Three-Point Stance: Undrafted surprises, DBs, recent commits

National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a look at players who surprisingly slipped out of the NFL Draft, a breakdown of the most productive defensive backs returning to college football this fall and comments about key recent commitments.

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The NFL Draft has come and gone and, as usual, there are many big names that ended up being undrafted. Here are a few that surprised me.

QB Shea Patterson, Michigan — I know Patterson didn’t live up to the hype of being a five-star, but he showed enough talent to at least be drafted.

TE Hunter Bryant, Washington — Bryant is a very good athlete and at least worth a draft pick as a flex tight end who can stretch the field.

S JR Reed, Georgia — Reed is a leader on defense and has excellent coverage and ball skills as well as bloodlines. This is confusing.

TE Thaddeus Moss, LSU — Same with Reed as far as bloodlines go and Moss showed his effectiveness last year. He’ll stick someplace as a free agent.

TE CJ O’Grady, Arkansas — I liked O’Grady better than many and loved his ball skills so I’m surprised no one took a shot at him in this day and age of pass-catching tight ends.

QB Bryce Perkins, Virginia — Perkins may not be super polished, but he’s a winner, a leader and a tough kid.

DT Benito Jones, Ole Miss — Big men don’t grow on trees and Jones was active and made some plays.

WR Quartney Davis, Texas A&M — Davis is a slot receiver who can run a bit and has been somewhat productive (at least this past season), so this is surprising.

Today I will finish my look at the most productive players returning to college football next season with a focus on the defensive backs. And, as usual, some big names are missing.

INTERCEPTIONS

1. Derek Stingley Jr., LSU (6) — Stingley put up great numbers as a true freshman last season. This is why we ranked him No 1 in the country coming out of high school.

2. Andre Cisco, Syracuse (5) — Haven’t heard of Cisco? He’s buried a bit when it comes to national attention being at Syracuse, but he’s a baller.

3. Kolby Harvell-Peel, Oklahoma State (5) — A ballhawk at safety he doesn’t get the attention he deserves in the Big 12.

4. Ar’Darius Washington, TCU (5) — TCU with another under-the-radar defensive back? Not a surprise as the Horned Frogs produce some big-time players.

PASS BREAKUPS

1. Derek Stingley Jr., LSU (21) — See above.

2. Kolby Harvell-Peel, Oklahoma State (18) — See above.

3. Elijah Molden, Washington (17) — Molden was a big-time playmaker out of high school and has lived up to the hype so far.

4. Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech (16) — A four-star athlete out of high school, Farley has found a home as a lockdown corner at Virginia Tech.

5. Jack Jones, Arizona State (16) — The former five-star prospect who signed with USC is doing quite well with the Sun Devils.

While the NFL Draft has captured our attention, there have been some big commitments in the world of recruiting. Here are a few I like a lot.

OL David Davidkov, Iowa — Offensive linemen usually pan out at Iowa. Four-star offensive linemen usually do better than pan out. Just ask Tristan Wirfs.

DB Kamar Wilcoxson, Tennessee — The former Florida commitment has a ton of talent and is a huge pickup from IMG Academy where all that talent lurks.

TE Landen King, Texas — The Longhorns add a talented tight end who can stretch the field and is a big target.

DE Landon Jackson, LSU — Jackson has been dominant on the high school level and is always in the backfield. He’s raw but he has talent.

DE Dylan Brooks, Tennessee — Brooks is a huge get out of the state of Alabama and a message from Jeremy Pruitt to the rest of the SEC.

WR JoJo Earle, LSU — LSU can recruit wide receivers with the best of them and Earle will keep the tradition going.

DE Voi Tunuufi, Washington — A hard-nosed edge rusher from Utah, Tunuufi is a guy who will always give 110-percent.

RB Taj Butts, Missouri — A nice get here for Mizzou as Butts has a nice combination of shiftiness and power.

CB Ja’Den McBurrows, Michigan — This is Southeast recruiting that is needed at Michigan and McBurrows will come with a chip on his shoulder.

S Bralyn Oliver, Louisville — Louisville does more with three-stars than most programs and Oliver is a rangy talent.

OL Beau Stephens, Iowa — Stephens is physical and plays angry.