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Pete Thamel, ESPN
East Carolina senior cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., one of the top cornerback prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, tore an ACL in practice this week and will miss the remainder of the season, sources told ESPN.
Revel has been one of the most productive corners in the country for the Pirates. Since the start of 2023, he has 11 pass breakups and two defensive touchdowns. That includes a 50-yard interception return against Appalachian State last week.
A source called it a “freak injury” to his left knee that occurred in practice on Wednesday.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Revel as the No. 2 cornerback prospect in the upcoming draft behind Michigan‘s Will Johnson. ESPN’s Jordan Reid ranked him as the No. 14 overall prospect in his rankings.
Revel defied convention by staying at East Carolina this season, turning down lucrative opportunities to transfer to some of the top programs in college football.
“He has a chance to be this year’s Quinyon Mitchell,” said an NFL scout who has seen Revel this year, referencing the former Toledo cornerback who became a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. “He’s as talented of a player as there is in a Group of 5 conference.”
Virtually every team in the NFL has gone through East Carolina to see Revel this year. That included area scouts, national scouts and scouting directors, a testament to Revel’s talent.
Revel projected as a first-round pick. The NFL scout remarked that he was surprised Revel had two interceptions already this year, as he’d expected opposing quarterbacks not to throw in his direction.
Revel is 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds. He earned second-team All-AAC honors last year, which put him on the radar of virtually every SEC and Big Ten team in the country.
“The size, the length and the movement skills, for being as tall and long as he is,” said the NFL scout of Revel’s ability. “You don’t see a body type as rangy and fluid as he is at that size.”
Revel’s path to East Carolina included working overnights at an Amazon facility and a stint at Louisburg College, a junior college in North Carolina. He came to an ECU camp, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash and an offer to the Pirates soon followed.
After he shined last season, including a strong performance in his first start against Michigan, Revel’s power conference suitors emerged quickly. He rewarded ECU’s faith in him, which emerged early in 2024 as a mutually beneficial decision.
Everything had come together for Revel, who’d improved significantly in the offseason and had performed as one of the best players at his position in the country so far in 2024.
He’d logged two interceptions and eight tackles, showcasing the fluidity and movement that enticed NFL scouts.