Sleeper Picks I'd Love to See in Blue

[BleedinBlue]

I'm not all that worried about the first couple of picks in the draft as the Giants are in a great position. I suspect they'll add a couple studs to the trenches in the first 3 rounds and maybe a safety, CB, or linebacker.

 

But here's a list of my favorite sleeper picks. Everyone knows about Ali Marpet and Byron Jones now, so I no longer consider them sleepers. Unfortunately, some of the ones I like are now getting a little more attention and have creeping up the board whereas they weren't even listed a while back.

 

1) Jesse James - Tight End (Penn State): I am enamored with James at 6'7" / 265 lbs, he's huge. But not only huge, he's a freak athlete. He ran the 40 at the combine in 4.83, which initially doesn't seem that fast, but compared to fan favorite Nick O'Leary (6'3" 252 lbs) who gets a lot of hype ran the 40 in 4.93. Also, James benched 26 reps. The average of TE's at the combine was 17 reps. He had the longest broad jump of TE's at the combine and did the 6-cone drill faster than all other TE's. At Penn State, he was used primarily as a blocker because of his size and their style of play. However, he caught everything thrown at him and is excellent at breaking away and dragging defenders for extra yards. The knock on him: coaches think he came out of college too early and could use another year of seasoning in which he'd be a 1st round pick next year. We could finally have our Witten or Gronk.

 

2) Anthony Chickillo - DE (Miami) 6'4", 282 with a 4.79 40-yard dash and a 34.5-inch vertical jump. Here's the kicker. He is a natural in a 4-3, but Miami played him in a 3-4 so his stats are light. He would thrive in a 4-3 - super fast, very strong, good first move. I think many teams will pass him by (hopefully) because of the position he played in college.

 

3) Shaquille Lewis - FS (Louisiana College div II) 6'1", 200. Ideal size, speed, and strength for a free safety. A ball hawk in college - reads the QB well and reacts quickly. Might be overlooked because he played at a small school. The kind of guy that might take a year to come into his own in the NFL

 

4) Two or three WR's that can be had in the later rounds that could be studs.

 

Chris Conley - WR (Georgia) 6'3", 205 ran a 4.35-second 40. His vertical jump was 45 inches, three inches more than any other receiver. His 11-foot, 7-inch broad jump was seven inches better than any other receiver

 

Darren Waller - WR (Georgia Tech) 6'6", 238 with a 4.46-second 40 and a 37-inch vertical jump

 

Justin Hardy - WR (East Carolina) 5' 10", 192 small school prospect who was a superb slot receiver - crisp route runner, fast, good hands, daring, plays with a chip on his shoulder

5) Zach Zenner - FB/RB (South Dakota St.) 5'11" 233 - One-cut downhill runner. Workhorse. Big, strong, fast; smart and tough. Excellent blocker. Had back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons

 

I actually think with the signing of Shane Vereen, Zenner is no longer realistic. Zenner is known for two things (besides a yard eater), i.e., catching and blocking. He is such a good blocker that most boards have him listed as a Fullback (so he might fall through the cracks...although, Minnesota fans are screaming for the Vikings front office to grab him). Here's a quick synopsis of him:

 

Zenner had 52 TDs and 5955 yards on 1002 carries for 5.9 yards per carry and 741 yards and 5 TDs on 89 catches with 8.3 yards per catch. Zenner is also experienced as a kick returner, returning 31 kicks for 754 yards and 24.3 yards per return in 2011.

He finished as a finalist twice for the Walter Payton award. Is pursuing an intellectually challenging major (pre-medicine/biology) and excelling at it.

The knock on him is that he played against lesser competition, but he had one of his best games against Nebraska, running through them like they were a div2 or 3 school and racking up over 200 yds and 2 TDs.

[Bigblue25]

I put Zenner in my Giants mock. I will add names here later

[BleedinBlue]

I put Zenner in my Giants mock. I will add names here later

I'd still love to see us pick up Zenner. I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the Giants' radar because he was 2-time team captain, and Giants like team captains.

 

I figure the token Syracuse U. pick will be safety Durrell Eskridge, but I haven't figured out which Boston College player they are eyeballing yet. That's pretty much their strategy anymore. Pick team captains, one player from SU and one player from BC.

[gmenroc]

Nice post...fun to read about these guys whose names aren't splashed all over every draft site.

[BleedinBlue]

Found this writeup on Chickillo

 

An NFL Network interview with Chickillo from the East-West Shrine game drove home a lot of the criticisms of coordinator Mark D’Onofrio’s defense at Miami. Chickillo, playing in a one-gap, 4-3 scheme for the week of the all-star game, was explosive and relentless. When reporter Alex Flanagan asked Chickillo where he picked up such a quick "get-off," Chickillo laughed. "I’ve always had it," Chickillo said. "In college I was asked to two-gap. I’ve always had it, and I’m happy to use it out here today."

 

​Chickillo started all four years at Miami, and his sack total went down each season. As a senior, he made 41 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Those aren’t unusual numbers for a 3-4 defensive end asked to occupy two gaps, and video shows Chickillo didn’t take plays off. In a 4-3 defense, the 6’4”, 282-pounder with a 4.79 40-yard dash and a 34.5-inch vertical jump would have had the power and size to set the edge and the speed to disrupt the opponents’ passing game. But getting pushed further inside and asked to occupy blockers to free up others to make plays didn’t suit Chickillo’s skill set as well. He simply was limited by the Hurricanes’ scheme.

 

The question is whether this was the best possible deployment of Miami’s talent. The Hurricanes finished 15th in the nation in yards allowed per play (4.79), which suggests the scheme was fairly effective. But Miami also finished with a 6-7 record, and that wasn’t entirely the offense’s fault. The Hurricanes’ defense ranked 97th in the nation in tackles for loss (4.92 a game). Negative plays can end drives quickly and help jump-start ensuing offensive possessions because of better field position. Perhaps using Chickillo in a different role—which is doable without altering too much as most teams show odd and even looks no matter their base defense—could have helped in that department. If Chickillo winds up playing as a 4-3 defensive end in the NFL, we’ll see if a change of role is all he needed to unlock his potential.

[Bigblue25]

Some names to add to the list

 

1. Xavier Williams UNI high motor, natural power, plays with a low center gravity, plays with good pad level. Wrestler in high school. He was snubbed has a combine invite. Didn't play well against higher competition, but he saw a lot of double teams and he impressed scouts at the East West Shrine game against other draft prospects. Had 14 tfl and 8 sacks last year. Scheme versatile, can play NG or 3t or 5t in 3-4 looks. 5th round

 

 

 

2. Bobby McCain CB Memphis-Slot corner with good ball skills. Has good anticipation to break on the ball, follows the QB's eyes well. Played well against top competition(2 ints vs Ole Miss) Has 11 ints and 19 pbu's over the last two years. Quick twitch athlete. Good combine numbers in the three cone(6.8) and 20 yard shuttle(3.82) 6th round

[BleedinBlue]

Some names to add to the list

 

1. Xavier Williams UNI high motor, natural power, plays with a low center gravity, plays with good pad level. Wrestler in high school. He was snubbed has a combine invite. Didn't play well against higher competition, but he saw a lot of double teams and he impressed scouts at the East West Shrine game against other draft prospects. Had 14 tfl and 8 sacks last year. Scheme versatile, can play NG or 3t or 5t in 3-4 looks. 5th round

 

2. Bobby McCain CB Memphis-Slot corner with good ball skills. Has good anticipation to break on the ball, follows the QB's eyes well. Played well against top competition(2 ints vs Ole Miss) Has 11 ints and 19 pbu's over the last two years. Quick twitch athlete. Good combine numbers in the three cone(6.8) and 20 yard shuttle(3.82) 6th round

Williams is a big guy (width wise) and whenever the Giants put competitive bodies to build the trenches, I'm all for it.

 

McCain seems kinda small to go up against some of the bigger WR's these days. I read he's 5'9". I am a huge fan of taking players with "football smarts" rather than trying to fit a body type into a position and is athletic, looks the part, but lacks football instincts (one of my bitches about the combine). However, for CB's, height can make a big difference. I do hope the Giants get a decent CB in the draft though because it is such a fragile position and depth is really important at that position.

[Bigblue25]

Small corners don't bother me, especially when they are matched against smaller slot WR's. The NFL seems to be going that way too. Hilton, Brown, OBJ. Sherman is a lock down boundary corner, but his kryptonie seems to be the smaller quick twitch speed receivers

[BleedinBlue]

Small corners don't bother me, especially when they are matched against smaller slot WR's. The NFL seems to be going that way too. Hilton, Brown, OBJ. Sherman is a lock down boundary corner, but his kryptonie seems to be the smaller quick twitch speed receivers

Good point.