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By now we’re all fairly familiar with the SEC’s top prospects in this year’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night from Chicago.
But what about those late-round value picks no one knows of, at least not until they exceed expectations and shine in the pros? You know, Russell Wilson in the third round, Tom Brady and Terrell Davis in the sixth, those guys who were barely drafted at all but now resemble dominant first rounders. Who from the SEC fits that mold in this year’s draft class?
Here are five players who might. Check out the SEC’s top 5 potential late-round steals in this week’s draft:
1. Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn: The SEC’s leading rusher from a year ago is pegged as a mid-round pick by most media outlets, and while his draft range varies it spans roughly from the end of the third round through the fifth round. For context’s sake, CAP is considered the 13th-best tailback in the draft class by CBS Sports, ranking behind the likes of South Carolina’s Mike Davis and Northern Iowa’s David Johnson. No disrespect to those players, but that’s harsh.
Artis-Payne is capable of running between the tackles and on the perimeter. He proved in Gus Malzahn’s spread rushing attack that he has the patience to let holes develop in front of him, and the nimble footwork and agility to explode through those holes. He’s not the fastest back in the class nor is he known as a back who will break off 60-yard touchdown runs that change a game. However, he’s consistent and well-rounded as a back, and considering the position is somewhat dying at the NFL level, that consistency could turn CAP into one of the league’s better backs as a fourth- or fifth-round pick.
2. Za’Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky: Smith has only been playing football since 2010, which is a big reason he wound up at junior college, then at a basketball school like Kentucky, and now projected as a mid-round draft pick. He’s shown improvement each year of his brief career, and with explosive athleticism in his 6-foot-4, 275-pound frame, he has a body that can translate to the next level.
Smith is explosive off the line, but has trouble containing his explosiveness, often resulting in bad angles. This also likely dropped his draft stock, as a player with that kind of flaw is begging teams to run to his side of the line, but again, Smith is perhaps the most inexperienced player in the draft, which makes him moldable in the eyes of many NFL coaches. Someone is going to take a chance on Smith, and there’s a good chance he rewards them by working his way into a starting role by the end of his second year, giving him an entire rookie season to round out his game.
3. Jalston Fowler, FB, Alabama: The fullback position in the NFL is so extinct, it’s watching VCR tapes with the dinosaurs in the land of things we once loved. However, if any player could break that mold and bring the position back to the NFL, or at least one NFL team, it’s Fowler, who starred at the position on the most NFL-talent-laden program in college football. (For what it’s worth, there are still one or two fullbacks used sparingly in today’s NFL, like Green Bay’s John Kuhn and Washington’s Darrell Young.)
Fowler is more than just a fullback. Yes, he’s a monstrous blocker who brings the pain at the point of attack, but he is also a player who can carry the ball without risk of fumbling, enabling him to be a weapon in short-yardage situations. And did we mention he can catch balls out of the backfield? That’ll make him equally dangerous in play-action situations, expanding his role within an offense.
Any team that drafts Fowler will likely have to make some tweaks to the offense, but even if he’s never an every-down player he could still be a player who makes an impact every week for a winning team.
4. Martrell Spaight, LB, Arkansas: Spaight, a former junior college transfer like Smith, saw consistent playing time for only one season during his Arkansas career, that season being last fall’s 7-6 campaign culminating with a bowl victory. He’s pegged as a late-round pick at inside linebacker as a result, with the knocks on his game being his lack of experience, his propensity for taking false steps or bad angles and, frankly, his height (or lack thereof) compared to other inside linebacker prospects (he’s barely 6 feet tall while most other inside linebacker prospects stand at least 6-foot-2.
However, Spaight also possesses great closing speed and is a fantastic open-field tackler, a necessary trait for any inside linebacker hoping to make it in the league. He’ll need to grow more instinctive, especially in pass coverage, but he runs well and tackles well, which should provide him a home on special teams as he learns his team’s scheme during his early years in the league. If he can do that, he can make a home for himself in the NFL as a cheap, late-round pick.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
