Big Talent From the Small Schools

(the 11th Installment of the "Pro Draft Report" presented by Football Reporters)

Big Talent from the Small Schools

By Jay Horn-Special Contributor-Football Reporters Online



The 2011 Draft is jam-packed with talented players from non-FBS schools. 56 players from ‘small schools’ (Divisions 1-AA, 2, 3, and NAIA) where invited to this year’s NFL Combine. The conventional wisdom is shifting from the day when scouts only looked at a couple standouts from these lower-tier divisions. Recently, a number of impact players have come from “less” than the Division-1 farm system.



In 2008, Brandon Carr from perennial D-II power Grand Valley State broke in as a starting cornerback for the KC Chiefs after being taken in the 5th round, in 2009 RB Bernard Scott was a 6th round pick from Abilene Christian who dazzled the NFL in his rookie season with big kick-off returns and steady production in the backfield for the Cincinnati Bengals. Also that year, WR Johnny Knox, Scott’s teammate at ACU, has been extremely productive since entering the League as a 5th round pick with the Bears. Another ACU product, OT J’Marcus Webb, was taken in the 7th round and has earned a starting role with the Bears as well.



Last year, some of the NFL’s most exciting rookies came from ‘small schools.’ D-2 Tiffin Dragons RB Chris Ivory (who played only four games as a senior after suffering a broken leg) became a starter for the defending World Champion New Orleans Saints. GLIAC standout offensive tackle Jered Veldheer from Hillsdale, was taken in the 3rd round by the Raiders and was a fixture on the o-line starting at both center and tackle. Perhaps one of the best ‘feel good stories’ of this year was the success of former Chadron State and Harlon Hill winner RB Danny Woodhead. Originally drafted by the Jets and signed in 2008, Woodhead was cut, re-signed to the practice squad, then cut again and signed by the Patriots in 2010. He became one of the Patriots most productive offensive players, finishing the season with a career high 547 rushing yards on just 97 carries (5.64 per carry) and a TD. He also had 379 yards receiving on 34 catches with 5 TDs. His yards per rush was a Patriots team record and fourth in the NFL.



Who be this year’s Ivory, Veldheer or Woodhead? Here is a sampling of a few of the possibilities in the 2011 Draft:



OFFENSIVE PLAYERS:



OT Ben Ijalana – Villanova 6’ 3.6” 319 – 5.30 – 2nd-3rd round



WR Edmund Gates – ACU 5’ 11.5” 189 – 4.37 – 3rd - 5th round



RB Taiwan Jones – Eastern Washington - 5’ 11.4” – 4.40 – 3rd – 5th round


OG – Will Rackley – Lehigh - 6’ 3.3” 307 – 5.20 – 3rd - 5th round



C – Brandon Fusco – Slippery Rock – 6’ 4.1” 302 – 5.25 – 4th – 6th round



TE – Schuyler Oordt – Northern Iowa – 6’ 6.0” 261 – 5th – 7th Round



OT – David Mims – Virginia Union – 6’ 8.2 335 – 5.58 – 5th – 7th round



QB – Pat Devlin – Delaware – 6’ 3.3” 226 – 4.82 – 6th – 7th round



DEFENSIVE PLAYERS:



DT Kendrick Ellis – Hampton 6’ 5.0” 336 – 5.05 – 4th – 6th round



CB Korey Lindsey-Woods – Southern Illinois – 5’ 10.1 181 – 4.45 – 5th – 7th round



CB Buster Skrine – Chattanooga – 5’ 9.5 186 – 4.37 – 5th – 7th round



CB Ryan Jones – Northwest Missouri State – 5’ 11.0 197 – 4.42 – 4th – 6th round



DT Cedric Thornton – Southern Arkansas 6’ 3.5” 299 – 5.91 – 7th round - UDFA