It’s only natural with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with the first round of an NFL draft, most of the attention goes there as well.
But after looking at players since the start of the college football season last August, here are a few outside the opening round who caught my eye. It will be intriguing to see where they end up:
Wyoming defensive lineman John Fletcher. The Ralston Valley High graduate finished the 2009 season with 52 tackles, including 12.5 for loss and seven sacks. He pulled a hamstring at his pro day after running one 40 in the low 4.8s, but the Broncos, for one, have been back to work him out since. At 6-feet-5, most teams believe he could add some weight and maintain his current quickness, especially 3-4 teams looking for an active player to put at one of the end spots.
Colgate wide receiver Patrick Simonds. A quality athlete who didn’t have spectacular 40 times (high 4.5s), but had two 1,000-yard seasons playing an 11-game schedule. He’s another player the Broncos have seen plenty over the last year.
Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards. Short of Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, Edwards might have been the most entertaining player to review in this draft class. Could line up at wide receiver, quarterback or running back for spot duty as a pro and with the right team could have a productive tenure. He scored 139 touchdowns in his college career and just turned 22 last month.
Houston tight end Fendi Onobun. Had just two catches for the University of Houston in the 2009 season, but the former Arizona basketball player — he was on a Sweet 16 team with the Wildcats — ran spectacular times in the 40 at his pro day (4.48, 4.49) at just under 6-6 and at 252 pounds. He also blocked two extra points in one game with some top-end leaping ability.
Wisconsin safety Chris Maragos. A Western Michigan transfer and a former wide receiver, Maragos might have some of the best footwork of any safety I watched. Very quick feet, he’s smooth on the move. A little undersized at 5-10-1/2, 200 pounds, but very agile and in today’s defenses that’s a must for the position.
Newberry wide receiver Kelton Tindal. Just might be the fastest player on the board — hand-timed in the 4.2s in a 40-yard dash. He’s got some size at 6-2, 190 pounds, but needs work with his routes. But honesty is a quality trait and Tindal was asked by a scout recently what he needed to work on and he replied quickly that he doesn’t always adjust to the ball as well as he should and that he needed some work running routes.
That’s some good self-scouting there and usually a sign a player is willing to at least try to fix what he needs to.
Colorado cornerback Ben Burney. It’s always fun when a player gives the professional skeptics who are NFL scouts a little something to think about. And Burney simply grabbed everyone by their lapels at his pro day with 40s in the 4.3s and weighing in at 202 pounds. Sturdy corners with that kind of speed always rise on the draft boards and Burney should be no exception.
That’s just a few, but even with all of the technology and the speed of information these days, when even YouTube is considered a quality scouting device, there is always a surprise or two on the draft weekend.
And there is always a little hint of the unexpected, a little dash of a gamble here and there, which makes it as interesting as it always will be.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
