Y'all have seen many of mine in my mocks. For the most part, I'll avoid mentioning guys whom I expect to go on Day 1 or 2 in this thread:
1. Kahale Warring TE San Diego State
Here's my exception to the Day 2 comment. Many regard Warring as a 6th or 7th round pick right now. I think he's going in the top 100 picks. He has some inconsistencies to iron out and didn't get nearly the targets he should have in San Diego State's old-school ground Chuck offense. However, it's easy to see what a weapon he has the potential to be. At 6'6" 250+, he has the size, strength, physical mindset, and skill to be a plus blocker. But where he truly stands out is in his pass-catching ability. While he only has good but not elite speed, Warring moves and cuts like a big WR. He has tremendous agility and body control for his size. His hands are still inconsistent, but he shows the ability to climb the ladder and come down with the football. I think he has the potential to be a Zach Ertz-like player. I've also seen him compared to former Ravens TE Todd Heap. I want Warring. I think he's exactly the sort of mismatch at TE that we need and is the perfect Higbee replacement.
2. Easton Stick QB North Dakota State
He's only 6'1" 225 with a very average arm. He's coming from a FCS program (North Dakota State). He had great talent around him (for the FCS level). However, my gut is telling me that Stick is going to surprise a lot of people in the NFL. He's a great athlete at QB (4.6 40 with elite times in the agility drills) who is extremely elusive in the pocket and dangerous as a scrambler. Moreover, where he truly stands out to me is in the intangibles department. Stick is tough as nails, a winner, very intelligent, and seems dedicated to his craft. He has the best play-action fake in this Draft and is used to playing under center in a play-action heavy pro-style offense. He also shows the mental processing speed and field vision to succeed in the NFL. He's a bit of a streaky rhythm passer at QB, but when he's on, he's really, really good. I think he's an exceptionally good fit in our system.
3. Christian Miller EDGE Alabama
Okay, there's a possibility that Miller also goes on Day 2. He's right on the Day 2/3 borderline. Regardless, I think he's one of the best value picks in this Draft. Miller has a long injury history. Without it, I think we'd be talking about him on Day 1. When he has played, he has shown all of the tools to be a quality 3-4 OLB. He's comfortable dropping into coverage with fluid movement skills. As a run defender, he uses his length and agility to set the edge effectively. As a pass rusher, he has an array of moves along with the speed and bend to win the corner. Miller will need to add some weight and get stronger, but he has a lot of upside as a 3-4 SOLB if he stays healthy. I've compared him to former Chargers OLB Shaun Phillips. Phillips was never elite in any single area, but he was a quality player in all areas of the game. In his 8 years as a starter, Phillips averaged 60 tackles, 9 sacks, 11 TFLs, 5 PDs, and 3 FFs per year. I think Miller has a similar career if he stays healthy.
4. Cortez Broughton DT Cincinnati
Something I've noticed over the years is that you tend to get great value on Day 2/3 with undersized, penetrating DTs. Off the top of my head, you have Geno Atkins, Jurrell Casey, Mike Daniels, Grady Jarrett, Javon Hargrave, Cullen Jenkins, Larry Ogunjobi, Kyle Williams, Maurice Hurst, and the list goes on. Accordingly, I make an effort to look for guys who have that sort of skill-set. That leads me to Cortez Broughton. As a senior, Broughton broke out with 52 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, and 2 FFs. Checking in at 6'2" 293, Broughton had a strong showing at his Pro Day. For the life of me, I can't figure out why he didn't get a Combine invite or why there's so little interest in him. I see an athletic penetrating DT who has great feet, surprising power, quick hands, and the ability to line up all over the DL. You can never have enough disruptors on your DL.
5. Diontae Johnson WR Toledo
Johnson has some Antonio Brown to his game. Both the good and the bad. At 5'10" 183, he's undersized and needs to get stronger. He also has some diva in him, and I felt his effort wasn't as strong or consistent this year as it was last year (when he had a better team and QB). That all said, Johnson is a twitchy athlete who is a skilled returner and a WR with a lot of upside. He disappointed me with his agility testing in the Combine, but it's hard to overlook how quick and twitchy he is on tape. Johnson is a creative route runner who can create a lot of separation at the break point. He needs to polish up his route running and work on his strength through contact, but you see flashes of Antonio Brown's creativity, ability to finish in traffic, and twitched-up quickness. Johnson is going to need time to develop at WR, but he can contribute immediately as a KR and PR.
6. Travis Homer HB Miami
I like a good number of HBs in this class, but Homer is my favorite Day 3 sleeper. He's a small HB (5'10" 205) who runs like he's 6'2" 250. Homer has the quickness, vision, athleticism, and physicality to be an effective NFL HB. However, I wouldn't want him to be the bellcow with his running style. It'll be hard for him to hold up with how physical he is. Nevertheless, where I see the real potential in Homer is as a passing-game HB. He's a physical, skilled, and gifted blocker who has the quickness, speed, and route running chops to be a dangerous receiving threat. In past years, he had some drop issues, but he cleaned that up this year. I think of him like I did Phillip Lindsay last year. Yes, he's undersized, but he's such a good and tenacious all-around HB that he'll provide quality snaps somewhere.
7. Khalil Hodge LB Buffalo
I would be lying if I said that his Pro Day didn't trouble me. He tested terribly. I knew he was a limited athlete, but I didn't think he was that limited. That all said, I'd still take Hodge late on Day 3. He is a bad athlete, but he's also a really good football player. His work ethic and intangibles are through the roof. He has the best play recognition skills, instincts, and angles in this class. He's a highly productive three-year starter. He's a reliable tackler. He's big, strong, and physical enough to fight through blocks. He rarely makes the wrong decisions or takes false steps at ILB. Basically, he's smart, disciplined, and skilled. Yes, he's not going to be able to run sideline to sideline. Yes, he's going to struggle if you put him in man coverage. But he's plenty capable in zone. Hodge has his limitations, but if you can find a way to cover some of his weaknesses, he's such a good football player that I think he can be a productive starter.
Those are what I have for now. I have a long list of small-school guys whom I plan to evaluate in the next few weeks. I might add a few more names to this list.
