Three Scarlet Knights were named to the Senior Bowl Top 300 list. Players named to the list are considered some of the best draft-eligible players in the country. This season, the Senior Bowl drastically shortened its preseason watch list from 850 to 300 to reflect a higher standard of selection.
The three Rutgers players who were named to the list are all recent transfers into the program. Defensive End Eric O’Neill, Wide Receiver DT Sheffield, and Running Back CJ Campbell Jr. made the list.
Campbell
set himself apart as a dual threat last season at Florida Atlantic University, rushing for 844 yards on 165 carries and catching 40 passes for 466 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns on three ground and three more through the air. Rutgers hasn’t had a true dual threat running back before, meaning that his skill set adds another wrinkle to the Knights’ playbook.
Sheffield’s addition to the program gives Rutgers fans another reason to be excited about their passing offense this season. Last season for the North Texas Mean Green, Sheffield caught 66 passes for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns, which led the AAC. Now that he is with Rutgers, he will be flanked by up and coming stars like Ian Strong and KJ Duff, making it so that defenses cannot key in on one receiver and thus benefiting all of them.
With the addition of transfers like Eric O’Neill, Rutgers hopes to get the pass rush it lacked last season. During his last season at James Madison University, O’Neill totaled 52 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks, and one pick-six. The addition of O’Neill, along with other transfer portal guys like Bradley Weaver, and the continued development of Jordan Walker, are expected to be the catalyst for Rutgers’ pass rush this season.
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