Cam Bynum declares for 2021 NFL Draft
Best of luck, Cam! #TakersForever
Earlier this evening, the Golden Bears defensive leader, cornerback Camryn Bynum, declared his intention to enter the NFL Draft, Write for California is first to report.
Bynum decided to forego his final season at Cal in part because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the Pac-12 Conference's decision to postpone all athletic play, including football, in 2020.
“I want to be able to play with my team one more year, but with the whole pandemic and everything being pushed back, my thought [is] I'd just bet on myself at this point,” Bynum said in a press conference Sunday night. “I think I have enough tape and film to be able to get drafted.”
Cam Bynum has been the embodiment of the defensive turnaround under California Head Coach Justin Wilcox. Golden Bears fans will always remember Cam as a member of the Takers. He has been one of my absolute favorite players to watch in recent years, on a personal note.
Bynum joined the Bears in 2016 under Coach Sonny Dykes and redshirted. When Wilcox took over for the 2017 season, Bynum earned a starting role and never looked back—starting all 38 games of the past three years.
He's got the stats: 169 tackles, five interceptions, 27 pass break-ups, and 32 passes defended, and memorable plays that should be highlights in the minds of Cal fans. From high-pointing and deflecting passes to outsmarting the Washington State Air Raid for picks to breaking up screens against North Carolina despite a one-on-three disadvantage, Bynum has done it all for the Bears on the field. During his time with the Bears, he was lauded for his role in preparing and developing the Takers with their film study off the field.
Cam was eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft but decided to return on campus to build his draft stock with another year headlining the Golden Bear defense, similar to the way Raiders’ David Arnette returned to the Buckeyes in 2019. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent delay of the 2020 Pac-12 season to a future date, those plans changed.
Cam Bynum falls into the cerebral corner mold, where he makes up for his average athleticism for the position with exceptional technique and football IQ. One big reason he came back for his final year was to show the scouts that he could effectively cover the top 1% athletic of wideouts. By forgoing the season and signing with an agent, Cam can start working on his 40-time, which projects to be his largest hurdle from a measurables standpoint.
“I'm declaring now so I can move back home and start training,” Bynum said. He added his top priorities are to work on his speed and to react more quickly on the field.
All in all, Cam looks to be a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick depending on how his combine shakes out; either way, wherever he lands, he has made an impact on the Golden Bears by being the founding member of the #Takers.
I once ate a popsicle and the joke on the stick was "How many Bears does it take to write one WFC article?"
Cam’s one of my favorite players on Cal! Going to miss seeing him in Berkeley! Time to represent us well on Sundays!