12 'non-1st rounders' who will have solid careers

By Patrick Woo
Scouting Assistant

Twelve players not getting first round attention, but should have very productive NFL careers:

MSU's Preston Smith is one of our 12 sleepers in the draft.

Adrian Amos, DB, Penn State
Amos, along with fellow Reese’s Senior Bowl participant Eric Rowe (Utah), who could also fit into this article, is a long and fluid athlete that has experience playing both cornerback and safety. He’s also played in the nickel and on special teams, where he should be able to contribute immediately at the next level. Amos is rangy and fast (4.40 forty at pro day) with natural ballskills and good hands. Most importantly, he’s displayed discipline and intelligence in his time at Penn State, some of that maybe coming from being the son of a police officer. Amos needs to get stronger against the run and overall more aggressive as a player to be a playmaker at the next level but his versatility and ability to play centerfield as a safety bodes well and he could become an eventual starter at either corner or safety as a mid-round pick.

Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
Bennett unfortunately was not healthy enough to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl after playing 15 games en route to the national championship. The Senior Bowl saw Bennett live at Penn State last October and came away very impressed. Bennett has gotten lost in this strong class of interior linemen but is going to be a steal if he slips to the third round or later. Bennett has great quickness and burst off the snap and has nasty, active hands. He drew plenty of double teams and is consistently disruptive. He is a team-first individual and played much of his career out of position for the benefit of the Buckeyes. Both of his parents are West Point graduates and he is disciplined off-the-field. 

A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
Some of Cann’s buzz earlier in the draft process was stolen by an outstanding week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl by Duke guard Laken Tomlinson – an opportunity that passed Cann by. The four-year starter at left guard for the Gamecocks should be a second or third round pick and has the ability to be a rookie starter. Cann often plays with good pad level and a wide base and generates good push in the run game. He could improve in pass protection but should be a good fit for a power scheme and day one starter. Plus, he has an affinity for pre-game Reese’s Pieces. 

Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina
Hardy returned to college for his senior season after thinking hard about leaving early. By returning, Hardy became the all-time FBS leader with 387 career receptions and finished third all-time with 4,541 receiving yards and raised his profile to earn an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl and draw hype as a potential first round pick at times. It’s an especially deep receiver class and not all of that first round hype was warranted but Hardy could be a solid contributor as a mid-round pick. For being on the shorter side, Hardy has good length and a nice catch radius and shows smooth hips and loves to get physical when he has to. His best trait is working back to the football to make catches and always trying to get open. He has experience as a return man and playing on the outside and in the slot. He’s not as explosive or fast as other receivers in this class but could be a reliable slot receiver.

Eli Harold, OLB, Virginia
Harold elected to leave early for the NFL after leading his team with 14.5 tackles for loss and being second-team All-ACC. It’s a big loss for Virginia as Harold would have generated a lot of first round pick buzz in 2015 had he returned for his senior season. By declaring early, Harold could still see himself go in the second round but will need time to grow but could be an eventual starter as an edge rusher. He has played both 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 outside linebacker but doesn’t have the frame or bulk to play with his hand down in the NFL. He will have to rely on his burst and bending ability and get stronger against the run and add to his frame, if possible. Seeing Harold in coverage or in space is difficult to project at this point but he could be an early success as strictly a pass rusher. 

Jordan Hicks, LB, Texas
Hicks could have received a sixth year from the NCAA with a medical waiver and returned to the 40 acres to lead Charlie Strong’s defense again but elected to pursue the NFL now. He’s coming off a healthy season where he made 147 tackles after his 2012 and 2013 seasons were ended by injuries. Hicks is an extremely intelligent player and has played under four defensive coordinators at Texas. A five-star recruit, Hicks never fully lived up to his potential in college but the potential at the next level is still there where a team will be getting a possible starter at one of the outside linebacker spots in about the fourth or fifth round range.

Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
Hunter’s decision to enter the NFL Draft as a junior was questioned by many as he had a chance to see his stock skyrocket with a good year in 2015. Instead, Hunter is taking his 1.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss as his final sample of production to the next level. Hunter is an athletic freak that stands out in the room and has a 10’10” broad jump and 36.5 vertical. His 3-cone drill at pro day, where the Reese’s Senior Bowl was in attendance, was awesome. That day, Hunter also showed well in the linebacker drills helping the idea that he could move to an outside linebacker role at the next level. Hunter could go anywhere between rounds two and five but his size, athleticism and explosiveness is too good for a team to worry too much about his college stast. Hunter should be a special teams star early and be an eventual starter specializing as a pass rusher when he learns more moves and better hand use. 

Jesse James, TE, Penn State
James is another underclassmen that declared early but almost certainly would have been a viable candidate for the Reese’s Senior Bowl in 2016 had he returned. James had the chance to be the best tight end in next year’s draft class but instead chose to leave a crowded tight end room at Penn State a year early. He has the prototypical size and frame for an NFL tight end and can add more to his 6’7” 261-pound frame. James was overrated as an overall athlete while in college but still was a productive receiver, leaving Penn State as the career record-holder for touchdowns by a tight end. James will be a mid-to-late round pick but if he gets stronger and better at blocking he could be a starting in-line tight end. He is just 20 years old with a lot of room to grow but will immediately be a big red zone target and also does a good job of getting open in the middle of a zone and has good hands and ball awareness. He could be groomed into a big-time playmaker as a receiving tight end. 

David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa
Johnson had just two scholarship offers to consider from Northern Iowa and Illinois State after Iowa asked him to grayshirt. Johnson went on to finish his UNI career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons but his level of competition has been the question. He also has to improve in pass protection and take better care of the ball (13 career fumbles). He’s a determined runner but doesn’t always seem decisive. Johnson spoke with seniorbowl.com prior to the NFL Draft and is so driven to be great and joked that scouts thought he was a linebacker when he first arrived in Mobile. He certainly looks like a linebacker at first glance. Johnson won’t be one of the top running backs taken but he could have as productive a career as any of them after Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon. Johnson’s best value is as a smooth pass catcher out of the backfield, taking advantage of matchups with linebackers. He has a good combination of size and speed and if a top-notch person off the field that will work to be great. David Johnson may sound like a plain name but it’s one to remember from this draft class.

Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE/OLB, UCLA
Odighizuwa absolutely looks the part, especially without the pads on. He had showed promise on the UCLA defense until being forced to miss what was expected to be his breakout year, 2013, with surgery on both hips. He returned for a fully healthy 2014 campaign and had 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, even though he didn’t specialize as a pass rusher. Mainly a run defender, Odighizuwa has experience in the 4-3 and the 3-4 and can be a defensive end in either scheme or convert to outside linebacker in the 3-4 and become more of a pass rusher. He’s a great athlete that plays with a relentless motor, speed and power, and good hands. He has high football intelligence and could go as early as the second round if his medicals check out, which he told seniorbowl.com they did. Odighizuwa is a first-class character off the field but looks to impose his will on the field and is an eventual starter in a team’s front seven.

James Sample, DB, Louisville
Sample made the most of his one season at Louisville with 90 tackles and four interceptions after beginning his career at Washington. He was overshadowed in the Cards secondary by All-American safety Gerod Holliman, who led the nation in interceptions, but Sample arguably has a better nose for the ball than his teammate and is a much better NFL prospect. In what’s been described as a weak safety class, Sample could be a gem. He is as close to a complete safety as there is in this class and plays downhill and with speed, can play in the box but also drop box and cover his part of the field. Unlike Holliman, Sample likes to get physical and can be an imposing safety at 6’2”, 210 pounds and not afraid to lay the wood. Sample should go in the top-100 picks and could be a starter in year two. 

Preston Smith, DE, Mississippi State
The first-team All-SEC selection in 2014 has been a mainstay on the Bulldogs defensive front and took over as the leader as a senior to earn an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, something that Smith coveted and made it known early he wanted to be able to participate. He led Mississippi State with 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks this season and has new motivation with the birth of his daughter. Smith doesn’t pushed around often and has a good built and 34-inch arms that he uses to create leverage. Smith has been used on both sides at defensive end and slid inside in pass-rush situations and was very effective in that role with good initial quickness. He’s a versatile player that can play the run and get after the passer and could be an eventual starter as an end in the 4-3 or 3-4. The draft outlook opinion on Smith varies and he could hear his name called as early as the second round or as late as the fifth but could develop into a mainstay in a team’s front seven.