Top 3 Underrated Players in the Draft (1 Viewer)

[ditka85]

Jason Hill - This kid has big upside but seems to be getting very little attention in this deep WR class.

Charles Johnson - As some have already stated, he is beastly at times. Wouldn't surprise me if he turned out to be the best DE in this class.

David Harris - Alright, he may not be the fastest LB, but in the right system I think he can be a very good ILB. This guy sure can hit!

 

[WhoDat]

Q. Moses (already mentioned)-Last year at this time he was the #1 player overall according to BLESTO. C. Johnson was a tremendous benefactor of being on the same defensive line as Moses. Somebody is going to get a player that is equally parts headcase, hardcase and gem late 2nd or early 3rd round. He is going to be good. Personally, I would love to see the Lions grab him at the top of the 3rd if they opt not to take a DE at 1.02 (2) and 2.02 (34). I roll the dice on this kid late 2nd or anywhere in the 3rd.

D. Harris (already mentioned)-Tackling machine and someone I feel can play 3 downs. He will eventually outperform his draft position and be a solid pro for many years.

Stewart Bradley-Not flashy by any means but he is bringing the lunch box everyday. Just a solid football player and a kid I liked watching.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Stewart Bradley-Not flashy by any means but he is bringing the lunch box everyday. Just a solid football player and a kid I liked watching.

Bradley is one of the most balanced LBs in the draft (run D, coverage, pass rush) and he can fit in just about any scheme - he would be an excellent Patriots or Jets pick.Also, you get a "true professional" vibe from him.

 

[WhoDat]

Stewart Bradley-Not flashy by any means but he is bringing the lunch box everyday. Just a solid football player and a kid I liked watching.

Bradley is one of the most balanced LBs in the draft (run D, coverage, pass rush) and he can fit in just about any scheme - he would be an excellent Patriots or Jets pick.Also, you get a "true professional" vibe from him.

He has 10 year pro written all over him.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Q. Moses (already mentioned)-Last year at this time he was the #1 player overall according to BLESTO. C. Johnson was a tremendous benefactor of being on the same defensive line as Moses. Somebody is going to get a player that is equally parts headcase, hardcase and gem late 2nd or early 3rd round. He is going to be good. Personally, I would love to see the Lions grab him at the top of the 3rd if they opt not to take a DE at 1.02 (2) and 2.02 (34). I roll the dice on this kid late 2nd or anywhere in the 3rd.

I'm still stunned that the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year may have fallen so far. Moses did not play poorly last year. People just wanted big numbers, but things changed a little on that line and with the way offenses approached him. I haven't updated rankings on this board, and the last I posted I claimed Moses and Johnson were the two best DEs in this draft. It would have been comforting had they measured better, and in Moses case, even more comforting had he made a better case at the Senior Bowl. Nevertheless, the DNA is on game film, and I agree both ends from Georgia are not getting enough attention. I still have a funny feeling both could go in round one though. I'm more worried about Moses (being a bit of a tweener and a short power forward) than Johnson though.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Just starting to formalize some opinions on the defensive rookies, but a few guys have caught my eye as possibly undervalued. Granted, I'm no draftnik and maybe these guys are already slotted well.

Tim Crowder -- I understand there are some scheme/usage issues, but I'm not sure I want Jarvis Moss or Victor Abiamiri ahead of him if I'm looking for a 4-3 end.

Rufus Alexander -- Is he really that much more limited than Beason or Durant? He's not getting nearly as much play in the mocks I've read but I think he could be just as good in the right scheme.

Anthony Waters -- Somebody coach me up on him. Still limited by injury concerns? Did he participate in the combine/pro day workouts? Sounds like he could be a solid three down MLB if he can improve in coverage.

Josh Gattis -- Scouting reports are mixed on his coverage instincts but he looks like he could be a solid gamble in the later rounds. Reads a little like Gibril Wilson to me.

Aaron Rouse -- This guy may already be projected to go in the second round, but his skill set reads like he could become a young Sammy Knight, Adrian Wilson type.

 

[WhoDat]

Q. Moses (already mentioned)-Last year at this time he was the #1 player overall according to BLESTO. C. Johnson was a tremendous benefactor of being on the same defensive line as Moses. Somebody is going to get a player that is equally parts headcase, hardcase and gem late 2nd or early 3rd round. He is going to be good. Personally, I would love to see the Lions grab him at the top of the 3rd if they opt not to take a DE at 1.02 (2) and 2.02 (34). I roll the dice on this kid late 2nd or anywhere in the 3rd.

I'm still stunned that the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year may have fallen so far. Moses did not play poorly last year. People just wanted big numbers, but things changed a little on that line and with the way offenses approached him. I haven't updated rankings on this board, and the last I posted I claimed Moses and Johnson were the two best DEs in this draft. It would have been comforting had they measured better, and in Moses case, even more comforting had he made a better case at the Senior Bowl. Nevertheless, the DNA is on game film, and I agree both ends from Georgia are not getting enough attention. I still have a funny feeling both could go in round one though. I'm more worried about Moses (being a bit of a tweener and a short power forward) than Johnson though.

I am slowly catching up on my research, notes and such and it appears...allegedly... Moses dogged it last year...LARGE ego... and struggled with constant double teams...everyone knew he was coming...and Johnson made the most of man on man work all season. How much of that is true? Tough to say and depends on the source. All I can think is that he, Moses, could be showing poor in personal or collected interviews. The same question can be asked. How much of that is true?Moses has got mad skills. He has legit Top 10 talent...Top 5...talent. A team like...my Lions...could really turn around their DL if they get this kid at the right price and he performs. I would much prefer the Lions address LB, DB or even OL and wait for Moses in the 3rd. G. Adams at 1.02 is overpaying. Moses in the 3rd is a steal. Somebody digs in and swings for the fences, though, mid to late 2nd. The potential is WAY too much for many teams to pass.

 

[WhoDat]

Just starting to formalize some opinions on the defensive rookies, but a few guys have caught my eye as possibly undervalued. Granted, I'm no draftnik and maybe these guys are already slotted well.

Tim Crowder -- I understand there are some scheme/usage issues, but I'm not sure I want Jarvis Moss or Victor Abiamiri ahead of him if I'm looking for a 4-3 end.

Rufus Alexander -- Is he really that much more limited than Beason or Durant? He's not getting nearly as much play in the mocks I've read but I think he could be just as good in the right scheme.

Anthony Waters -- Somebody coach me up on him. Still limited by injury concerns? Did he participate in the combine/pro day workouts? Sounds like he could be a solid three down MLB if he can improve in coverage.

Josh Gattis -- Scouting reports are mixed on his coverage instincts but he looks like he could be a solid gamble in the later rounds. Reads a little like Gibril Wilson to me.

Aaron Rouse -- This guy may already be projected to go in the second round, but his skill set reads like he could become a young Sammy Knight, Adrian Wilson type.

Guilt by association. He is an OU LB and, well, we know how those guys have faired recently on Sundays. He is decent. Good call on Rouse. Somebody who needs DB help will bypass the big names with their first pick and nab him in the 2nd/3rd. He will outperform his draft position.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Just starting to formalize some opinions on the defensive rookies, but a few guys have caught my eye as possibly undervalued. Granted, I'm no draftnik and maybe these guys are already slotted well.

Tim Crowder -- I understand there are some scheme/usage issues, but I'm not sure I want Jarvis Moss or Victor Abiamiri ahead of him if I'm looking for a 4-3 end.

Rufus Alexander -- Is he really that much more limited than Beason or Durant? He's not getting nearly as much play in the mocks I've read but I think he could be just as good in the right scheme.

Anthony Waters -- Somebody coach me up on him. Still limited by injury concerns? Did he participate in the combine/pro day workouts? Sounds like he could be a solid three down MLB if he can improve in coverage.

Josh Gattis -- Scouting reports are mixed on his coverage instincts but he looks like he could be a solid gamble in the later rounds. Reads a little like Gibril Wilson to me.

Aaron Rouse -- This guy may already be projected to go in the second round, but his skill set reads like he could become a young Sammy Knight, Adrian Wilson type.

nice list. Crowder is a beast, both he and Robison (the other Texas DE) will be values in this deep class of ends.Rufus's numbers have been weak, hence the drop

Waters is starting to pick up steam. I like him and hope to land him on most of my dynasty IDP teams.

Gattis should go 3rd/4th, i think thats about right.

There's a wide range of opinions on Rouse, some think he's the dreaded safety/LB tweener, but he looked like a legit safety to me at the Senior Bowl practices next to the "real" safeties like Griffin and Meriweather.

 

[Wildman]

Q. Moses (already mentioned)-Last year at this time he was the #1 player overall according to BLESTO. C. Johnson was a tremendous benefactor of being on the same defensive line as Moses. Somebody is going to get a player that is equally parts headcase, hardcase and gem late 2nd or early 3rd round. He is going to be good. Personally, I would love to see the Lions grab him at the top of the 3rd if they opt not to take a DE at 1.02 (2) and 2.02 (34). I roll the dice on this kid late 2nd or anywhere in the 3rd.

I'm still stunned that the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year may have fallen so far. Moses did not play poorly last year. People just wanted big numbers, but things changed a little on that line and with the way offenses approached him. I haven't updated rankings on this board, and the last I posted I claimed Moses and Johnson were the two best DEs in this draft. It would have been comforting had they measured better, and in Moses case, even more comforting had he made a better case at the Senior Bowl. Nevertheless, the DNA is on game film, and I agree both ends from Georgia are not getting enough attention. I still have a funny feeling both could go in round one though. I'm more worried about Moses (being a bit of a tweener and a short power forward) than Johnson though.

I have a source within the UGA football staff that works very closely with the players. Based on his comments I'd be much higher on Johnson than Moses. There's some questions about Moses...one of UGA's issues is that in recent years (The Richt Era) they like to convert players into DL's that could be very good LBs and effectively dwindle their NFL potential....Johnson is for real, Moses might have more difficulties.

 

[Biabreakable]

Now about this being the best draft class evah... better than 1996?

Um... Marvin Harrison

Terrell Owens

Keyshawn Johnson

Terry Glenn

Eric Moulds

Muhsin Muhammad

Joe Horn

Amani Toomer

Eddie Kennison



Piece a cake...

Just nine long term starters and pro bowlers? Am I missing anyone important?

Bobby Engram - Never truly a star but has had a long career and proved a servicable value pick for owners over the years especialy in 3WR leagues.

Year Value Pos. Rank Overall Rank

--------------------------------------------------

1996 0 58 153

1997 0 72 241

1998 6 22 66

1999 0 31 79

2000 0 126 288

2001 0 77 261

2002 0 70 207

2003 0 35 84

2004 0 63 206

2005 0 40 98

2006 0 97 261

--------------------------------------------------

Patrick Jeffers - His career was shortened by an injury IIRC but he did have one outstanding season before this happened, his 4th season and 1st year with Carolina in 1999 he was the 7th best Wr that year.

+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| Rushing | Receiving |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| 1996 den | 4 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |

| 1997 den | 10 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 3 24 8.0 0 |

| 1998 dal | 8 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 18 330 18.3 2 |

| 1999 car | 15 | 2 16 8.0 0 | 63 1082 17.2 12 |

| 2001 car | 10 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 14 127 9.1 0 |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

| TOTAL | 47 | 2 16 8.0 0 | 98 1563 15.9 14 |

+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+

Jermaine Lewis - more of a special teamer but did have a couple decent seasons early in his career. Would have been more valuable in leagues that reward points for returns also.Just for a point of reference in regards to the bust probobility looking back on 1996:

1 1 Keyshawn Johnson WR Southern California - starter but never dominant.

1 7 Terry Glenn WR Ohio State - had good seasons early and later in his career. Injuries held him back.

1 18 Eddie Kennison WR Louisiana State - has been a underrated starter most of his career.

1 19 Marvin Harrison WR Syracuse - Dominant Wr who emerged in his 4th season.

1 24 Eric Moulds WR Mississippi State - a top 10 Wr for many years.

2 31 Alex Van Dyke WR Nevada - Injury bust IIRC

2 34 Amani Toomer WR Michigan - solid starter most of his career.

2 41 Bryan Still WR Virginia Tech - never did much. Probobly too light to be a starter (174lbs)

2 43 Muhsin Muhammad WR Michigan State - solid starter most of his career.

2 52 Bobby Engram WR Penn State - spot starter solid reciever with limited tools.

2 56 Derrick Mayes WR Notre Dame - bust.

3 89 Terrell Owens WR Tenn.-Chattanooga - top 5 Wr most of his career even though a basket case.

3 94 Stepfret Williams WR Louisiana-Monroe - bust

4 110 Reggie Barlow WR Alabama State - bust

4 114 Charlie Jones WR Fresno State - bust

4 132 Jahine Arnold WR Fresno State - bust

5 135 Joe Horn WR Itawamba JC - emerged as a top 12 Wr once he changed teams.

5 136 Mercury Hayes WR Michigan - bust

5 153 Jermaine Lewis WR Maryland - special teamer with 2 ok seasons.

5 159 Patrick Jeffers WR Virginia - had one top 10 season before injury ended his career.

So out of the 1st round none of the 5 drafted were busts. 100% success rate although only 2 were stars.

Of the 6 2nd round Wrs 2 were solid starters and one was a spot starter (Engram) 50% success rate.

3rd rounder TO has been a huge success. Not sure if this draft class will have a similar player to him or not.

5th round pick Horn was great once he moved to NO and Jeffers had one great season after a change of scenery as well.

It has been almost a decade since the NFL has had such a good group of Wrs. Will the 2007 class repeat success like this? I guess it is possible although I am curious about the reasons why it might.

I did the break down by round to show that some of these Wrs that we are looking at now as very good prospects will fall in the NFL draft but could still emerge as solid players. And also to show the high success rate of the 1st round Wrs from this year which could also be repeated by the class of 2007.

I do think the Wr class of 2004 was an outstanding one and thier careers are still undecided yet. Wrs can take time to emerge. Even Marvin Harrison took 4 years to truly explode as a dominant Wr. We may see some increases in performance from the 2004 group of Wrs yet.

From top to bottom I like the prospects of the 2007 group of Wrs better than the group from 2004.

 

[renesauz]

BTW - How good was Hampton this year? They've got at least a half-dozen guys on the radar.

AS a proud resident of Hampton, I have to say pretty good. They won the MEAC conferance like 3 of the last 4 years. They had 6? (might have been 5) players invited to the combine, and there was a big local writeup about it because that was more players then several "big" schools like USC(?) and Wisconsin. Most likely only 2 or 3 will actually get drafted, but the others will get camp invites.

 

[The Jacket]

I'm going to leave off controversial guys I value higher than conensus (Ginn, Jarrett, Russell, among others) or that have fallen in recent weeks and get less pub than they used to (Branch, Levi Brown, among others). I feel the following guys are simply underrated:

Sidney Rice

Arron Sears

Justin Harrell

 

[Two Deep]

Brian Leonard

Anthony Gonzales

Darius Walker

 

[Chaos Commish]

Brian LeonardAnthony Gonzales

Gonzo and Leonard are constantly being discussed as late first rounders. You think they should go sooner?

 

[Biabreakable]

I really wish people would stop talking about Gonzalez. TIA

 

[nerangers]

Since Bloom had him going to the Patriots, I figured I would check him outlCB Usama Young (Kent State)

CB Usama Young (Kent State) 5-11 196....Usama didn't receive an invitation to the Combine but made the most of his chance to impress the Scouts and NFL teams at his pro day workout where he more than turned some heads...Young ran a pair of blazing fast forty times being clocked at 4.38 and 4.39 and wasn't finished there...he continued to impress the Scouts in attendance with a 43" vertical jump...a 10-11" broad jump...a 6.65 three cone and a 4.34 short shuttle...he recorded 15 reps at 225 on the bench and was timed in the long shuttle at 11.98 which was faster then any DB at the Combine ...Young was a three year starter at Kent and had 26 career starts in the MAC...he recorded 60 tackles with 2 int's in 2006 and was named to the All-MAC 2nd team as a CB in 2006...Young has gone from an undrafted priority free agent to a possible 4th round pick in the up-coming Draft with the Chiefs, Bengals, Jaguars and Buccaneers showing the most interest in his services.

 

[Two Deep]

Brian LeonardAnthony Gonzales

Gonzo and Leonard are constantly being discussed as late first rounders. You think they should go sooner?

I think they should go before others at their positions.

 

[wannabee]

One guy I like more than most others is Darius Walker, RB, ND. In the right system, he could really surprise many. I understand his limitations but the NFL is good at using RBs to their strengths. I see Walker as a productive member of RBBC.