Greg Cosell's Draft Preview: 10 late-round sleepers (Podcast)

The showcase of the NFL draft is the first round on Thursday, but Friday and Saturday is when teams do most of their work.

The second and third days of the draft help set a foundation for NFL rosters, and there’s plenty of talent to go around. Here are a group of players who aren’t expected to go in the first round — although they could; it only takes one team in the first round to take them — who I think will be standouts among the day two and three draftees (and we discussed many other potential late-round sleepers in the podcast embedded below):

QB Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina State

Brissett’s talent jumped off the film. He is as physically good as anybody in this draft class. There are some concerns, such as his accuracy on deep passes and ball placement at times, but he has great velocity and a good feel in the pocket. There are excellent tools to work with, and at times he reminds you of Ben Roethlisberger (in terms of style of play, I’m not saying Brissett will be as good as Roethlisberger) with his strength and ability to shed defenders and make throws. He also has plus athleticism and movement ability, so a team would be able to include multiple run-game elements in the playbook due to his running ability. Brissett looks the part of an NFL quarterback and has the tools to be a quality starter with coaching and refinement.

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QB Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech

I think Driskel helped himself tremendously in his season at Louisiana Tech after transferring from Florida, where he was asked to run a lot. He has size (6-foot-4, 234 pounds) and athleticism. He’s an easy thrower who has good feet and balance on his drop. He looked like a comfortable pocket quarterback who stayed poised in the face of pressure, and also can run the boot-action pass game effectively. He needs experience and reps, but he’s an intriguing day-three prospect because of his traits.

RB Kelvin Taylor, Florida

I’ve already talked about Jonathan Williams of Arkansas, who I think is a multi-talented back and will be a good NFL player if he stays healthy. Taylor is another back I like later in the draft. His size (207 pounds) isn’t ideal, but he runs big and has a physical presence. There’s a slashing and darting element to his game, and he has good lateral agility. Quick feet in confined space and a strong lower body are important traits for an NFL back, and he has those. He can get through small cracks, which is a skill Frank Gore has mastered, and I like Taylor's future as an NFL back.

RB Paul Perkins, UCLA

Perkins might not be an every-down back in the NFL, but in the age of specialization he could be a great asset for a team. He’s a quick back with make-you-miss ability, with outstanding spontaneous agility. He lacks size and power, so that will limit how he can be used, but he can excel in a specialized role.

WR Demarcus Robinson, Florida

Robinson might not even be drafted, but that’s because of off-field issues. He was suspended four times at Florida. Without his off-field issues, he’d be a top-five receiving prospect in this draft class. He’s got play-making traits, as an outside-the-numbers receiver with size (6-1, 203), length and athleticism. He’s explosive and can run after the catch. He’s a fascinating prospect, if someone is willing to take on the risk.

DL Bronson Kaufusi, BYU

Kaufusi has great size — he's a little taller than 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds — and he’s a very fluid athlete at that size. He can play inside or line up outside as a pass rusher, and did the latter in a three-point and two-point stance at BYU. He’s active, has high energy, and even dropped into coverage at times from a line-of-scrimmage position. That says a lot about his athleticism and movement. His size is what makes him intriguing. He has the skill set to play 3-4 outside linebacker, even tough there’s no outside linebacker in the NFL who is 285 pounds. I see him ultimately as a 4-3 end who can be a moveable chess piece in sub-packages.

LB Kamalei Correa, Boise State

Correa played defensive end and outside linebacker, but at 243 pounds he’s likely to be an outside linebacker in the pros. He has good pass-rushing skills, with a good upfield burst, bend and flexibility with the ability to flatten and close on the quarterback. He also has strong hands and a strong lower body. He’ll need to get stronger in his upper body, but that can come with work in an NFL weight room, and he has the athleticism to be a good 3-4 outside linebacker. To me, he’s a better edge rusher right now than Shaq Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah.

LB Cory Littleton, Washington

I think Littleton will be available on day three of the draft, but he’s an interesting player. He has played outside linebacker on the line of scrimmage and as a stacked inside linebacker in college. He has the size, at 6-3 and 238 pounds, you want to see in an NFL outside linebacker, but he can be used in many ways. He can rush the passer or cover, even matching up man-to-man on backs. He has to get stronger, but he has the overall versatility to be a good NFL player.

CB Xavien Howard, Baylor

Howard played a lot of press-man coverage, and has the size (6-0, 200) and movement to turn into a good man-to-man corner in the NFL. He showed the ability to play on an island with no safety help over the top, and is good at flipping his hips and running when teams test him deep. Oklahoma challenged him deep a number of times, and he reacted very well. Howard has a very high ceiling in the NFL.

S Kevin Byard, Middle Tennessee

There isn’t much star power in the safety class this year, though I like Keanu Neal and Karl Joseph. If there’s a sleeper in the group it could be Byard, a true free safety prospect. He has good size at 212 pounds and you can see he has a high football IQ. He has good route and formation recognition, and that’s rare to see in college football.

PREVIOUS NFL DRAFT PREVIEWS FROM GREG COSELL
Comparing Carson Wentz to Andrew Luck is valid
Jared Goff's strengths and flaws
Laquon Treadwell's NFL WR comparisons
The case for Josh Doctson as draft's No. 1 receiver
Ezekiel Elliott's NFL transition
Derrick Henry needs the right scheme fit
Joey Bosa can do it all
Carson Wentz fitz Rams best (Podcast)
A sleeper at running back (Podcast)
Jalen Ramsey and scheme fit (Podcast)

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.