Kurt Warner. Warren Moon. John Randle. Adam Vinateri. Jeff Saturday. Malcolm Butler. That is a list of some NFL legends, players that are or will be in the Hall of Fame, or in Malcolm Butler’s case players that changed the course of the game on the biggest stage imaginable.
Those are also some of the players that never heard their name called during an NFL Draft.
With the 2020 NFL Draft in the books, a signing frenzy is on to add undrafted players to NFL rosters. Here is a list of players teams should be frantically trying to add over the next few hours.
Tyler Huntley, QB, Utah
Quarterbacks fell more than perhaps was expected in the 2020 NFL Draft, with both Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason sliding into Day Two. That pushed other passers down the board, including one of the most efficient quarterbacks from the 2019 college football season. Tyler Huntley’s efficiency rating was tops in the Pac-12 last season, and currently stands as the 25th-best in FBS history. He can move well around the pocket and can create off of structure. With the direction NFL offenses are trending he should have a number of suitors.
Javelin Guidry, CB, Utah
When you get into this point of the draft, sometimes you’re just placing a bet on one elite trait. When studying defensive backs, blazing speed for days is one such trait. Guidry burned up the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium with a scorching 4.29 40-yard dash, and the thing is: He shows that speed on tape. He is slightly undersized at 5-foot-9, but his 31.25 inch arms make up for that lack of high and give him enough length to potentially play on the outside. Pro Football Focus charted him with getting beat for a catch on just seven vertical routes in three years of playing time at Utah. That is impressive. There are concerns, which sees him fall out of the draft, but betting on a 4.29 player as a UDFA? There are worse things you can do.
Darrion Daniels, DT, Nebraska
Big nose tackles might be a dying breed in the NFL, but Darrion Daniels is a monster on the inside who commands double- and triple-teams at the point of attack. He started his college career at Oklahoma State, and transferred to Nebraska as a graduate to play with his younger brother on the Cornhuskers’ defensive line. He has played over 100 snaps in five different college seasons, making him an elder statesman as a prospect. He might not contribute much as a pass rusher – no notched only eight pressures and two sacks on his 430 snaps last season – but he can clog the interior and help stuff the run.
Michael Divinity Jr., LB, LSU
Years ago Michael Divinity Jr. looked the part of a future NFL draft pick. He was a four-star recruit coming out of John Ehret High School in Louisiana and was invited to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. He enrolled at LSU despite offesfrom 29 other school including Florida State and Texas A&M, and had a breakout year in 2018 tallying 28 total tackles on his career-high 775 snaps. Last season, however, he battled injuries and a suspension, although he did return to the lineup for the National Championship Game against Clemson. He has an impressive array of pass rushing tools, including a very twitchy spin move, and is a force against the run. But his poor testing at the Combine and his character flags likely pushed him out of the draft itself.
Cheyenne O’Grady, TE, Arkansas
Cheyenne O’Grady might have been a top tight end in this class if it were not for the off field issues. He has the route-running ability to separate consistently from man coverage, and the ability to secure the football almost perfectly at the catch point. Pro Football Focus charted him with just four drops on 89 career catchable passes, and impressive percentage. He is very physical at the catch point, and on film made some tough catches over the middle, like this one against Mississippi:
The problem is, he comes with some off-field issues. His time on campus was marked by an arrest as a freshman for suspicion of DWI and possession of alcohol, suspensions from two different coaching staffs, and he eventually left the team midway through his senior campaign. He also admitted at the Combine to being in shape for the first time in his life. The team that takes a chance on his is getting a potential mismatch player in the receiving game, but is it worth the risk? Especially for a prospect on the older side, set to turn 24 as a rookie? The negatives might outweigh the potential positives.
Jacob Breeland, TE, Oregon
Provided an offense carves out the right role for him, there is NFL potential in Oregon tight end Jacob Breeland. He is a good receiver for the position, and shows the ability to create after the catch, something of a rarity at the TE spot. He had a pair of 66-yard touchdowns over the course of his career, one against Nevada and the other against San Jose State. On both he showed some acceleration away from the nearest defender after the catch. The problem is that he struggles as a blocker in the run game. If an NFL team uses him as more of a big slot type of receiver, he could provide a boost in the passing game.
Essang Bassey, CB, Wake Forest
If the job of a cornerback is to prevent the nearest wide receiver from catching the football, then Wake Forest CB Essang Bassey is one of the better players at his job. Over the past three seasons Bassey broke up 35 passes at the catch point, more than any other cornerback in all of college football over that period of time according to charting information from Pro Football Focus. He moves well, is confident in zone coverage and keys on the eyes of the quarterback at a high level. Bassey tested well at the Combine, with a 6.95 second three-cone drill which might bode well for a move inside to the slot. His lack of size (5’9″ 191 pounds) likely contributed to his slide down the board.
Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
Many outlets, such as Pro Football Focus, considered Washington tight end Hunter Bryant the top player at his position in the 2020 NFL Draft. Bryant right now is more of your move-type tight end who shows flashes of being able to take on increased inline duties in the NFL, but will need some time to grow into that role. Right now his strength is as a receiver, who can operate out of the slot or the wing and use his combination of speed and athletic ability to work himself open against safeties and linebackers. He attacks the football in flight and almost always reaches full extension reaching for the football, avoiding some of the body catch issues that other players struggle with. Bryant does not have a complete route tree on his resume, but what he runs he excels at, as you can see him running away from defenders on post routes, shallow crossers, sit routes versus zone, deep outs on sail concepts, seam routes and wheel routes from the wing. Unfortunately, also has a bit of an injury history, as a knee injury suffered in 2018 ended his season early. This might explain why he slid out of the draft.
Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Georgia
A former walk-on at the University of Georgia, the bespectacled Rodrigo Blankenship became a fan favorite among the Bulldogs’ faithful. He leaves campus with a career 82.5% field goal mark, and made 92.7% of his kicks in the under 40-yard range, something to watch for given the current length of extra points. He made a record 55-yarder in the Rose Bowl a few seasons ago, and was six of nine on his attempts of 50 yards or more during his time in Georgia. He was also known for two big misses while at Georgia, a potential game-tying kick in overtime in a loss against South Carolina and a miss on a 30-yard chip shot in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. He also has seen three of his kicks blocked in his career. Blankenship also provided a memorable moment during the Senior Bowl practices this past year, when he was teeing the ball up on the end line and trying to hit the goal posts from the side. He did it more than you might expect…
Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State
Anthony Gordon going undrafted is a bit of a surprise. He put up prodigious numbers for Washington State last season in Mike Leach’s offense, and on film displayed the kind of mentality and quick release that works in the NFL. Gordon also shows a penchant for attacking underneath coverage and leveraged linebackers and safeties. He is not afraid to challenge any window at any level of the field. He also throws with pretty good anticipation for a collegiate passer. Finally, his mechanics, despite appearing odd at first, are rather tight — and the ball comes out of his field quickly. His footwork needs improvement and he does have a smaller frame, but in the right system he could flourish.
Trey Adams, OT, Washington
A few seasons ago Trey Adams was viewed as a potential lock for the first round of the NFL draft. He played ten games at left tackle as a freshman, and then took on more of a role over the next three years. Injuries, however, are a big question mark for him. He played just 366 snaps in 2017 and 218 snaps in 2018, battling back and knee injuries. When healthy he is a powerful blocker in both pass protection and in the running game, and he has the size and frame to be an NFL tackle. However, the injury concerns are a major red mark, and he also needs some technical refinement with his hand placement and his pass sets.
Nick Coe, EDGE, Auburn
Nick Coe was a four-star recruit coming out of the state of North Carolina in 2016, and entertained offers from Florida State and Alabama before committing to Auburn. He has played over 1,347 snaps on the Tigers’ defense during the past few seasons, aligning everywhere from interior defensive line to the outside linebacker spot. He tallied seven sacks in 2018, his most productive season at Auburn. Last year he played just 381 snaps, a low for him over the three previous seasons, and he failed to register a sack. He is a solid defender against the run who can overpower tight ends at the point of attack, and his powerful lower body and wrestling background give him an advantage in the leverage battles along the line. He dropped weight before the Combine, signaling perhaps an idea of switching to the EDGE, but he might be limited in what he can do given some difficulties changing direction and working against offensive tackles as a pass rusher.
Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU
In a true surprise, LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. Son of Hall of Famer Randy Moss, the younger version was a stout blocker and possession receiver for the Tigers this past season. If you want a physical blocker who can put a defensive end on his back before releasing to the flat to catch a checkdown from a quarterback under duress, Moss is your guy. He might be the most physical blocker in this entire group of tight ends, and he can be dominant both inline and in the wing. Moss is not the most athletic prospect at this position, but he has the footwork as well as enough functional athleticism to operate well both playside and backside on zone blocking designs. When Moss is backside, he is athletic enough to cutblock defensive ends to the turf. He also is extremely adept at chipping defensive ends before releasing into his routes, and Moss loads up for those shots on DEs. His film is replete with clips of him putting an unsuspecting DE on his backside. However, his size and frame – plus his projection as more of a blocking TE – likely contributed to his fall out of the draft.
