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With one remaining game to be played in the 2020 regular season Nebraska had its first player opt out of the season when Brenden Jaimes announced today that he was going to be sitting out the final game of the year against Rutgers to concentrate on the 2021 NFL Draft.
Proverbs 3:5-6 #GBR pic.twitter.com/JgD9RzVmWF
— Brenden Jaimes (@BrendenJaimes) December 14, 2020
Next Steps
Under normal circumstances this would allow Jaimes a chance to rest up his body and prepare for the East/West Shrine Bowl, but because of Covid the game has been canceled. That would have been a great opportunity for Jaimes to face off against other senior prospects and in front of NFL scouts.
After getting knocked back, Nebraska LT Brenden Jaimes is able to recover and drive him past the pocket #NFLDraft #Huskers pic.twitter.com/fq5XuMhzwO
— Brian Johannes (@Draft_Brian) June 5, 2020
It may be a long shot but I wouldn’t rule out an invitation to the Reece’s Senior Bowl which is the more prestigious Senior All Star Game. As of this writing there are only six accepted invites to the game whereas they normally take 12 total.
At this point Jaimes will be working towards the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine where he’ll likely earn an invite and then his Pro Day which normally takes place in March.
NFL Outlook
Nebraska LT Brenden Jaimes with th lateral agility to engage with the DE and then using his length to ride him past the pocket #NFLDraft #Huskers pic.twitter.com/bBFcGJEKEX
— Brian Johannes (@Draft_Brian) October 29, 2020
Jaimes is not an elite athlete for the offensive line but he does have enough lateral agility and functional strength to play the position in the NFL. His experience starting at both right and left tackle along with the traits to play inside should only make him more marketable to NFL teams.
Look for Jaimes to likely go somewhere early on Day 3 to a team looking to add some depth to their offensive line. While Jaimes isn’t the same type of player that Alex Lewis is, he could follow in his footsteps and carve out a similar path playing both tackle and guard in the NFL. Guard is likely his best position and that should help his cause as interior offensive line play in the NFL is very weak.