Draft Jottings #3: The Unknowns - 4/20/05

Most everyone that follows the draft even somewhat closely will usually have a pretty good idea of who the player their favorite team drafted in the first round is. Last year is a good example as most folks had a clue to who Ben Roethlisberger was and some of what he did in college. The bigger draft fanatics will also usually have a good grasp of the next few rounds and the players that their team has taken. The tough part comes when the later rounds role around and unless you spend way too much time studying this stuff (yes, I’m guilty), you usually don’t know too much about those guys. Heck, I can honestly say that I wasn’t at all familiar with two of the Steelers picks last year, Drew Caylor and Matt Cranchick and I live for this stuff. What I’d like to do here is just go over a few players that I know the Steelers have had some interest in and maybe some others that I’ve had a look at. These will be the type of guys that are drafted or signed late on Sunday and you may not notice until they do something (good or bad) during the pre season games.

Fred Staton RB Tusculum. Before I go into too much detail I’ll just throw out some numbers on Fred. He’s 6 foot, 250 pounds and runs a 4.5 40. That alone is enough to get you a look. He’s actually run in the 4.4s when his weight is down in the 230s. He’s a bit of a sleeper because he only carried the ball 18 times in 2004 and missed all of 2003 after transferring from Wake Forest. It was his sophomore year there that really showed how good Staton is as he was a strong performer in the ACC. When you get right down to it, what we have with Staton is a guy who can play big but gets much faster with a little less weight on who has flown under the radar because of a transfer. If the Steelers grab him late, they may just have their moldable project-capable starter for the future. He has all the tools to be a quality NFL back.

Kelvin Hayden CB Illinois. Coming out of Illinois, It’s a little harder to say that Hayden has flown under the radar but due to a position switch, he has. Originally a wide receiver, Hayden made the switch and has shown some good upside at the CB or maybe safety positions. He’s 5-10 197 and can run in the mid 4.4s. He has one quality that Bill Cowher loves as he is not afraid to stick his nose into the running game as he is an explosive hitter. His biggest problems are the ones you would expect from a converted WR, technique and experience. Hayden, if selected, would probably be worth more on special teams to begin his career as he learns either the CB or FS positions.

Trai Essex OT Northwestern. If you like your lineman with great feet and athletic, Essex is the guy for you. Unfortunately, he’s also the kind of guy that you’re going to have to motivate a bit to get going. He’s said to have the best feet in the draft and considering that he used to play TE that should come as no surprise. If he can get and stay motivated (Russ Grimm and a pro contract might be good for that) his natural abilities might lead him into a starting position soon in his career.

Todd Herremans OT Saginaw Valley St. Picture the opposite of Trai Essex and you have Herremans. He’s a hard worker, built very solid and will overpower his man with strength rather than athleticism. The big question with him is if he can pull that off at the NFL level. If he gets the right kind of coaching he can turn his size and wingspan into a starting caliber offensive lineman. The only problem here is that the rest of the league is catching on to him and he might be drafted a bit higher than anticipated.

John Fanene DE Utah. Fanene is a player the Steelers could use as a more of a situational pass rushing end. His size (6-3 290) is good if not ideal for a 3-4 end but it’s his pass rushing skills that catch people’s attention. If you happened to catch this year’s Fiesta Bowl, you probably noticed him. His biggest problem though is that he tends to rush the passer on every down, even when it’s a running play. If he can be taught to at least pay attention to those running back guys, he might have a shot in the league. Again, his best chance at success will probably be as a situational substitute, which, for the Steelers, wouldn’t be too bad as he could sub in for Kimo von Oelhoffen when needed.

Shaun Nua DE BYU. Another DE along the same lines as Fanene, he could come in and give Kimo some help when it comes to rushing the passer. While he may not be as ready for the NFL as Fanene (assuming either is) at 6-5 and 270, he presents a better project as far as size goes. If he could put on another 20-30 pounds while still retaining his ability to get off the ball, the Steelers might have something there. My guess is that he’s the kind of guy that would be perfect for the practice squad and could be signed after the draft.

Doug Monaghan SS Cincinnati. A good-sized safety prospect who could have a shot at unseating the under whelming Russell Stuvaints. He’s 6-3, 205 and can run well (in the 4.55 to 4.70 range) too. He’s probably a guy who’s going to have to make a team as a PFA but given the right opportunity, he might find a spot.

Stefan Rodgers OT Lambuth. Of course we’ve all heard of Rodgers since we all tuned into all of those Lambuth games on ESPN this past season. O.K. maybe not but Rodgers might actually be worth a look anyways. He’s a good-sized guy with room to grow as he started out as a TE and grew into a tackle. He has maintained his athleticism though as well as his good feet and flexibility. Given some pro coaching, he could become a valuable swingman at the pro level.

Michael Bragg CB Texas A&M-Kingsville. How about a corner that can run under 4.4, has good size (6-0 190) and can make plays on the ball with four picks, nine more passes defended while dropping five or six more picks? He’s either a heck of an athlete with questionable hands or a guy who knows how to make plays on the ball and could learn to finish them at the next level. Whichever, this former trackman might not be a bad addition late in the draft. He has possibilities at either corner or safety.

Tory Humphrey TE Central Michigan. Anybody have any interest in a TE who can run in the 4.4s? No, I’m not talking about Matt Jones; I’m talking about Humphrey. O.K., his times have ranged from the high 4.4s into the 4.5s but how terrible is that? His biggest problem will be in maintaining enough weight to be an effective blocker at the next level. He is currently listed at 6-3 and 255 but has shown that 10-15 pounds of that can melt off during the season pretty easy. If he can hold his weight and work on his hands a bit, he could be a late round surprise.

There you go, ten guys who you may see at the bottom of the Steelers draft. I could go into more but I really need to start working on my final mock draft. So, until then…

Tim “feeling like my head is going to explode with draft stuff” Campion