The first round of the NFL draft is completed, but teams are just getting started.
There is plenty of talent to be found in the second and third days of the draft, of course. Here are some players who, in my film study leading up to the draft, jumped out to me as some possible late-round gems.
Here they are, in no particular order:
Hau’oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
Kikaha is a perfect example of the players I put on this list. He’s a guy I knew nothing about when I started watching film on him. Now, I think he might be the most natural pass rusher in the draft.
He’s not an explosive athlete the way some guys who went high in the draft are. But he’s a player who sacks the quarterback. He’s a fanatical effort player. He’s a lunatic – in a good way.
Kikaha can also drop into coverage or set the edge in the run game. He showed refined and polished hand usage for a college player, great body flexibility, and that allowed him to win quickly and use his closing burst to get to the quarterback.
Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson
Jarrett is a good athlete for his stout body type. He has an excellent combination of initial quickness off the ball, and secondary quickness to make plays. He played with good leverage, light feet and competitive effort.
Jarrett’s explosive quickness leads me to believe he can be more than a rotational defensive tackle in the NFL. He has the needed skill set to develop into a quality pass rusher, and if he can do that he could become a similar player to Geno Atkins. Jarrett may be one of my favorite prospects at any position in this draft class.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland
Diggs will likely began his NFL career as a slot receiver, but he has the movement and route quickness to develop into an outside receiver. He is a multi-dimensional receiver who can align anywhere in the formation; he can be a movement receiver in an NFL offense. He catches the ball easily, exploded out of his cuts with easy acceleration, showed a nice feel for route running and has excellent run-after-catch quickness with some natural wiggle and elusiveness – he has a little Percy Harvin-type movement.
Can Diggs develop into an Antonio Brown-type of receiver with experience and coaching? Don’t forget, Brown was a sixth-round pick.
Matt Jones, RB, Florida
Jones has excellent size at more than 6-2 and 230 pounds, and he has a strong lower body. He’s not a shifty and elusive runner, but a hard downhill runner who attacks the point of attack with velocity.
He ran with urgency and kept his feet moving through contact. He will not make defenders miss in space but by no means a plodding straight-line stiff runner. Jones may be the toughest inside runner in this draft class with natural power and tremendous determination. Jones will not be for everybody, but teams that feature the run game as their offensive foundation will see tremendous value in him. There’s always room for a sustaining, move-the-chains back in the NFL.
Darius Philon, DT, Arkansas
Philon is light on experience, with just 18 college starts, but on film he showed disruptive traits with his combination of hand and foot quickness. There’s a lot to work with when it comes to his skill set.
The more I watched the more I saw the kind of quickness and short-area burst off the ball that transitions well to the NFL. He flashed the ability to get skinny off the ball and defeat angle blocks with excellent short-area quickness. He is not yet the inside pass rusher his athletic ability and movement suggests he can become. That might be due to lack of experience.
Philon is arguably one of the best “3 technique” prospects in this draft class and could become a very good NFL player.
Tyler Kroft, TE, Rutgers
Kroft has the speed and movement to be effective as a receiver from the slot, and even split wide outside the numbers. At the same time, he is a very willing and effective line-of-scrimmage blocker in the run game. He’s competitive and a finisher. His tenacity and ability to block defensive ends one-on-one will translate well to the NFL.
In Kroft I saw a potential big-time tight end talent. He had some movement similarities to Zach Ertz but is a much better and more competitive blocker.
Terrence Magee, RB, LSU
Magee is another downhill power runner. He is not overly shifty or elusive but flashed a darting style that at times made defenders miss in the open field. Magee ran with a lot of energy and velocity. I liked his competitiveness and inside toughness.
I think Magee has chance to be a very good complementary back in the NFL with his powerful running style and receiving ability.
Rob Havenstein, OT, Wisconsin
The massive prospect fits the profile of a Wisconsin tackle: Fundamentally sound with consistent execution, with an overall efficiency to his play that showed snap after snap.
He’s a physical, efficient drive blocker in the run game. He also was used as a puller at times in the run game, with the ability to move and strike. He also had good balance and body control in pass protection.
There is a desirable combination of size, length, feet, balance and body control; the attributes you look for in an NFL right tackle. He has the look of an NFL right tackle who will start early in his career, play for 10 years and have a successful career as a fixture at right tackle.
Tony Lippett, WR, Michigan State
Lippett is a big, fluid receiver with a refined sense of route running from the “X” position. He showed a good feel for how to run routes and set up corners, especially at the intermediate level.
He is not an explosive mover, but effective and consistent. Route quickness is one of the strengths of his game; he’s very deceptive with movement and his ability to win at the top of his routes. He also showed the consistent ability to snatch the ball away from his body, with strong hands and a wide catching radius.
He had some similarities to Brandon LaFell in terms of size and movement. He can be a quality possession-type receiver.
JaCorey Shepherd, CB, Kansas
Shepherd made the switch from receiver to corner before his sophomore season, so he doesn’t have a lot of experience. But he is a very comfortable press-man corner, and played with patience and control, staying balanced with excellent body control.
Shepherd has quick feet in his back pedal in press man with fluid hips to turn and transition efficiently. He showed natural awareness on when to look back for the ball on vertical routes out of press man coverage, and had an excellent feel for the timing of vertical routes. The question with him is vertical speed and if he can run with the NFL’s faster receivers.
Overall he is one of the most natural and comfortable press man corners in the draft, with a lot of room to improve given his lack of corner experience. He will only get better and could end up being one of the best corners to emerge from this draft class.
No comments:
Post a Comment