Three-Point Stance: The Grayson Four, NFL Draft steals and surprises
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with a look at the Grayson four, some NFL Draft steals and some names that were surprisingly not called.
MORE FARRELL: Mind of Mike from NJ Rivals Camp Series | Big commits of the week & more draft thoughts
1. The Grayson Four
The Grayson Four committed on Tuesday and here’s my breakdown of what each commitment means:
LB Owen Pappoe – This is a huge get for Auburn and a kid who could grow into the next Roquan Smith-undersized linebacker in the SEC. He’s been a star since middle school, he’s a huge name in this class so he will help recruiting and he hurts UGA as he was coveted by the Dawgs. His name recognition alone will boost recruiting and will help Auburn’s efforts in Georgia. As recently as the beginning of this year, it appeared Georgia was the team to beat, so this is a great recruiting job.
OL Wayna Morris – I like Morris a lot and think he has a very high ceiling. Once he fills out his frame, especially his upper body, he will be elite as his technique is off the charts. This is a huge get for Tennessee as it will help recruiting efforts in the Atlanta area and give the Vols quite a bit of momentum for the 2019 class. This hurts Auburn as it made a serious run at Morris and thought it had taken the lead.
DB Kenyatta Watson – Watson is a tall, athletic defensive back from the Southeast so that’s a huge deal for Texas as it attempts to recruit the area. Texas doesn’t need to recruit nationally, but it helps to land players from the Southeast and this will draw more interest from Georgia recruits to the Longhorns. This hurts not only Florida State, where he was previously committed, but also Notre Dame, which made a very strong push. But I can't stress enough the importance of this commitment for future recruiting in the Southeast; this is huge.
DE Kevin Harris – Harris was all over the map in his recruiting looking at LSU, Miami and others before he chose Alabama. He’s a hybrid and reminds me a bit of Tim Williams and I especially like his motor. The kid never stops moving. As he fills out, his length and speed will remain and he could be a terror off the edge. This hurts Miami especially as the ‘Canes were thought to be the team to beat even as recently as a few days prior to his commitment.
MORE ON THE GRAYSON FOUR: Who's solid and who's not? | Measuring the impact on all schools involved| Owen Pappoe | Wanya Morris | Kenyatta Watson | Kevin Harris
2. NFL Draft steals
Looking for some NFL Draft steals, how about these guys in each round outside of the first:
Second round ...
Nick Chubb, Cleveland – First-round talent in round two? Could be.
Kerryon Johnson, Detroit – I love his versatility.
Breeland Speaks, Kansas City – Motor is there, which can’t be taught.
Anthony Miller, Chicago – He’ll be a superstar in the NFL.
Derrius Guice, Washington – If he can stay focused, he can be great.
DJ Chark, Jacksonville – Great value with his speed and size.
Third round ...
Lorenzo Carter, NY Giants – Just starting to reach his potential.
Royce Freeman, Denver – Could be that third-rounder like Kareem Hunt.
Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh – Has an NFL future as a starter.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore – Big and athletic, he’ll have a long career.
Dorian O’Daniel, Kansas City – Smart kid will be around for a while.
Fourth Round ...
Jalyn Holmes, Minnesota – Athletic rush end fits scheme.
Kyle Lauletta, NY Giants – QB of the future? I think so.
DaeSean Hamilton, Denver – Surprised he slid this far.
Da’Shawn Hand, Detroit – I still think he can be great, sue me.
Kentavius Street, San Francisco – Massive and strong, he’ll impact.
Josh Sweat, Philadelphia – Freak athlete with length.
Dalton Schultz, Dallas – The next great Dallas tight end? Could be.
Fifth Round ...
Maurice Hurst, Oakland – Slid because of health concerns, but is round one talent.
Marcus Allen, Pittsburgh – Huge safety who will hit.
Tyrell Crosby, Detroit – Shocked he slid down this far; great talent.
Andrew Brown, Cincinnati – Has something to prove and will do so.
Obo Okoronkwo, LA Rams – Undersized edge rusher who can tackle.
Wyatt Teller, Buffalo – Nasty former defensive lineman.
Sixth Round ...
John Kelly, LA Rams – Elite after contact and could surprise many.
Deon Cain, Indianapolis – Has the talent to be a star.
DeShon Elliott, Baltimore – Elite coverage skills.
Shaun Dion Hamilton, Washington – Great tackler and good instincts.
Equanimeous St. Brown, Green Bay – Huge wide receiver with solid speed.
Seventh Round ...
Marcell Ateman, Oakland – Good hands and can stretch the field.
Kendrick Norton, Carolina – Nasty defensive tackle will fit in.
Will Clapp, New Orleans – Athletic local offensive lineman could catch on.
Ryan Izzo, New England – Good value here in last round at tight end.
Auden Tate, Cincinnati – Big red zone guy.
Trey Quinn, Washington – Mr. Irrelevant is a good route runner.
MORE NFL DRAFT: Top 10 former five-stars who were picked in 2018 | Four-stars | These 10 could be first-rounders in 2019 | How SEC stars fared in draft | Draft by position | NFL Draft by conference | Gorney's Takeaways | Grading the first-round picks
3. Surprising non-draftees
I was surprised that the following players weren’t selected by any team during the draft. There could be some steals here in the free agent market.
Jeff Holland, Auburn (Denver free agent) – The best pure pass rusher in the country last season will still have a long NFL career.
Quin Blanding, Virginia (Washington free agent) – Super productive, very smart and the kind of guy that will make teams pay for passing on him.
Holton Hill, Texas (Minnesota free agent) – Off-field issues are there but on the field he’s a third or fourth rounder at least.
Allen Lazard, Iowa State (Jacksonville free agent) – Big receivers are always needed in the NFL and Lazard is huge.
Quenton Meeks, Stanford (Jacksonville free agent) – Slick cover cornerback who will pick up a defense quickly and can make up for lack of elite speed.