kelly Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Despite all the work that teams put into evaluating prospects, some players outperform their draft position every year in the NFL. That doesn't mean they become huge stars at the next level, but they still are considered steals given the value they provide relative to where they were selected in the draft. Just last season, we saw wide receivers John Brown (third round) and Martavis Bryant (fourth round) emerge as steals. So, who will be the steals of the 2015 draft ? My colleagues from NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" made some excellent picks when discussing the topic on Monday's show. Here are five guys that I believe have the potential to become the steals of this year's draft. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon The skinny: If Ekpre-Olomu had not suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice for the College Football Playoff in December, I think he would be in the conversation for top cornerback in the draft. Now, he's not in the first-round conversation and I have him ranked as the No. 10 corner available. He might need a redshirt year as a rookie as he recovers from the injury, but he's such a good player. It will be interesting to see how early a team will be willing to draft him. At 5-foot-9, he's going to struggle against size at times, but he's an excellent tackler, even though he missed a few last season, and has great intangibles. Tre' Jackson, G, Florida State The skinny: Jackson will probably go in the third round, but he'll likely be a plug-and-play guy and start in the NFL for a decade. He's a tough, physical player who is proficient in just about everything he's asked to do. Dezmin Lewis, WR, Central Arkansas The skinny: Lewis could join the likes of Cecil Shorts and Pierre Garcon, who both played their college ball at the University of Mount Union, and become the next small-school receiver to make his mark in the NFL. He had a good showing at the Senior Bowl and is a big-bodied target (6-4, 214 pounds) who can make plays downfield. 2014 draft steal Martavis Bryant is that type of player, too. Za'Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky The skinny: Smith kept flashing at the East-West Shrine Game. In fact, he was so impressive that he received a call-up to the Senior Bowl, where he had a very good week. He's a high-effort player who will battle to make plays. One other East-West defensive end to keep in mind -- Miami's Anthony Chickillo, who starred along with Smith in the Shrine Game. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama The skinny: I'm hearing more and more buzz about Yeldon of late, which is interesting considering he's not a newcomer to the national scene having played a prominent role for Alabama. The thing is, Yeldon has often been left out of discussions about the top running backs in the draft. I think the team that lands him in the middle rounds will be very happy with the value he provides, though. He's a talented rusher with good receiving ability. Yeldon is productive, and I was on hand last month for his pro day, where he ran very well. The stopwatches I saw had him in the mid-4.4s, a big improvement from his NFL Scouting Combine 40 (4.61). > http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000483899/article/five-prospects-that-will-be-steals-in-2015-nfl-draft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 oh ,..if we can get yeldon in the 3rd... cool ! cheers ~ ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Ifo falling to the 3rd will be a steal for a team, no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patriot Killa Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Ifo falling to the 3rd will be a steal for a team, no doubt. He has the kind of ball instinct you want from a corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet9 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 3rd time I've seen something on Tre Jackson the past week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 The corner sounds like a copy of McDougall to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlue Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Despite all the work that teams put into evaluating prospects, some players outperform their draft position every year in the NFL. That doesn't mean they become huge stars at the next level, but they still are considered steals given the value they provide relative to where they were selected in the draft. Just last season, we saw wide receivers John Brown (third round) and Martavis Bryant (fourth round) emerge as steals. So, who will be the steals of the 2015 draft ? My colleagues from NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" made some excellent picks when discussing the topic on Monday's show. Here are five guys that I believe have the potential to become the steals of this year's draft. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon The skinny: If Ekpre-Olomu had not suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice for the College Football Playoff in December, I think he would be in the conversation for top cornerback in the draft. Now, he's not in the first-round conversation and I have him ranked as the No. 10 corner available. He might need a redshirt year as a rookie as he recovers from the injury, but he's such a good player. It will be interesting to see how early a team will be willing to draft him. At 5-foot-9, he's going to struggle against size at times, but he's an excellent tackler, even though he missed a few last season, and has great intangibles. Tre' Jackson, G, Florida State The skinny: Jackson will probably go in the third round, but he'll likely be a plug-and-play guy and start in the NFL for a decade. He's a tough, physical player who is proficient in just about everything he's asked to do. Dezmin Lewis, WR, Central Arkansas The skinny: Lewis could join the likes of Cecil Shorts and Pierre Garcon, who both played their college ball at the University of Mount Union, and become the next small-school receiver to make his mark in the NFL. He had a good showing at the Senior Bowl and is a big-bodied target (6-4, 214 pounds) who can make plays downfield. 2014 draft steal Martavis Bryant is that type of player, too. Za'Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky The skinny: Smith kept flashing at the East-West Shrine Game. In fact, he was so impressive that he received a call-up to the Senior Bowl, where he had a very good week. He's a high-effort player who will battle to make plays. One other East-West defensive end to keep in mind -- Miami's Anthony Chickillo, who starred along with Smith in the Shrine Game. T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama The skinny: I'm hearing more and more buzz about Yeldon of late, which is interesting considering he's not a newcomer to the national scene having played a prominent role for Alabama. The thing is, Yeldon has often been left out of discussions about the top running backs in the draft. I think the team that lands him in the middle rounds will be very happy with the value he provides, though. He's a talented rusher with good receiving ability. Yeldon is productive, and I was on hand last month for his pro day, where he ran very well. The stopwatches I saw had him in the mid-4.4s, a big improvement from his NFL Scouting Combine 40 (4.61). > http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000483899/article/five-prospects-that-will-be-steals-in-2015-nfl-draft I like Dezmin Lewis a lot. I know we worked out ZaDarius Smith and he could be our pass rush pick; not sure if he can projects to OLB. Tre Jackson would be a nice pick up but we really need draft a LT and or RT prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predator_05 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 William and Mary WR Tre McBride might be the steal of the draft. Complete WR, good measurables, and just an all-round smart guy. I'd like to say that we should go for him, but some other sharps will probably swoop in and make him a pro-bowler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio State NY Jets fan Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Yeldon did cover up some bad QB play in Bama so could help this team if Geno is the last man standing at QB RB class is deep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obrien2Toon Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Ifo, Jackson, and Yeldon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patman Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Guys I like are Marcus Hardison, Derrek Lott and Xavier Williams on the Dline Shaw, Carter and Rowe, although Rowe has been "climbing on draft boards" and probably will be taken in the 2nd Shaq Mason, Glominski and Donavan Smith on the oline Corey Grant as a 3rd down back to replace verreen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 The corner sounds like a copy of McDougall to me. I think he was waaaaaay higher up the board going into the season. Ekpre-Olomo was possibly the top CB going into the season. McDougle was just getting on the radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Ifo, Jackson, and Yeldon cool ! cheers ~ ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavericknyc1980 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 William and Mary WR Tre McBride might be the steal of the draft. Complete WR, good measurables, and just an all-round smart guy. I'd like to say that we should go for him, but some other sharps will probably swoop in and make him a pro-bowler Mcbride, Yeldon I'm looking at in rounds 3-4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanInDenver Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Once people know it's a steal does it really end up being a steal. Just musing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 Mcbride, Yeldon I'm looking at in rounds 3-4. " keepin' my fingers crossed ".. cheers ~ ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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