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2020 NFL Draft Profile: San Jose State LB Ethan Aguayo
Aguayo getting a shot in the NFL?
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Will Aguayo get selected?
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San Jose State has produced some really good linebackers over the past few years and Ethan Aguayo is one of the next best one from San Jose. Playing on a poor Spartans team means that the casual fan has to ask, “who is this?”
Those who cover the draft know who Aguayo is and what he can do on the field and it was to be everywhere and make plays, which included getting behind the line of scrimmage with sacks and tackles for loss.
His best game this past fall may have been against Boise State, where he had 10 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. Aguayo also had a good showing in the win against Arkansas with an interception and 10 tackles. Then vs. Air Force he had 14 tackles. The main takeaway from Aguayo is that he is consistent with not many extreme swings in production.
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Strengths
Aguayo played in a lot of games and did well by seeing time in 39 games and played in 42 in his four-year career. He was an all-conference player in 2018 and 2019, earning honorable mention and second-team player in each respective year.
He made a ton of plays and ended up ninth in San Jose State. His senior year, he only played in nine games but had 102 total tackles, so it’s not bad to average ten tackles per game.
He amassed 345 total to leave him 11th on the list of tackles among active players when he graduated. For his career, he averaged 8.42 per game.
He has speed at the position and ran a 4.76-second, 40-yard dash which is about top-20 among other linebackers who are hoping to be drafted.
Weaknesses
You hate to say it, but playing for a team with a losing record over their career doesn’t help with one’s draft status. However, it is odd that a player with so much production is not even really in the conversation to be selected this weekend for the draft.
Part of the weaknesses could be attributed to the defense being bad and allowing opposing offenses to see more snaps and that gives Aguayo more chances to make plays. Fair or not that opportunity rate to make defensive plays increases and maybe that makes a difference in evaluating talent.
Draft Prediction
It seems highly unlikely that he will be drafted this year, but that production is hard to ignore so that will lead to him being picked up as a free agent.
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