For the first thread I've ever started on this board, I wanted to see who (and why) everyone thinks were the biggest steals in this year's draft now that we've had a few days to reflect. I also want to bump this thread and crow about it in a couple years when Tre McBride makes his first ProBowl. My list:
@ #6 Leonard Williams DE USC (by the Jets) In a more sane world, he would have been the #1 overall pick. How sweet it would have been for him to fall just one more spot.
@ #23 Shane Ray DE/OLB Missouri (by the Broncos) A top ten talent who fell because (1) he had mediocre workout numbers with a badly injured foot that ultimately required surgery and (2) because he got caught with weed. I personally think marijuana possession is completely trivial, and his foot will heal. He will remain a beast.
@ #33 Landon Collins S Alabama (by the Giants) A heat-seeking missile who should have gone in the first round. He's also better in coverage than anyone seems to give him credit for. He's also one of the youngest players in the draft, which people often forget to factor in.
@ #60 Randy Gregory OLB Nebraska (by the Cowboys) Another top ten overall talent that fell because of a positive drug test. He is nonetheless a phenomenal talent with as much upside as anyone in the entire draft.
@ #71 Hroniss Grasu C Oregon (by the Bears) He is a great center. Not good, great. Why was he available in the 3rd round? A combination of bias against interior linemen and bad scouting, maybe? Anyway, he's a very good athlete and great football player with excellent technique and intelligence. Intelligence is an underrated attribute for a center. You want the guy calling out blocking assignments to be smart.
@ #73 Tevin Coleman RB Indiana (by the Falcons) How does a guy rush for 15 TDs and 2000+ yards at a clip of 7.5 ypc for freaking Indiana? By being an awesome running back. He's the best one-cut running back to come out in the past half decade. He will be absolutely lethal if the Falcons use a zone blocking scheme and allow him to find his hole.
@ #89 Sean Mannion QB Oregon St (by the Rams) Most people were calling this a reach. I'm calling it a steal. I think he's the best QB prospect in the entire draft. In a more sane world, he would have been a consensus first round pick.
@ #152 Jarvis Harrison G Texas A & M (by the Jets) He's a freak of nature, and he's really good at blocking people. He's extremely agile and light on his feet at 6'4 330. He had the best 3 cone drill time of any interior lineman in the entire draft. There are concerns about work ethic and desire to play football (his true love is basketball, he's just not nearly as good at basketball as he is at blocking people). At #152, you can afford to gamble, and this is a very good gamble.
@ #180 Michael Bennett DT Ohio State (by the Jaguars) This guy falling to the 6th round is completely, utterly inexplicable. He's really, really good. Like late 1st/early 2nd round good. And it's not like he was hiding under a rock. He played in the fucking national championship game. This is the kind of thing that makes me seriously question the competence of NFL scouts. He was consistently disruptive against top competition, he has good character, good technique, good athleticism, good work ethic, was highly productive, and his game translates very well to the NFL as a 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT. Why was he still there at #180? Bad scouting.
@ #241 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB Oregon (by the Browns) I understand teams being a bit skittish when a guy is coming off ACL surgery, but holy crap, this guy was one of the best cover corners in all of college football and a Thorpe Award finalist. Him falling all the way to the 7th round is fucking crazy.
@ #245 Tre McBride WR William & Mary (by the Titans) This is THE steal of the draft. This kid is a stud. He's a phenomenal athlete who runs great routes and catches anything thrown anywhere near him. What more do you want in a wide receiver? I think this is one of those times when the combine numbers are very relevant: when a guy absolutely dominates in a smaller conference and people question whether he has the athleticism to compete against better competition. So he went to the combine and ran a 4.41 40, a 4.08 20 yard shuttle, had a 38 inch vertical, and put up 16 reps at the bench press. Those numbers stack up well next to any of the top WRs taken in the draft. So he clearly has elite athleticism, even by NFL standards, to go along with his great hands and great route-running. He's also not small at 6'0 210. So why did he almost go completely undrafted? Because NFL scouts aren't nearly as competent and thorough as casual fans think they are. They collectively make obvious screw-ups all the time. This is one of them. This kid is a stud. Steal of the draft.
