2016 NFL Draft: Five prospects who deserve a 2nd look
By jonfox
2016 NFL Draft
At this point in the 2016 NFL draft process, the draft process is focused on two groups of players: the prospects who should go in the top 40 picks of the draft and the steals in the 6th or 7th round. Let’s take a peek at a few prospects who don’t fall into either group as these are five prospects who deserve a 2nd look.
Tyvis Powell, FS Ohio State
Powell’s teammate Vonn Bell is getting all the attention from draftniks and teams, but personally I have Powell ahead of him. Bell is an undersized thumper but that’s really about it. He’s bad in space, struggles in coverage and is a so-so tackler. Powell struggles badly as a tackler so he’s not going to be able to contribute as much as a special teamer or in the box.
He has one NFL level skill that’s in great demand: he’s got amazing ball skills for a prospect. In fact, it’s hard to find another free safety prospect not named Jalen Ramsey who has better ball skills. He even gives Karl Joseph a run for his money.
At 6-3, he can range all over a defensive backfield, has great instincts for the ball in the air and can leap with the best of them. Free safety is one of those positions that’s always in demand in the NFL: a potential free safety in college with decent speed and ball skills usually is moved to cornerback and that’s why there’s usually a glut of slower footed safeties just about every draft.
Some team is going to draft Powell early in Day 3 of the draft and have him in the starting lineup before most of the safeties taken before him.
Dan Vitale, RB/FB Northwestern
The position Vitale played in college really doesn’t have an NFL equivalent. Pat Fitzgerald called it the “Superback.” The best way to describe it would be if an offense used a Fullback in a single back/shotgun set. H-Back is probably the closest thing in the NFL, but H-backs have never been used in a rushing role like Vitale was in Chi-Town.
Vitale has a potential role in the NFL as an H-Back in the NFL and as a halfback(which are two different positions if you’re confused). But he’s going to have to make his mark on special teams to get that chance on the offense.
The best fit for him would be on a team that wants to use a lot of single back/2 tight end and shotgun sets. If a team takes him trying to shoehorn him into being a traditional fullback, they’ll be disappointed by the results they get from Vitale.
Max Tuerk, OL Southern Cal
Tuerk is trying to bounce back from an ACL tear and basically missed the entire 2015 season. Even without the knee injury teams don’t like his lack of bulk. They do like his drive, mobility and ability to play so many different positions. He started for a major program at center(his best position) and left tackle.
If a team can get him in the weight room and near the buffet table, and get him around 320 lbs without being sloppy then they probably have themselves a multi-year starter for them at guard or center.
Compared to many other of the “developmental” prospects on the offensive line, Tuerk is better than just about all of them. A team doesn’t have to teach him how to play, they need to hand him a fork, a barbell and make sure his knee checks out.
Kyle Murphy, OL Stanford
Speaking of developmental prospects on the offensive line, let’s discuss Kyle Murphy for a second. To quote Avon Barksdale, Murphy is a man without a country, prospect-wise. He’s too stiff to play on the left side and probably not strong enough to play on the right. He’s also a lineman with bad footwork who somehow moves well for a tackle.
He clearly knows the mental aspects of playing offensive line and perhaps it’s extra film work and football IQ that makes him look faster than he is physically. He can’t be a starter for a team year 1 or 2. He’s clearly a developmental prospect but his tape just looks fantastic.
He might have to move inside to guard ultimately where his flaws wouldn’t be as apparent but he looks like a classic Patriots draft pick.
Willie Henry, DL Michigan
Henry is extremely raw as a player: he can be baited into offsides calls with hard counts on a regular basis. And most of his sacks and hurries came from the same move: a twist. That’s fine for college where a defensive lineman can beat lesser linemen over and over with the same move. In the pros, if Henry wants to continue as a 3 tech tackle, he’s going to have to mix up his moves so he doesn’t become a one trick pony.
He has to go to a team that can sit him while he learns, but his potential is so obviously there. He could be best uses as a sub package rusher in a 3-4 defense where teams worried about the edge rushers ignore Henry and let him beat interior blockers who aren’t used to his quickness and speed.
At his best, Henry could remind people of Tyrone Crawford of the Dallas Cowboys. And for a Round 3-5 pick, that would be great value for whomever drafts him.