The Lesser Knowns: Part Five

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After watching Twitter and the Internet since returning from Mobile, there is already a consensus of people’s opinions on the so-called “best” NFL Draft and fantasy prospects. Much of their talents get debated over and over. I want to take a few articles to discuss the “lesser known,” for lack of a better term. These are the players who have talent, but maybe play in smaller schools or are just less publicized than a Teddy Bridgewater, Carlos Hyde, Sammy Watkins, etc. Here are a few more of those players who might be valuable come rookie draft time:

Martavis Bryant, WR Clemson

The Clemson wide receiver not named Sammy Watkins had a very productive junior season with 42 catches for 828 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.  After you have adjusted your eyes to his 6′ 5″, 201 lbs. size, it is clear he enjoys run blocking as he steps up and gets in the defender’s face right away.  You might be asking yourself, why does that matter?  A big physical receiver who likes to block will see a lot of playing time versus a tall specialist who only gets work in three or four wide sets.

After watching his games against Ohio State and Syracuse, it seems to me that Bryant could grow into an NFL WR2 role, perhaps like a Tampa Bay Mike Williams. He has an explosive first step and catches the ball in stride.  He can contort his body to adjust to poorly thrown passes, but unfortunately has the tendency to body catch.  Bryant fights off physical coverage, has great concentration and knows where he is on the field at all times as he uses the sidelines to his advantage.  In the bowl game against Ohio State, he had two amazing touchdown receptions.  On the first one, Bryant beat the corner to the back of the end zone with inside position and out jumped the defender to come down with the ball.  The more spectacular catch was when Bryant tipped the ball back into his hands with the defender draped all over him while falling down after getting both feet down to score the touchdown.

He has enough speed to get behind defenses and take it to the house if you try to not use safety help with him.  Bryant has a lot of room to grow with frame, so he could become a powerful receiver under the right training program after gaining 10-20 pounds.  I would draft him in the late third to early fourth rounds with his current upside.

Jackson Jeffcoat, DE Texas

jeffcoatJeffcoat is not the ideal size for a defensive end at 6′ 5″ 245 lbs.   He is too tall to be a typical outside linebacker and too light to be a defensive end in most schemes.  The defender played up and down the line as a Longhorn – defensive end, inside linebacker, and outside linebacker.  He would rush standing up at the one gap, two gap, as well as the six and seven gaps.  Jeffcoat has a great first initial step, as he gets pressure on the quarterback right away.  He uses either a quick swim move or tries to bull rush his way there. The tweener does a good job keeping the linemen off his body when he is pass rushing with his long arms, but struggles to keep those same offensive linemen off his body when they are run blocking him.

Jeffcoat is not a fluid athlete as he looks awkward and off balance flowing to the ball on running plays. As a defensive end, he does not seal the edge in the running game, which makes his position hard to figure in the NFL.  He reminds me a bit of Seattle’s Bruce Irvin who found a place as a pass rushing specialist.  Depending on how he gets used, Jeffcoat could be a great player to have, especially in a sack heavy scoring league.

Marcel Jensen, TE Fresno State

This isn’t the most exciting of rookies to discuss as he is one of the rare two-way tight ends.  Jensen is a decent blocker who wasn’t featured much in the Derek Carr-led Fresno State offense as he finished with only 26 receptions, 353 yards, and three touchdowns.  He got hurt day one of the Senior Bowl so he did not get to impress the NFL teams down in Mobile or give us in attendance much to see.  From the tape, Jensen is explosive off the line and can catch the ball in stride most often on post routes.  He did not run many different types of routes, but the tight end did a nice job of catching the ball with his hands, as well as getting to the ball in traffic to snag the pigskin at its highest point.  This tight end might be a better fullback/wing back type of player than an inline blocker.  Don’t forget about Jensen in premium tight end leagues as he could develop into a Dennis Pitta type of player in a season or two.

James Wilder, RB Florida State

It’s hard to be a “lesser known” playing with quarterback Jameis Winston and fellow running back Devonta Freeman, but with only 250 total touches over three years, that is exactly what Wilder is.  He is the son of a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back/fullback James Wilder Sr., who had two 1,000 yard seasons.  At 6′ 2″ 229 lbs., Wilder runs like a much smaller back.  He has quick feet, tends to cut almost all of his carries outside and reads his blockers well.  He is explosive, keeps his feet chopping, generates good power once in motion and has amazing balance.

All within the same run, you can watch him use a jump cut, spin move, stiff-arm, wiggle thru a hole and glide for extra yardage.  Wilder runs a little too high at times and struggles to be the low man in the hole, so he is not an ideal short yardage/goal line back.  He is the opposite of a north/south back, instead he lives on the edges trying to break the seam for a touchdown on every play.  This smooth runner always falls forward, though, and is willing to leave his feet to gain extra yardage.

Wilder is a willing pass blocker who steps up to attack the defenders, but seemed to get knocked back or tries to cut block a little too much.  He catches the ball with his body, but looks fantastic in open space as he can make the first guy miss.  His production in the passing game was best his sophomore season, but I think he could used more as a receiver in the pros.

I have Wilder just outside of my top ten running backs, but he could move up depending on the NFL team that drafts him with the tread on his tires and his NFL pedigree.

For further questions or comments, please contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley