ECU star CB Shavon Revel suffers cruciate ligament tear and will miss the rest of the season

Cornerback from East Carolina Shavon Revela projected first-round pick in the NFL Draft, has suffered a season-ending injury. Revel suffered a knee injury in practice on Wednesday and an MRI scan confirmed a torn ACL, sources told Hoist The Colors.

Revel was recently drafted 31st overall by Pro Football Focus to the San Francisco 49ers in a recent mock draft. He started off strong this season, earning a pick-six in the recent loss to Appalachian State and intercepting a pass a week earlier against Old Dominion. Revel posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 84.7 in three games this season, including an 87.0 coverage grade. He allowed eight receptions on 21 attempts for 195 yards.

Revel is 6'3″ and 190 pounds. He has the ideal length, speed and strength for a typical NFL cornerback. He was courted by many big-name teams as a transfer prospect last season, but stayed loyal to East Carolina and returned for his final season.

Revel spent the Pirates' 2022 season as a backup cornerback and special teams contributor before taking on a full-time role as a junior in 2023. He recorded 651 snaps in 12 games, with one scoop and one fumble recovery, along with 54 tackles, 12 pass breakups and one interception. Last season, Revel earned a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 81.5, including an 84.7 coverage grade. He allowed just 19 receptions on 43 targets for 250 yards and one touchdown.

A native of Winston-Salem, NC, Revel attended Reagan High School before enrolling at Louisburg Junior College. He spent two seasons there before being recruited by East Carolina. Revel shined at a summer 2021 junior camp, where he posted a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and an 11-foot broad jump to earn an offer from ECU. He committed shortly thereafter as a three-star JUCO prospect for the class of 2022.

It's unclear how much of an impact the ACL injury will have on Revel's draft value, but his chances of becoming a potential first-round pick were significantly increased. Most ACL recoveries take 6-9 months to fully rehab, which would put him on track to be ready for training camp next summer. Revel also underwent surgery to repair a groin injury this past offseason at ECU.

Revel's injury is undoubtedly a blow to the Pirates' 2024 team. He was often left in man coverage by defensive coordinator Blake Harrell, allowing the safeties to focus on running or the other side of the field. Revel has been joined by former North Carolina transfer Dontavius ​​Nash, who was a part-time starting safety last year and has been working at cornerback since the end of spring practice. West Virginia transfer Andrew Wilson-Lamp and former UNC transfer Tymir Brown could also get more snaps due to Revel's injury. Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Brown-Murray, returning from last season, has played well in the first three games this year, posting a 69.2 PFF grade in 194 overall defensive snaps, including a 68.4 coverage grade.