Tigerville – Thursday night marks the start of the 2020 draft for the National Football League (NFL) and NGU's Chauncy Haney will be one of a handful of Division-II players keeping an eye on how the 256-picks by the 32 teams in the league pan out.
Haney came to North Greenville in 2016 as a tall lanky defender, earning playing time in nine of NGU's 14-games including three playoff showings. He recorded his first tackle for a loss in his sophomore campaign and played in seven games before an injury cut his season short. The Columbia, South Carolina native continued to improve and put on weight in the coming years, saving his two best performances for his final two seasons.
He tallied a career-high 11-games played in 2018, seeing significant action in North Greenville's first season in the Gulf South Conference. In 2018, Haney notched 2.6-sacks to go along with 6.5 tackles for a loss, both of which were career highs at the time. The 6-5 defensive end also cemented his name in the North Greenville record books, blocking three kicks, a third career best.
Haney showed up for the 2019 season looking more like a "Make-A-Player" from an EA Sports NCAA Football video game (Rest In peace to the greatest games), adding almost 20-pounds in muscle to his tall frame. The hard off-season work was apparent in his final stand, posting new career highs in tackles with 55.5 (33-solo), sacks with nine, TFL's with 16-stops in the backfield. He also forced a pair of fumbles in the effort and blocked two more kicks. He led the Gulf South in tackles for a loss and led the league in sacks until the postseason and was top-10 in the entire nation in sacks, 12th in sacks per game, and was among the nation's best in blocked kicks.
Scouts from the NFL took notice and Chauncy Haney would soon see his name on the draft board of several teams in the league. His 2019 campaign also garnered him national attention, eventually landing spot in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, an All-Star game widely considered one of the most prestigious showcases in college football, representing as the only Division-II player to receive an invite. His passion for the game and work-ethic quickly earned him the respect of his teammates in Pasadena, dominating against some of the best athletes across all divisions including the Division I FCS level.
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Player Spotlight
His performance and passion earned him the title of Team Captain. Haney turned heads and had a solid showing in the game, forcing a fumble late in the contest to get his name on the stat sheet.
Scouting Report:
Various sites covering the NFL and the NFL draft have Chauncy ranked as the 33rd best defensive end in this season's draft including Athlon Sports, one of the bigger publications to cover both collegiate and professional football.
His stature will turn heads, standing at 6-6 275-280 pounds he is an ominous presence but what scouts have pinpointed is his 83-inch wingspan combined with hand placement and pad level. The multi-sport athlete in high school is also extremely athletic which allows him to play standing up or with his hand in the dirt.
Full Report from Draftblaster.com
Projection: Free agency is an option, especially for a small college player, but Haney has a legitimate chance to hear his name called in one of the seven rounds. He is projected as fourth to seventh-round pick with one mock draft predicting Haney will be a Houston Texan at pick 240.
A mock draft conducted by NFL.com has the Keenan High School product going to Cincinnati at pick 215.
The 2020 NFL draft will start tonight at 8 PM with round one through Saturday evening with rounds four through seven. Saturday's Coverage will begin at noon Friday's coverage will begin at 7 PM with rounds two and three.
