2014 NFL Draft Day Gems

A majority of attention is paid to the 1st round picks in the NFL Draft, but players picked in the mid to late rounds are how teams are built, and they often go on to make Pro Bowls and have good careers. Here’s five players who weren’t 1st round picks, but bring great value, and could have a impact on the teams that drafted them.

Pierre Desir CB 6’1 198 lbs Lindenwood : 4th round 127th overall  Cleveland Browns

The Browns drafted CB Justin Gilbert in with the 8th overall pick of the draft, but came back and drafted Desir in the 4th round. Some question the pick with Cleveland knowing that Josh Gordon is possibly out for the season, but the 6’1 198 lb, athletic corner was the best player on the board at the time in my opinion. Desir is a small school player with big school talent. He proved what kind of athlete he was at the East-West Shrine game, The Senior Bowl, and then at the NFL Combine. In a passing league, you can never have too many cornerbacks who can play, and the Browns got themselves a steal.

Louis Nix NT 6’2 331 lbs Notre Dame: 3rd round 83rd overall  Houston Texans

The Texans drafted the 16th ranked player on my big board in the 3rd round, 83rd overall. How and why he lasted this long, I have no clue. But they now have a legit 2 gapper at the NT position, who also has the ability to hold his own, play stout vs the run, while showing the quickness to make plays in the backfield vs the run and provide some pass rush. There were questions about Nix’s weight, he does need to get himself in the best shape possible, but he is a steal at 83. The Texans added Clowney and Nix, two 1st round talents to a defense led by J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing. #Winning

Robert Herron WR 5’9 193 lbs Wyoming 6th round 185th overall  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Herron caught my eye during Senior Bowl week during the one on one’s at practice versus the defensive backs. He showed the ability to get off of press coverage, run sharp routes, get separation and catch the ball. But what surprised me was he ability to get behind coverage, showing he had long speed as well. Made me hunt down his tape, and I came away very impressed. Prototype slot receiver, short area quickness, run after the catch ability, and tough. I gave him a 4th round grade and the Bucs scooped him up in the 6th round. Don’t be surprised if he sees time inside at the slot and as a return guy in his rookie year.

Lache Seastunk RB 5’9 201 lbs Baylor 6th 186th overall  Washington Redskins

Seastrunk was one of the more explosive running backs in the draft this year. Shifty, great cutback ability, and home run speed. It’s very rare that he gets caught from behind. He played in a spread offense at Baylor in which he face plenty of weak 5-6 man boxes on a regular basis, that along with the fact that he didn’t catch a pass and is brutal in pass protection dropped his value as a prospect. But I still though his talent warranted at least a late 4th to early 5th round pick. He is the perfect compliment to Alfred Morris’s dowhill, one cut running style. Jay Gruden used BenJarvis Green-Ellis and Giovanni Bernard in his offense very well last season for the Bengals. I see the same thing in DC

Kelcy Quarles DT 6’4 300 lbs South Carolina Undrafted Free Agent  New York Giants

As the draft went along on day three, I looked down at my board and noticed that Quarles had not been drafted. Kelcy Quarles warranted a 3rd round grade after watching his film this past season at South Carolina. He was a disruptive force on the interior. Kelcy has a combination of speed, quickness, and power that will make him a very solid pro. The notion that playing next to Clowney made him the player he was is complete palaver, he on a weekly basis whipped the man who lined up across from him. His 13.5 TFL, to go along with 9.5 sacks in 2013 was real, teams are going to regret passing up on him.

Another Gem

Brandon Coleman WR 6’6 225 lbs Rutgers Undrafted Free Agent New Orleans Saints

Coleman had a mediocre 2013 season, after catching 43 passes for 718 yards and 10 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore in 2012. A nagging knee injury slowed him down this past season and obviously hurt his draft status, as he went undrafted. Coleman has potential to be a big play receiver and constant red zone threat based on his size alone. He’s 6’6 ,225 lbs and ran a 4.56 40 at the combine, showing his decent speed. In his career at Rutgers he caught 94 passes for 1,808 yards, a 19.2 average and 20 touchdowns. His one touchdown per every 4.7 receptions is proof that he is a possible weapon. He should follow veteran WR Marques Colston’s (who was a 7th round pick himself)every move from here on out, get better as a route runner, learn the NFL game, and he could become one of those UDFA’s who turned out to be a player in this league.