long Jr tallied a career-high 75 combined tackles, six passes defended, and two interceptions. The linebacker has earned himself a starting role with the Titans for the 2022 campaign, emerging as a leader for the organization last season.
Underperformed
Karl Joseph, S
Expectations were high for Karl Joseph when the Raiders selected him with the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Although first-round selections are supposed to come into an organization and contribute immediately and become a leader for the team, Joseph failed to catch on with the Raiders. While Joseph had an average rookie season, his next three years in Oakland saw his stats and snaps steadily decline. As a result, the Raiders released the safety ahead of the 2020 season. Joseph decided to sign with Cleveland, where he had another average tallying 67 tackles, two forced fumbles, and an interception. Finally, in the 2021 NFL season, Joseph was signed by the Steelers mainly for depth purposes. Although the West Virginia product is still with the Steelers, he will have to fight for a position on the roster as he is currently the third strong safety on their depth chart.
Will Grier, QB
Although Karl Joseph did have tremendously high expectations when he entered the league, simply being a quarterback comes with another level of scrutiny. The Carolina Panthers drafted Grier in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Although expectations were that Grier could potentially compete for the starting job with the Panthers, he sat behind Kyle Allen, a bridge quarterback, for most of the season. However, when Grier did start two games for Carolina, he had zero touchdowns, four interceptions, and threw for 228 yards. As a result, the quarterback did not see the field in 2020, and the Panthers eventually released him before the 2021 season. However, Grier did sign with the Cowboys as he looks to earn a spot backing up Dak Prescott.
To Be Seen
Kenny Robinson Jr, S
One intriguing mountaineer on this list is Kenny Robinson Jr. The Panthers selected the safety in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Robinson Jr has only seen minimal playtime thus far. However, Robinson Jr did get an opportunity to start a game for Carolina last season and performed reasonably well with 17 tackles. While the Panthers did sign a starting safety this offseason, Robinson Jr could compete for a starting position if he has a strong training camp.
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