![]() Zavala was that non-combine invite this year. Sometimes, a prospect or two slip through the cracks. About 330 of those players get invited to the combine every year. NFL scouting departments are savants when it comes to identifying pro-caliber talent among the sea of college football prospects. Johnson and Foreman will not make tackling fun for linebackers and defensive backs. Bring the ice packs when facing the Bears in 2023. He enters a backfield with another Mack truck from the University of Texas - D'Onta Foreman. At 6-foot and 220 pounds, Johnson glides through collisions like they aren't even happening on his frame, and as his 1.52 10-yard split - 82nd percentile - indicates, he's quite explosive for his size. He's in the vicinity of those living legends of Texas running backs in terms of painless trucking talent. Maybe not even Ricky Williams-type force through contact. Johnson doesn't have Earl Campbell power. Impressive stat to know: Forced 48 missed tackles on 94 rushes at Texas in 2022 needed over the middle and down the seam. In the Ben Johnson coordinated offense, LaPorta will thrive. ![]() Without him, the Hawkeyes maybe would've never gotten a first down. He has strong hands, runs good enough routes and was essentially the heart-and-soul of the Iowa offense in 2022. Hockenson within the division and had a gaping hole at the position entering the draft. ![]() For as fun as the Lions offense was in 2022, the club weirdly traded T.J. LaPorta's game is predicated on freaky YAC capabilities and, clearly, high-level athletic traits. Impressive stat to know: 40-yard dash, vertical, and three-cone drill all above the 87th percentile at the tight end positionĪ layup, I know. He's bouncy, with plus vision, and experience in a zone-blocking scheme. McBride will contribute and could sneak into a vital role in Minnesota in Year 1. And there's a (good?) chance Dalvin Cook isn't on the roster at the start of the season, right? That would leave only Alexander Mattison - and 2022 late-rounder Ty Chandler - ahead of McBride on the depth chart. That missed-tackle rate doesn't happen by accident. But if there's one position on the field that can reasonably make an impact being that late of a pick, it's running back, and McBride has the goods. I have to keep reminding myself he was a seventh-round pick. Impressive stat to know: Had a missed tackle forced rate of 36.1% in his three seasons at UAB Schmitz never looks uncomfortable or awkward blocking for the run or pass, and if he's beaten, he calmly recovers. He was the best pure center in the class thanks to his combination of first-step quickness, power, and balance. If the Giants picked Schmitz in the first round, the complaints would've been minimal. Impressive stat to know: Played nearly 2,500 snaps in his Minnesota career Ron Rivera must be giddy thinking about how he can deploy Martin on his defense as a rookie. ![]() On film, Martin is a do-everything, cover-the-slot, make-a-circus-interception-downfield type, and he'll gel quickly with the likes of Kamren Curl and Darrick Forrest, who also pride themselves on their legitimate versatility. He's only the 12th prospect since 2000 at the combine to hit the 44-inch vertical and 130-inch broad jump marks. To jump as high and far as he did is extraordinarily rare. There's explosive, then there's Martin-level explosiveness. It's time to really get acclimated with the non-Round 1 selections who have the talent - and situation - to flourish in their debut season in the NFL. And you, NFL fan starved for football, know all about your favorite team's first-round pick in the 2023 draft. In 2019, Deebo Samuel, Miles Sanders, Elgton Jenkins, DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin headlined those outstanding value selections. In 2020, Antoine Winfield Jr., Jeremy Chinn, and Antonio Gibson were NFC rookies not selected on Day 1 of the draft who sure as heck played like Day 1 selections as rookies. Now, his reach is far wider than the greater Detroit area after an 88-catch eruption in Year 1 as a professional. Brown was just an easy-to-miss, unsuspecting rookie picked after the first round, waiting for his chance in the Lions' offense. Seattle certainly fast-tracked his developmental process. Fast forward to his rookie season - the former UTSA star led the NFL in interceptions with six and defended 16 more passes. One short year ago, Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen was a widely viewed as a super-athletic project-y outside corner. ![]()
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