When it comes to our draft analyst Wonder’s ability to sniff out busts, caveat emptor!
Sleepers
TE Clive Wolford. Not that I am a big proponent of drafting anyone named Clive. He should not go before R3 or R4. He could be poor man’s Greg Olsen or he could bust, but at least you are getting him cheap and he has potential. He can go down the seam, block, needs to gain some weight. Can make your team. Has pretty good quickness for those 3rd and 5 option routes. And a little bit of nasty in him. Not great, but he could be a starting quality TE.
WR Justin Hardy. Small WR, kind of reminds me of poor man’s Steve Smith from Carolina. Not afraid of anything. Plays much bigger than his size. Slot receive, more quick than fast, in and out of breaks. Gets the ball with his hands. A lot of value in R3 or R4.
OLB Kwon Alexander. Small. Really fast. Not sure if he can hold up in the NFL. His hero should be Derrick Brooks. If he can put on 15-20 lbs in a couple of years you might have something in an OLB. Good work ethic, seems like a football player.
QB Brandon Bridge. R5 or R6. Late draft pick. Deep out of the money Call option. Has an NFL arm. NFL size. avg+ speed, can evade pass rush (quicker than fast). Played at S Alabama. No real pro position experience. So it will take time to groom him. If you are patient with this guy, I think you can get a total steal. A QB guru + patience> but could be an NFL starting QB. Elite QBs cost 20MM and tax your cap space. If you have a model where you find a guy like this and build around him. I make this guy my 5th round pick. If I worked him out and am totally sold, I draft him as high as R4. Let him sit for the last 3-4 years of Eli’s career and groom him cheap. There is no better team for him to get picked than either the Giants, NE or NO. He will be able to sit behind Manning, Brady or Brees for another 3-4 years and learn.
QB Bryce Petty. Not exactly a sleeper because he will go 3rd or 4th at QB off the board. He is a leader. Smart. Tough. If he played in a pro offense he would go a lot higher than Baylor’s spread offense. He’s got good accuracy but it is going to take time.
DE Danielle Hunter. I see him becoming a DE in a 4-3. Fast. Potential. Lacks experience. R3 or R4, have him learn and watch JPP. He can become a very good DE in the NFL. Value with upside.
CB Steve Nelson. 22 years old. 21 starts. Not a burner. But still in high 4’4’s. Athletic. Not afraid to tackle. Reminds me of Terrell Thomas. May end up being better than a lot of CBs in this draft. R4? I think he’s a football player.
WR Devante Davis. Big WR. His body shape is such that you can add weight. All he does is catch footballs. Not a burner but he goes up and gets the ball. He is better than the Ramses Barden. GREAT HANDS. Red zone. The Gmen can really use this for Eli, a big body. R5 steal. Never had a QB who could throw the ball before. This guy has the potential to be a solid starter (3).
S Jaquiski Tartt (4) Could become a (3). Big. Fast. Can hit. Does not have the experience coming from Samford. Potential. Loads of potential. If you can get him in R4, worth the risk to bring him along.
WR Chris Conley (don’t have comments on him from Wonder here) He’s the guy who got a writeup from Rolling Stone for having made a Youtube movie with a half million hits. Evidently there may be something to this Georgia receiver too.
Busts
WR Devin Funchess. He will go in R1 or R2 and will be a big mistake. He is not big enough to play TE and he is not fast enough to play WR. At best, an ok possession receiver. Maybe a red zone threat as a big guy point and shoot TD.
LB Hau’oli Kikaha. Too slow, too short, too injured, no thank you.
ILB Denzel Perryman. Too short, too slow, cannot cover and tackle fast RBs out of backfield. Will be overdrafted and you are forewarned.
DT Jordan Phillips. Suffers from the overweight syndrome. Remember Mount Cody, who was drafted by the Ravens, and whom we panned? Another in the same mold, his only chance is to hook up with Jared from the Subway ads.
DT Grady Jarrett. The reality is that a Warren Sapp DT comes along very infrequently. Sapp had great hands and great quickness, and this guy is no Warren Sapp.
OT Donovan Smith. Too big to even play OL. Too slow. Needs to get behind Phillips in line to see Jared Fogle.
WR Rashad Greene. Too small to play WR. Not a burner. Bad combination. Short arms, small hands. Decent speed. But I do not see how he can play in the NFL.
CB PJ Williams (Fla State). Remember Chris Cook? He was drafted 34th (almost R1) in 2010 by the Vikings. We had him rated 77th in the 3rd round. The have it backwards. Ronald Darby (Fla State, whom we rate 64th overall) is the CB who can be a starter in the NFL. NOT PJ Williams, who will probably be drafted ahead of Darby and too early. Williams is a man amongst boys, cheating to get the ball. In the pros that will not work. Does not have the speed and the hips to make it at the next level. Darby, on the other hand, is a solid player. His only problem is that he is not tall enough. He has really good catchup speed, great hips, great reactions, he glides. If he were 6’1″ and 210 lbs, he’d be looking at R1. Summary: Take Darby, not PJ Williams.
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