Tag: NFL draft sleepers

Don’t sleep on this 49ers Day 3 pick

Don’t sleep on this new #49ers wide receiver.

The 49ers’ selection of wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 of the 2024 draft made plenty of waves regarding the future of San Francisco’s receiving corps. While speculation swirled about where he fit in the near and long-term, the 49ers made another addition to their receiving corps when they selected WR Jacob Cowing with the final pick of the fourth round.

Cowing’s 5-8, 168-pound frame is a big reason he slid, but it didn’t deter Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar from calling him the 49ers’ best sleeper in a list of underrated picks in this year’s draft.

Despite his frame, Farrar’s praise for Cowing is effusive thanks to the receiver’s deep speed and ability to win in the short areas of the passing game.

In 2023, the 5′ 8⅜”, 163-pound Cowing had six receptions on passes of 20 or more air yards on a team where the deep ball wasn’t a feature. His tape shows a lot of speed potential, and in today’s NFL, teams are less concerned with smaller receivers, given the use of motion and multiple deployments to keep them open, and away from bigger, more aggressive defenders.

And here’s Farrar talking about Cowing with NFL analyst Greg Cosell, who has been a huge Cowing fan since the receiver was at UTEP in 2021:

A sizable question mark about the 49ers going forward is whether they can continue stacking their offense with high-end playmakers. With the futures of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel in question finding additional receivers to usher the offense into a new era will be key for San Francisco. Pearsall will get plenty of opportunities to be one of those players, but Cowing could certainly be a major part of the club going forward and another Day 3 gem who helps keep the 49ers’ Super Bowl window open.

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Is Notre Dame DE Foskey underrated by the NFL? ESPN thinks so

With a big season, Foskey could be crashing into the NFL Draft’s top 10

Like recruiting, NFL teams don’t rest when it comes to scouting players for the next draft and beyond. Teams might go out to see a certain player and get enamored with another one, who wasn’t on their radar.

ESPN’s Matt Miller took a look at a few prospects who are considered “sleepers” (insider) and although no Irish players were selected as one of those six, Miller did name Notre Dame defensive end [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] as someone who could rise into the top ten picks.

…Foskey could push himself into the top 10 this year. He’s naturally talented. You just don’t hear about him because there are so many studs at defensive end – NFC scout

Miller’s insight from the unnamed scout was telling as to how the NFL teams view Foskey. Not only did he impress the scout with his performance, Miller believes Foskey “has the agility, length, and power to be a force on all three downs. The sky’s the limit on his 2022 season.”

That’s high praise from one of the most well respected draft analysts out there. After last season where Foskey registered 11 sacks, 9.5 tackles-for-loss and six forced fumbles, the bar has been set high for what could be his final campaign in Blue and Gold.

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2021 NFL Draft: 5 Most Underrated Prospects, From The College Perspective

2021 NFL Draft: Before this all gets going, from the college perspective  who are the five most underrated prospects?

2021 NFL Draft: Before this all gets going, from the college perspective  who are the five most underrated prospects?

I know all too well how the NFL scouting and draft world works, but I’m a college football guy. I see this thing from a slightly different angle.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m 100% all about the freakish rare-human tools that separate the potential NFL starters from the rest of the pack, but sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. It’s as simple as this …

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Is the prospect going to be a good NFL football player and/or does he have something that could make him special? Okay, so where’s the love in the draft and scouting process?

Sometimes I get this really, really right (Lamar Jackson, Colin Kaepernick, Arian Foster, DK Metcalf), and sometimes I get this horribly, horribly wrong (DeShone Kizer, Josh Rosen, Taylor Mays, Malcolm Kelly).

Who are the five most underappreciated, underloved, and underrated prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft? These guys will go later than they should, and they’ll be wonderful gets after Day One.

CFN 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE & Edge | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Greatest Draft Picks For Each College
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
32 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time
Top 105 Pro Prospects
Two Round NFL Mock Draft

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews | @PeteFiutak

5. DEs Rashard Weaver & Patrick Jones, Pitt

Projected Round: Weaver 5, Jones 4

I’m starting this with two at the same position at the same school. The 6-4, 261-pound Jones will likely drop out of the top 100 picks because he doesn’t have quite the right look, power and flash you might want as an edge rusher, but he produced at a high level for three seasons and he should be a nice mid-round pass rushing situational find.

Weaver is a 6-4, 259-pound pure pass rusher who’ll find his way to the quarterback. A knee injury derailed him along the way, and he was lumbering through drills – he only ran a 4.85 – but he’s going to be a part of your rotation because he’s going to hit the other team’s passer.

4. QB Jamie Newman, Wake Forest/Georgia

Projected Round: 5

No one seems to have suffered more in the draft process by opting out of the 2020 season – he did so because of Covid concerns.

Newman was solid at Wake Forest and he could’ve blown up as the starter for Georgia, but now he’s just a flier of a prospect who’ll go in the later rounds.

He’s 6-3, 234 pounds, has a stronger arm than most quarterbacks who’ll be taken ahead of him, and all that’s missing is a little bit of time.

He only had one season as a starting quarterback, and there’s the issue. He’s not ready right now, and in today’s NFL that’s not okay. Everything is there, though, to develop into a starter once he gets enough time to work through the growing pains.

3. DT Marvin Wilson & S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State

Projected Round: Wilson 4, Nasirildeen 4

These two have something else in common other than being from Florida State – they’re among the best leaders in the 2021 NFL Draft class.

Last year at this time it seemed like Marvin Wilson was destined to be a first rounder. He’s got the 6-4, 303-pound NFL size, the anchor ability, and the type of personality to make a defense his. He has to keep his weight down, he has to get healthy, and he has to look like the 2018 and 2019 version, but he’ll be a terrific pro.

The 6-3, 215-pound Nasirildeen might be tall and lean, but he’s a terrific tackler, the right tone-setting guy for your locker room, and he erases matchup problem receivers. However, he’s dropping because of a knee injury – give him a year and he’s a stat-sheet filling starter.

2. DT Jay Tufele, USC

Projected Round: 4

I honestly don’t get this one. He’s a first round talent who’ll probably drop to the third round.

Okay, so he’s 6-2, 305 and not the ideal size for a defensive tackle, but good luck finding a quicker and more explosive prospect for the interior.

He might need to be surrounded with thumpers and run stuffers, but for the modern NFL where you need pass rushers at every spot up front, here you go. He’s suffering from opting out – the momentum for his draft stock slowed to a crawl – but he’ll get into an NFL camp and a coaching staff will fall in love.

1. CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford

Projected Round: 3

It’s a corner-rich draft and Adebo – sort of like a few guys on this list – might be suffering from NFL scouting out-of-sight-out-of-mind issues. He opted out last season, and his draft stock dropped.

6-1, 198-pound size, 4.4 speed, and a whole lot of production – 97 tackles, 8 interceptions, 27 broken up passes – there’s no real knock other than the NFL basically forgot about him.

He’s not a great tackler, but he’s good enough. He’s been banged up, and he missed a few too many makable plays for someone with his talent, but he’s going to be an NFL starter – and possibly an elite one – after the first 50 picks.

CFN 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE & Edge | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Greatest Draft Picks For Each College
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
32 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time

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2021 NFL draft: 5 sleeper offensive linemen Chargers could target

The Los Angeles Chargers would be wise to invest early draft capital into the offensive line, but the work shouldn’t stop there.

Every draft class includes a handful of sleepers waiting to surprise the rest of the league and force senses of regret upon the teams that passed on them.

The consensus believes that the Chargers will address the offensive line in the early going of the draft, but the work shouldn’t stop there as this is a unit that needs all of the reinforcements that they can get to help quarterback Justin Herbert, now and many years from now.

With that being said, here are five offensive linemen who aren’t receiving a lot of buzz that Los Angeles could target in this year’s draft.

Sadarius Hutcherson, G, South Carolina

In a deep interior offensive line group, the player that still doesn’t get enough attention is Hutcherson, even though I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be a Day 2 selection. Maybe his Pro Day will draw some more attention after he did 36 reps on bench press and ran a 4.95 40-yard dash at 331 pounds.

A versatile lineman for the Gamecocks, Hutcherson started 39 games — 16 at left guard, 12 at right guard and 11 at left tackle. He has the anchor ability to lock up rushers, power and toughness to move bodies in the run game, and active eyes to diagnose stunts and slants.

Hutcherson is a guy who could be a solid starter in this league by Year 2, projecting best on the left side, although he has position flexibility to kick out to the right side and the ability to serve as a backup at tackle, if need be.

Robert Jones, OT/G, Middle Tennessee State

Jones, the former two star recruit, started off as a JUCO-player before transferring to Middle Tennessee State in 2019. In two seasons at right tackle, Jones never missed a game and was named All-Honorable Mention Conference-USA twice. He played in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he performed well.

Jones is a massive, powerful lineman with surprising quickness and athleticism, but will be making a leap from a lower level FBS school, where his easy dominance, sufficient hands and overall technique in pass protection will take time to translate, projecting as a reliable backup at either guard or tackle.

Adrian Ealy, OT, Oklahoma

Starting all 11 games in 2020, Ealy earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors. Ealy allowed only three sacks on 421 pass blocks, per Pro Football Focus. In 2019, he also secured Second-Team All-Big 12 marks, starting all 12 games. He appeared in 28 games in three seasons, starting 23 of them.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and 324 pounds, Ealy has the size that NFL teams are looking for. He has the athleticism, anchor ability and good movement in space. Ealy needs to refine his hand technique, but he has the necessary traits to be counted on as a backup right tackle who can play left tackle, as well.

Kayode Awosika, OT, Buffalo

Awosika was three-year starter for the Bulls at both tackle spots, anchoring a line that led the way for a rushing attack that averaged 287.4 yards per game and allowed only one sack. He was named first-team All-MAC and second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America in 2020.

The 6-foot-5 and 315 pound Awosika is a good-sized lineman who uses his athleticism to mirror pass-rushers smoothly and keep them at bay with his length. In the run game, he is a force, where he does a phenomenal job of moving bodies instantly at the point of attack.

Awosika does need to improve with his leverage and hand placement in pass protection, but overall, he has the solid foundation to serve as a versatile swing tackle who might even become a reliable guard at the next tackle, given his run-blocking prowess.

William Sherman, OT, Colorado

Sherman started for the Buffs the last three seasons, with four at right guard, 11 at left tackle and 12 at right tackle. He moved over to the blindside for the 2020 season, allowing just one sack and being penalized just once in six starts en route to earning second-team All-Pac-12.

At 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, Sherman has a sturdy frame with wide hips and square shoulders, where he uses it to his advantage when anchoring defenders. His athleticism shows when dropping back, showing quick feet and fluidity in space. While he isn’t the best run-blocker from a technical standpoint, Sherman has the strength and speed to get the job done.

Sherman could become a reliable swing tackle in the NFL, but he projects best inside not only due to his lack of length but where he actually shines, showing plus anchor strength and ability to do well in tight spaces.

5 small-school sleepers to watch at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine

Keep an eye on these under-the-radar prospects at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine

Every year we see a handful of small-school sleepers emerge at the NFL Scouting Combine. While many small-school prospects already have some hype going into the combine, a good performance in Indianapolis can confirm that they can hang with the best players in college football, and do wonders for their draft stock.

While all combine performances should be taken with a grain of salt, here are 5 intriguing under-the-radar prospects to keep a close eye on at this year’s event.

Adam Trautman | TE | Dayton

Listed at 6-5, 255 pounds, Trautman was a big winner at this year’s Senior Bowl and more recently, the combine weigh ins. Trautman was ridiculously productive over the past two seasons by accounting for more than 1,500 receiving yards and a whopping 23 touchdowns. The highlight of his 2019 season came against the Jacksonville Dolphins when he went for four touchdowns while looking completely unstoppable.

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Don’t let his Trautman’s size fool you into thinking he’s a big guy that can’t move. He appears to be a dynamic athlete on tape with the ability to make a man miss in the open field. He has every athletic tool to not only put on a big-time performance at the combine, but to also become a TE1 at the next level. The arrow is very much pointing up for Trautman.

Check out our exclusive interview with Trautman here.

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NFL Draft: Is Troy Pride, Jr. Still A Sleeper? USA TODAY Says Yes

His numbers don’t jump off the page at you as he intercepted four passes in his Notre Dame career which feels rather low for a two-year starter and regular contributor for even longer.

If you’ve been paying attention to NFL Mock Drafts or the off-season work to get to April’s NFL Draft, a Notre Dame player you’ve heard great compliments about over the last month has been cornerback Troy Pride, Jr.

Pride was a mainstay in the Notre Dame secondary over the last three seasons, appearing in 37 games in that time.  His numbers don’t jump off the page at you as he intercepted four passes in his Notre Dame career which feels rather low for a two-year starter and regular contributor for even longer.

He also started all 13 games on Notre Dame’s 2019 squad that not only went 11-2 but also allowed the third-fewest pass yards in all of college football.  If he wasn’t intercepting passes, he certainly wasn’t allowing big plays either.

Pride’s speed has been discussed at length and will be on full display at the upcoming NFL Combine.  For those paying attention he’s been seemingly climbing draft boards for a while now and his rise doesn’t feel like a surprise.

The USA TODAY Wednesday gave names of 11 draft sleepers and mentions Pride:
It’s hard to fathom a two-year starter at Notre Dame who also ran track would end up on this list. Pride, however, hasn’t received widespread recognition, even after an impressive Senior Bowl week in which he flustered nearly all of his opposition. At 5-11 and 195 pounds, he won’t be confused for Richard Sherman or Patrick Peterson, particularly given he recorded just four interceptions in three years. But his quick feet and recognition skills allow him to stick close to pass catchers and deny them any easy opportunities.

His size will keep him from ever being seen as a truly elite NFL prospect and if he his ultimately limited in the league, that’ll likely be why.  But his tape doesn’t lie and giving up a few well-thrown back shoulder throws this year may have urked some Notre Dame fans, but his skills and speed speak for themselves.

He might not be some superstar in the NFL but assuming health (which can be risky) I have trouble believing his skill-set and speed won’t keep him cashing league checks for a good amount of time.

Meet Adam Trautman, the sleeping giant of the 2020 TE class

Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Dayton tight end Adam Trautman

The teams that routinely win the NFL draft are the ones that are able to find the best players, regardless of where they played their college ball. It’s about finding diamonds in the rough, and getting the best value across all seven rounds.

If your favorite NFL team is looking to check all those boxes with a tight end prospect in the 2020 NFL draft, they should look no further than Dayton’s Adam Trautman.

One of the biggest winners at this year’s Senior Bowl, Trautman recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his experience against top competition in Mobile, how he handles the “small-school” criticism, and what kind of impact he’ll make at the next level.

JM: What was your experience like at the Senior Bowl?

AT: It was a great experience. For a guy like me and with my situation being a small school guy, it was a huge opportunity for me to go out there and compete against the top seniors around the nation. It was important for me to go out there and prove that I belonged. I got to showcase myself against some of the best of the best. The week itself was a grind but it was a lot of fun. It’s football so naturally I had an awesome time out there.

JM: Was your main focus out there to quiet some of the small-school talk?

AT: Yeah, I wanted to specifically prove that I’m a complete tight end. I can put my hand in the dirt and attack people in the run game. I of course wanted to showcase my abilities in the passing game as well. I basically wanted everyone in attendance to realize that everything I put on film throughout my entire college career will translate exactly to that level of competition as well. I definitely feel like I did that and proved that to everybody.

JM: You just know that some scout or whoever is gonna ask you about the small-school competition. Will you point him in the direction of your Senior Bowl tape?

AT: Yeah, I would honestly tell them to pull up the tape from the week of practice I had out there. It clearly translated for me. They can’t just say that I was giving more effort out there or whatever because if you watch my tape, that’s how I played all season. I go hard all the time. That would be my response. People are gonna have their opinions and I understand that. I had a chance to prove myself throughout the three days of practice and in the game as well. I definitely feel good about it. I don’t think I should have an asterisk next to my name. I was thrilled with how the week went.

Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

JM: You put up 70 catches, 900+ yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Those are some impressive numbers. What is it about your game that allowed you to be so productive?

AT: It comes down to great game-planning. It starts there. Our offensive coordinator did a great job being creative and putting me in different situations that allowed me to thrive and be successful. Opposing defenses had a difficult time game-planning for me in any given situation because we threw so much at them. We did a great job hiding me, finding me mismatches and getting me into 1-v-1 opportunities. A huge amount of credit goes to our offensive coordinator. I also put in a lot of work throughout the summer. I really honed in on route running and blocking. I was fortunate to see that hard work translate over. I’m very happy with the season that I had.

JM: There was such a big jump in production for you from 2018 to 2019. Why do you think that happened?

AT: I was really focused throughout the off-season. Going in as a senior, I knew this was my last run at it. There’s a new level of focus that comes with that realization. I certainly spent a lot of time on the little techniques. Those things did a great job carrying over for me. They lead to a lot of big time opportunities on game-day. I was able to make some big plays for my team and dominate in the run game as well. That really was where my focus was at. I also think our offense did a great job evolving this past season. We were able to carry over the momentum from the year before and take that a little further. We went from scoring 36 points per game to 42.5 points per game which was the best mark in the country. That’s a credit to our offensive coordinator.

JM: What’s your favorite part about playing tight end?

AT: I enjoy being able to impact the game in multiple aspects. You can be that go-to guy in the passing game as the chain mover or play-maker if you will. You can also be the guy on 4th and 1 who demands for the team to run the ball behind you. We’re able to impact the game in so many ways as a tight end. The NFL has seen an increased usage of multiple tight end sets as of late. That’s really what I love about the position.

JM: You’re an excellent route runner. Do you have a favorite route to run?

AT: Yeah, I’d have to say a corner route. That’s definitely my favorite route to run. Being able to change the angle when you come off of a cut, just having that freedom makes it my favorite.

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

JM: I have a two-part question here for you. Is there one NFL defender that you’re looking forward to squaring off with? How about one NFL quarterback you’d love to catch a pass from?

AT: Wow, those are tough. I have to think about a safety or someone I could realistically square off with in coverage. Tyrann Mathieu definitely comes to mind. I’ve always loved watching him play the game. He’s a heck of a player. As for the quarterback question, I don’t really care (laughs). I’ll catch a pass from any NFL quarterback. That’s a tough one. I like Deshaun Watson. I grew up a Houston Texans fan. I grew up in Houston up until I was 11 years before we moved to Michigan. Catching a pass from Watson would be pretty cool but I honestly don’t have a preference at all.

JM: The NFL Scouting Combine is fast approaching. Are you looking forward to any drills in particular?

AT: I’m really just looking forward to having another opportunity to go out there and compete on another big stage against my peers. There’s so many talented guys throughout the country and I’m excited about competing alongside them. I’m looking forward to meeting the teams and interviewing with them. The position drills are big. It’s another chance to show that I can separate and move with the best of them. I can get in and out of breaks effortlessly and I can move guys off the ball in the run game. I’m excited for it all. I’ve been watching the combine on television for at least seven years in a row now. I’m looking forward to partaking in it.

JM: This is a long, taxing process, but it’s an incredibly rewarding one. What are you most looking forward to?

AT: I’m really excited to see where I could take this thing. I’m excited to ultimately find out where I’m gonna end up. Where I was before last season, I’ve seen quite the rise. The way teams view me has changed drastically. There’s a big difference in where I’m projected now to where I was a year ago. It’s gonna be exciting to see how high I can end up and how I can continue to elevate myself. Continued development is very important to me. I’ve been working with some great position coaches as I prepare for what’s next. I’ve obtained a lot of knowledge over the last little bit. I love developing as a player. I’m already excited to head out to rookie mini-camp wherever that might be (laughs). I can’t wait to do what I do best.

JM: What kind of impact is Adam Trautman gonna make at the next level?

AT: I plan on being a huge contributor. I’ll take up whatever role I need to. If they need me to be the third tight end and play special teams, I’ll be ready to embrace that. I’m absolutely all for that. If they need me to be the blocking tight end in a two tight end set or the leading pass catcher of the position group, I’m ready for whatever role’s coming my way. I’m looking forward to contributing to whatever organization believes in me.

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