Sleepers
 

Let's discuss some sleepers or guys that you're really high on that aren't getting much of any buzz. I'll start with 3 I really like (one of which I've mocked so I'll just throw my report in from there). I'll try to add more here as we move along.

Aaron Jones, RB, Texas El-Paso (5'9" 208)
Outstanding back with great balance, speed, quickness, and lower body explosion. Combine numbers back up tape. Underrated runner from small school that put up large numbers and did so against top competition as well. A slashing running back that will makes defenders pay in open space. Effective jump cut and spin move. Active feet and great balance to break tackles and make quick moves to cut on a dime. Outstanding vision and patience. Follows his blocks and finds his cutback lanes. Outstanding receiver out of the backfield. Can beat linebackers down field and can make catches in stride with soft hands. Takes care of the football. Runs a bit high, opening himself up to some hits and reducing his power inside the tackle box. One of the most productive players in college football in 2016 with over 2000 all purpose yards and 20 TDs (1773 rush and 17 tds and 233 receiving and 3 tds) which saw him average 7.7 yards per carry. Was injured for most of 2015, but put up extremely impressive stats in 2014 with over 1300 yards rushing. A huge sleeper in a deep class that will give a team a value pick in the mold of Charlie Garner or LeSean McCoy as a prototypical WCO back that can run the outside stretch and catch passes out of the backfield.

Robert Davis, WR, Georgia State (6'3" 219)
Outstanding size/speed prospect. Runs good routes. Reliable hands-catcher. Tracks the ball well on deep throws. Ability to make acrobatic catches in traffic and on the goal line. Has long stride and good top-end speed to break big gains. Superb leaping ability. Production against all levels of competition. Great change-of-direct skills despite his size and gate. Looks like a #1 receiver in the NFL, especially if he learns to use his size to his advantage. Put up better testing numbers than Dez Bryant.

Winston Craig, DT, Richmond (6'3" 288)
Stout with a thick bubble. Shows good burst off the snap with a strong initial punch. Splits double-teams well with a nice arm over. Uses hands extremely well. Shows the ability to one-arm and keep his frame clean. Disruptive. Outstanding closing burst to the ball carrier. Scrapes down the line well and makes plays outside of his zone. Nasty, hittting with purpose when he gets a clean release. Experience as a 3-4 DE. One of the most productive defensive lineman in the FCS. 3rd team All-American. Hard worker that never misses a training day and was a team captain.

I really, really like the Aaron Jones kid. He has good speed (4.50), good receiving skills, great vision, and excellent balance/strength -- he does not go down easily. Plus, he did a lot of his damage between the tackles, so he's not just a bounce it outside type of runner.

Not sure how much of a sleeper he is, but I'd love to see the Chiefs snag this guy somewhere in the draft.

If some of you are not familiar with this guy, go look at some of his highlight vids. He's the real deal.

Tanoh Kpassagnon from Villanova could be a sleeper. I know he's from a bigger school but he is going to be a solid 4-3 DE or maybe 3-4 OLB. He's strong and has a high motor, good nose for the ball.

<iframe width="945" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pD9NGhRF33I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Strictly from this video, I think I'd prefer him as a 3-tech DT. He didn't look like he had much bend or flexibility around the edge, but he's a massive dude who's strong as hell and you can tell he's better off just firing off and getting to the ball.

I'm intrigued, good late round guy but I wouldn't go from the outside personally.

I think the biggest sleeper in this draft is Chad Kelly.

If the right team picks him, and he's got his act together, he's a FQB, IMO.

The big question is can he get his act together. He seems to be a super douche who just can't stop being a douche. Maybe I'm wrong but he smells of Jeff George.

Good choice. If he gets his shit together, he will definitely be a steal. He also seems like he kind of guy Dorsey and Reid would take a chance on.

Much upside as a football player.

Much to be concerned about as a human. Dude is ****ed in the head.

Kelly is not an elite athlete and he's not very smart. He won't be in the pros for long imo. It doesn't matter if he gets his act together.

I think QB Josh Dobbs could be a serious sleeper. He is very underrated and has the "it" factor. Plus, he reminds me of Peyton Manning. He went to Tennesee and has a giant forehead.

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbsm...52_640x360.jpg

Holy shit. That looks like a sevenhead. He must have a huge brain!

Holy ****.

That guy needs to go with the shaved head look in the worst way. He'd have that Charlie Villanueva look to him. Which is creepy, but not outright alien lookin'.

http://www.belgraviacentre.com/wp-co...lanueva-21.jpg

Seriously man, just shave your dome. Right now you just look like you have a yarmulke on.

Where are his eyebrows?

Alopecia

Going to add a couple...

Karter Schult, DE, Northern Iowa (6'3" 258)

Led Division I with 17 sacks and had an NIU record 24 tackles for a loss. Won the Buck Buchanan Award. Plays quick, gets off the ball. High motor with relentless attitude. Good awareness and keeps his responsibilities. Closing burst to the ball carrier. Not fast, won't be a coverage guy if playing in a 3-4.

Damarius Travis, SS, Minnesota (6'1" 206)

Physical box-type of safety that can hit like a truck. Needs to be a bit more of a fundamental tackler at times rather than going for that huge hit, but he's capable. Solid in coverage. Asked to play deep as a single-high, cover tight ends and backs, and play slot. Likely can't keep up with slot duties in the NFL, but should be solid against tight ends and backs in coverage. Ran a 4.61 and 4.68 at pro day. Good player that gets overlooked.

Christopher Carson, RB, Oklahoma State (6'0" 218)

Big back with 4.58 speed and excellent lower body explosion. Has learned late in his career to run behind his pads with power and it has paid dividends. Has the ability to finish runs with a 2nd gear. Not an elusive runner, but teams employing a one-cut and go or straight up power running scheme should like this guy late.

Dare Ogunbowale, RB, Wisconsin (5'11" 213)

Solidly built back with excellent agility and field awareness. Will run behind his pads when pressed to do so, but more of a finesse runner that looks for the cutback or to bounce it out wide. Excellent receiver, maybe the best in this class from the RB position. Super smooth runner with effortless acceleration. Not a speed demon, but he's fast enough. Plays faster than he times kind of runner. Should make a team happy as a 3rd down back in a committee system.

Ryan Lewis, CB, Pittsburgh (5'11" 192)

Has good size and great measurables (4.37 40, 6.89 3-cone, 35" vert), but didn't start until his senior year at Pitt. Had 79 tackles with 8 PBUs and 2 INTs. Son of KC's director of college scouting and nephew of former Packer's standout CB Tim Lewis. He'll be on KC's radar, at least as a UDFA.

Austin Calitro, ILB, Villanova (6'0" 240)

See my "What I Want Mock" for analysis.

Gotta pimp one of my guys that I've seen mentioned as a sleeper several places.

https://www.fanragsports.com/nfl/big...017-nfl-draft/

http://nygiantsrush.com/ny-giants/ne...rs-2017-draft/

Grover Stewart DT/NT Albany State

Yea I hope we draft this guy on day 3.

He should claim to have a mind like Peyton Manning and be an athlete like Michael Vick.

LOL

Props

The OLB talk is odd to me.

Is it because he's tall? It makes him look leaner than he is but really that means he could probably add a little more weight.

Can you imagine this dude at 310 playing the 5-tech? He'd be a monster. Then again, similar things were said about Hunt and he never did shit.

Ask me what I expect and I'd say Margus Hunt but it's hard not to be excited about the possibilities with this guy. Using my preferred 'scouting grade' method, I think you'd have to call him something like an 8.0(D), with his first number being his ceiling and his letter being the odds of getting there.

Wormley would've been something like a 7.0(C); lower ceiling but much greater chance he hits it. I think that's the route I'd have taken with this pick if I were set on going DL. But I understand what Dorsey sees, applaud the juevos and I sure hope it works out.

That's a fantastic way of grading players, DJLN.

Was hunt actually a functional athlete though? He always seemed stiff to me

Agreed. I wasn't a fan of Hunt on the football field, but I really like Tanoh.

Archived...

Stole it from Hockeysfuture.com years ago and have been using it ever since.

There's really no better shorthand for breaking down the old ceiling/floor discussion. It's short, intuitive and covers all the bases.

I'm still a little iffy on the 2nd round for this guy. Not sold he's much of a difference maker early.

LMAO

Thanks!

Back at my desk - here's why that grading scale is perfect: it gives you a fantastic grounds for comparison.

For instance, let's use Kareem Hunt. I would consider Hunt a 7.0(B). Now I look at someone like Joe Williams and say that he's a 7.5(D). I think Williams has the ability to be a better player than Hunt but that extra .5 isn't enough to justify the step from a B to a D in terms of likelihood of getting there. So ultimately I'd consider Hunt a better prospect than Williams (and by a not insignificant amount).

Dalvin Cook I would say is a 7.5(B); just as likely as Hunt to hit his ceiling but a better player than Hunt if they both do. As such, I'd say he's a better prospect. Someone like Kamara would be a 7.5(C); higher ceiling than Hunt but less likely to hit his. I'd consider him just a slightly better prospect for us, though not for all teams. In Spencer Ware, I believe we already have the steady, dependable if unspectacular RB that a 7 suggests. So I'd gamble on the extra upside in Kamara.

You look at someone like West and I think you'd have called him a 5.5(D). He's perfect proof that a D doesn't mean you won't hit that 5.5 (solid complementary player), but that it's unlikely. He actually hit it. So as a prospect, he was a pretty lousy one. But as a player, he's decent.

With Mahomes I think you have a no-shit 9.0(D). That ceiling is immense though the odds of hitting it aren't great. That doesn't mean he can't settle into a nice 8.0 player or even a 7. But that ceiling is massive. Whereas someone like Trubisky would be a 7.5(C). I'd have a hard time giving any QB more than a C ranking, but someone like Luck could get there. The problem is that Luck would've been a 10(B). You can't say anyone's an A bet to hit a HoF skill level. Manning, OTOH, I'd have graded something like a 9.0(A). I thought he was an outstanding bet to hit his ceiling, I just wouldn't have put his ceiling as high as it got.

Robert Davis would've gotten something like an 8.0(F) from me. Really really REALLY long odds but the ability is there for him to be a great one. That said, anyone with an F chance of hitting their ceiling has got to be seen as something of a shit wild-card and 5th round pick at best. I'd have still preferred him over Chesson's 6.5(D), however.

Now I don't know that it helps me convince anyone to agree with where I'm coming from, but I think it does a great job of showing people exactly what I'm trying to say (regardless of whether or not they agree with me). The scale leaves room for people to disagree (for instance, I'd imagine Hunts fans would rank him more in the 8.0(B) range, hence their affinity for him), but it sure does distill where you're coming from nicely.