Small school players we might draft.

Robert Myers G Tenn. St.

STRENGTHS Has good thickness and strength through lower body. Flashes desired functional strength with ability to anchor against bull rushers. Footwork is a plus and stays balanced in pass protection. Sound technician and recognizes D-line games. Initial punch has some juice behind it. Good body control and knee bend. Gets movement at point of attack when asked to drive block. Well-timed climb to second level. Will look for work downfield and hustles to trail play. Tough player with above-average strength for his size and a frame to add more weight.
WEAKNESSES Average lateral athlete. Needs better understanding of angles and positioning as zone blocker. Not overly quick and tends to lose contact on outside runs. Loses strength when hands slide out too wide. Below average change of direction to strike moving targets on second level. Lacks muscle in his arms and has a soft midsection. Must prove he can handle faster, stronger competition.
DRAFT PROJECTION Priority free agent
BOTTOM LINE Myers is already above average from a technical standpoint and is a quick processor when the game speeds up. Myers is a guard prospect who can pull and play in a power scheme. He has the pass protection traits of an NFL starter. The ceiling is higher for Myers than many guard prospects in this draft, and with more coaching and work in the weight room, he should be an NFL starter.

More than any other position, hidden gems are unearthed each year along the offensive line. Recent Pro Bowlers Michael Roos (Eastern Washington), Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg) and Jermon Bushod (Towson) are just a few examples of small-school talents who have surprised in the NFL.
Myers, a three-year starter who saw action at both tackle positions and right guard, is perhaps the most intriguing of the small-school offensive linemen in the 2015 draft. He's the second consecutive Tennessee State Tiger to get invited to the Senior Bowl and likely will join former linemate Kadeem Edwards (fifth round, Tampa Bay, 2014) as an NFL draft pick.

Upside is interesting. Make no mistake -- he's a project. Struggled with speed rushers and projects best to guard in the NFL. To make the transition, he must get stronger. Would ideally be drafted with a developmental year in mind.

Craig Mager, CB, Texas State
Height: 5-11. Weight: 201.
40 Time: 4.44.
Projected Round (2015): 4-6.
3/21/15: One of the most impressive defensive backs at the East-West Shrine was Mager. He did a nice job of running the route and staying with receivers to prevent them from getting separation. At the Combine, Mager continued to perform well with a faster than expected 40.

Mager isn't undersized and is put together pretty well. He looks like he could develop into a quality NFL cornerback after starting out as a nickel or dime corner.
Read more at LINK

Imoan Claiborne, CB, Northwestern State
Height: 5-9. Weight: 189.
Projected 40 Time: 4.56.
Projected Round (2015): 6-FA.
3/21/15: Claiborne showed the ability to compete at the Senior Bowl. He did a nice job of running with receivers and staying close to them in and out of their breaks. For the NFL, Claiborne looks like a slot cornerback candidate. He used the time in Mobile to rise from the undrafted ranks into a pick on Day 3. Claiborne didn't participate in the Combine.
Read more at LINK

Texas Southern CB Tray Walker

Walker stands 6'2/195 lbs and ran the forty in 4.42 seconds. He also has a 36 1/2 inch vertical leap, a 10-7 broad jump, a 4.05 short shuttle and a 6.7 three-cone drill, per Wilson

Tre' McBride, WR, William & Mary
Height: 6-0. Weight: 210.
40 Time: 4.41.
Projected Round (2015): 4-6.
4/11/15: After an excellent East-West Shrine game, McBride continued his strong postseason with a good Combine. He ran fast and looked good in the field drills.

There was one wide receiver who really stood out at every East-West Shrine practice and that was McBride. He destroyed the cornerbacks in the one-on-ones as he consistently got open using his quickness and route-running to get separation. McBride showed some speed to get downfield and challenge defenses vertically. He has enough size as well. Of all the players at the East-West Shrine, he maybe did the most to help himself. McBride had 64 catches for 809 yards and four touchdowns in 2014. His junior numbers were nearly identical (63-801-5).
Read more at LINK

Terry Williams, DT, East Carolina
Height: 6-1. Weight: 353.
Projected 40 Time: 5.21.
Projected Round (2015): 6-FA.
4/4/15: Williams had 29 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass broken up and two forced fumbles in 2014. He is an under-the-radar prospect, but he looks like bowling ball rolling through the offensive line. Williams did not participate in the Combine.

Williams is very disruptive, and Virginia Tech couldn't block him in the Pirates' Week 3 upset. He recorded five tackles, but was a much bigger presence as he constantly blew up plays in the backfield. Williams needs to improve his conditioning, but he has a burst with size that overwhelms offensive linemen. The senior looks like a great fit as a 3-4 nose tackle.

Williams missed eight games in 2013 because of a suspension for violating team rules. The year before, he recorded 46 tackles with one sack and 5.5 tackles for a loss.
Read more at LINK

ZACH HODGES, OLB
SCHOOL: HARVARD | CONFERENCE: IVY
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE: SENIOR | HOMETOWN: ATLANTA, GA
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2 / 250 LBS.

4.68 40 yard 33 1/2 vertical

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STRENGTHS: Lines up all over the defensive line for Harvard, inside and outside, and also stands up to drop and play on his feet.
Hodges has an excellent first step with instant acceleration and nonstop momentum towards the ball, taking sharp angles with perceptive vision. He plays with low pad level and natural leverage to power through the line of scrimmage while staying balanced through contact.

Motor is much more of a positive than a negative, using his relentless mentality and active playing style to only be blocked for so long.

WEAKNESSES: Lean-limbed frame, lacking ideal bulk. Hodges tends to be overaggressive and needs to control his energy to consistently break down and not wear himself out. Like most college rushers, he has room to improve his hand use and pass rush repertoire, but Hodges is still in the learning stages of his development and has a long ways to go before hitting his ceiling.

Admits he needs to work on defeating double teams and chips.

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NICK BOYLE, TE
SCHOOL: DELAWARE | CONFERENCE: COL
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE: SENIOR | HOMETOWN: WANTAGE, NJ
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-4 / 268 LBS.

5.0 40 Yd 30 1/2 Vertical

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STRENGTHS: All the qualities to be a legit NFL starting tight end and passes the eyeball test. Solid blocker who made major strides in that area. Long arms (33 3/8 inches) with a thick muscular frame. Team captain. Top competitor and high character person on-and-off the field. A bit of a high-motor type player who does the little extras. All the intangibles, upside and potential.
WEAKNESSES: Unpolished and unproven against top competition, would be drafted on potential. A bit slow to engage in his blocks and could be more physical. Eases off the line and into his blocks. Shows some stiffness and inconsistent foot speed. Never displayed much of a threat down field catching the football playing close the line of scrimmage. Will need to improve his technique in learning the art of route running. Will drop some passes he should catch. During the week of Senior Bowl practice he dropped a few he should of caught but did manage to show his athletic side jumping over Anthony Johnson (UCLA safety) during the game.

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TYLER HEINICKE, QB
SCHOOL: OLD DOMINION | CONFERENCE: C-USA
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE: SENIOR | HOMETOWN: ATLANTA, GA
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-1 / 211 LBS.

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STRENGTHS: Quick, easy release with no wasted motion and knows when to add RPMs to throws. Very good pocket mobility and presence, feeling pressure well to adjust with a calm demeanor and his eyes downfield.
Natural set-up and delivery with coordinated mechanics to deliver a catchable ball with tight spirals. Mobile enough to run zone read and pick up yards with his legs or throw on the run (1,320 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns in his career).

Diagnoses what he sees quickly, using his eyes to scan, work through his reads and make the right decision. Accustomed to a no-huddle offense and calling plays at the line of scrimmage, identifying coverages pre-snap to anticipate reads. Excellent placement on slants and loves to attack the middle of the field.

Effective pooch punter. Natural leadership traits and plays with heart and confidence. Passionate football player and gets the most out of his ability. Extremely productive the last four years, setting almost every school record and ranking among the all-time leaders in several FBS categories.

WEAKNESSES: Shorter than ideal with a maxed-out body type. Average at-best arm strength and struggles to drive the ball without a solid base. Ball placement and touch drop when he adds velocity to throws, often sailing passes.

Gets himself in trouble when he doesn't follow through with his throwing motion or get proper torque through his hips, hurting his downfield accuracy. Inconsistent launch point as he attempts to throw around and over bigger bodies, forcing his accuracy to be streaky. Will lead defenders to the ball at times with a bad habit of staring down his progressions, locking on to his intended target.

Almost always in shotgun and unproven dropping from under center. Production dropped each of the last three seasons with only one season of experience at the FBS level.

--Dane Brugler

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ditto McBride as far as looking like a Saints type pick

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I agree.

When you really look at these small school players, especially those who have competed in all star type games against big school talent, you can find bargains everywhere and appreciate the value of having as many late round picks as possible.

Since the draft is a crap shoot anyway, why not lessen the risk and stay at the $1 table! More chances to win with a whole lot less anxiety.

LINK

Not really a small school guy but maybe a good later round pick. Good statistics and gets no media at all.

McBride and Tull both look like great prospects.

Craig Mager
DB Texas State
5'11 196lbs


Mager turned heads when he recorded the fifth-fastest time among defensive backs in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.