Who is your must-have late round gem?

[jimlerario]

Two years ago, I had a gut feeling that Jay Ajayi would be a special player, a must-have. Turns out, the Dolphins felt the same way and drafted him in the fifth round, which I was ecstatic over.

Turn to 2017, and there are gems to be had in the later rounds of the draft. Currently, the Dolphins hold three fifth round picks, a round where the Dolphins have drafted production in the past.

With that, I challenge this forum. Who is your late-round must have gem and why does he stand out among the rest of the crop? Try to pick one!

Personally, I am torn between Eddie Jackson, FS out of Alabama, and Corn Elder, Nickel Corner out of Miami. Ultimately, I had to go with Eddie Jackson because, injuries aside, he is a special player who has freakishly impressive highlights. He would complement Reshad Jones very well, and has the ability to take over games. His talents are comparable to Malik Hooker, and if the Dolphins can get someone of his caliber in the 5th, I would be ecstatic. He is my 2017 must-draft, and I am interested to hear yours.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2LzqwDvhELc

 

[Sons Of Shula]

I'm a fan of Corn Elder for the slot. He might be undersized but he's scrappy and a very good tackler. Very good zone CB and fairly good 1v1 who reads and reacts well also. And if you're a late round pick you've got to be a special teams guy who and Elder is a good gunner and even return guy.

 

[jim1]

5th round and later:

Joe Mathis
Ben Braden
Eric Saubert
Stevie Tuikolovatu
Praise Martin-Oguike
Jarron Jones
Jessamin Dunker

Mathis, Jones and Dunker are more mid round guys, I'm counting rds 5-7. Mathis could be a steal, Saubert has size, speed and big play potential written all over him.

 

[BONG SHULA]

Ben Braden. I feel he could be a day 1 plug and play guard for us. It's one of the reasons I hope we don't go guard in round 1. Hell, it's higher than he's slotted at but I wouldn't be opposed to spending a 4/5 on the guy.

 

[Austin Tatious]

Off the top of my head:

Stevie Tu'ikolovatu, DT
Ralph Green DT
Moton OG
Eddie Vanderdoes DT
Chad Kelly QB
Chase Allen LB
Corn Elder NB
Kai Nacua S
Lots more. I think this is an exceptional draft in the fifth round. Good year to have three picks there.

 

[nick1]

I'm a fan of Corn Elder for the slot. He might be undersized but he's scrappy and a very good tackler. Very good zone CB and fairly good 1v1 who reads and reacts well also. And if you're a late round pick you've got to be a special teams guy who and Elder is a good gunner and even return guy.

We have to grab him at 97 or we can't get him

 

[Hoot]

Nate Gerry.

I am partial to him being a star for my local Huskers, but my interest is not unfounded. The kid can play ball and I've been hoping the Fins take a late round flyer on him.

Specs:
6' 2" 220 lbs
40 YD- 4:58
Vertical: 30.5"
Broad: 10' 2"
Bench: 17 reps

INT CAREER: 13
TACKLES: 273

Negatives: Missed final bowl game due to Academics. Was flagged a decent amount for helmet hits. Has some tightness in his hips. Not an ideal 1v1 cover man. Doesn't have blazing speed (even though he was High School state track champion several times). Can load up and miss some tackles.

Positives: Instincts. He can sniff out plays and bring the hammer. Big hitter. Does get his hands on the ball and generate turnovers (13 in career). Brings a fierce passion to the defense.

Fit: SS backup behind Reshad or compete for playing time in Slot/Nickel. Teams have approached him about playing WLB. Obvious special teams value as tackler. These are not big needs for us, but I'd still like to see them snag him late. He would be an asset to the aggressive defensive culture Gase is wanting to construct.


[video=youtube;-QBYpf6m9Y0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QBYpf6m9Y0&t=179s[/video]

I love 3:25 mark. Huskers are down 55-3 to Ohio St. in the 4th quarter. They are getting killed. Lot of guys start giving up or playing softer at that point. Not Gerry. Man is still attacking.

 

[ckparrothead]

A lot of Ben Braden in here I see.

I of course agree. He's a must have. Instant starter.

S Delano Hill is much the same.

DE Tanoh Kpassagnon is a high value late gem that might not actually go very late at all.

OLB Samson Ebukam is another MUST have if he is indeed a late rounder. He's way too talented for that. Way way too talented.

DT Grover Stewart is flying up the boards right now for a reason. If he's a 5th-6th rounder, you gotta take him. Always gamble on that level of physical talent, at that price tag.

For that matter I don't see why you wouldn't gamble on DE/OLB Joe Mathis with a late round pick.

OG Aviante Collins is not a Ben Braden, but he's also a guy that is far better than the price tag.

At WR, you don't turn your back on talents like Jalen Robinette or Josh Reynolds once you get to the 5th round. Or DeAngelo Yancey. Or Ryan Switzer. They are just TOO GOOD. They're gonna outperform a lot of guys taken ahead of them.

How does TE Jeremy Sprinkle make it to the 5th round when you know that he's a $4-5 million a year player at the NFL level, at minimum? Scratching my head on that one. Or TE Ricky Seals-Jones, who SHOULD be drafted.

Then there's LB Richie Brown who steps in as an immediate player you could play in nickel packages.

And CB Jack Tocho, criminally underrated.

All of those guys are worth serious investment. Actual, significant investment.

There are some guys that seem like they're UDFA levels that are no-brainers as well because you don't have to invest anything. Guys liks QB Taysom Hill (just put him somewhere, anywhere, he's an incredible athlete and a great football player), RB LeShun Daniels, TE Phazahn Odom, OT Andreas Knappe, OG Jonathan McLaughlin, OG Zack Johnson, DE Praise Martin-Oguika, DT Ralph Green, LB Joseph Jones, LB Steven Taylor, S Donald Payne.

 

[DKphin]

I do not know if he is an absolute must have, but he is certainly someone I am rooting for: ILB Connor Harris. He has a lot of obstacles to overcome. While had decent numbers at the Combine(4.73-40, 18-BP, 33-Vert, 114-BJ, 7.13-3Cone, 4.31-Short shuttle, 11.84-60yd shuttle), you do not look and say he is the 2nd coming of Von Miller. Another knock on him is that he went to D-2 Lindenwood, so he is going to knocked for his competition. He is also not the tallest guy 5'11", so I am sure the so-called "experts" will say he is going to get engulfed by OL.

But putting the negatives aside, this is a guy who plays with reckless abandon. He has great instincts, can play all 3 downs, instant stop/start quickness and change of direction ability-always attacking downhill. Plus he is a wrap up and drive though tackler, no arm tackles here. But it does not stop there, wrap your head around these numbers. Harris ended his career with 633 total tackles(let me state that again-633 total tackles), the most in the history of NCAA football at any level. Among that total was collecting 184 tackles as a junior, a NCAA Division II single-season record. Also in his career, he recorded 34 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 14 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. He punted 19 times for a 38.8 average, recovered two onside kicks by the opposing teams, and was a perfect 12-of-12 on PAT attempts. He was also a part-time offensive player during his career, averaging 6.8 yards per rush and having seven rushing touchdowns.

 

[Hoot]

I do not know if he is an absolute must have, but he is certainly someone I am rooting for: ILB Connor Harris. He has a lot of obstacles to overcome. While had decent numbers at the Combine(4.73-40, 18-BP, 33-Vert, 114-BJ, 7.13-3Cone, 4.31-Short shuttle, 11.84-60yd shuttle), you do not look and say he is the 2nd coming of Von Miller. Another knock on him is that he went to D-2 Lindenwood, so he is going to knocked for his competition. He is also not the tallest guy 5'11", so I am sure the so-called "experts" will say he is going to get engulfed by OL.

But putting the negatives aside, this is a guy who plays with reckless abandon. He has great instincts, can play all 3 downs, instant stop/start quickness and change of direction ability-always attacking downhill. Plus he is a wrap up and drive though tackler, no arm tackles here. But it does not stop there. Wrap your head around these numbers. Harris ended his career with 633 total tackles(let me state that again-633 total tackles), the most in the history of NCAA football at any level. Among that total was collecting 184 tackles as a junior, a NCAA Division II single-season record. Also in his career, he recorded 34 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 14 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. He punted 19 times for a 38.8 average, recovered two onside kicks by the opposing teams, and was a perfect 12-of-12 on PAT attempts. He was also a part-time offensive player during his career, averaging 6.8 yards per rush and having seven rushing touchdowns.

Geez. That is an insane tackle amount. I wonder why D1 schools didn't make any offers...or did he intentionally stay at Lindenwood?

 

[DKphin]

Geez. That is an insane tackle amount. I wonder why D1 schools didn't make any offers...or did he intentionally stay at Lindenwood?

Coming out of HS, he was a safety and quarterback. People did not know exactly what position he would play. Despite winning the Class-6 Missouri championship, I do not think he was heavily recruited. Let me let you read what the Lindenwood coaches said about him after seeing the championship game:

“There were a couple of plays I saw that I knew he was our guy,” Ross said. “He was playing offense. You could see the strength. It was cold outside. He had no sleeves, no gloves. He was out there playing. He came around the corner, and you could see the muscles in his legs popping out of his football pants. I knew he was a star.
“The big reason we were able to get him was some people were having trouble projecting him where he was going to play because he played quarterback and safety in high school. We knew he could be a killer inside linebacker.”

http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/a...woods-connor-harris-best-tackler-ncaa-history

 

[spiketex]

Hoops - Excellent highlights video on Nate Gerry. He looks deceptively tough and what strikes me are his instincts. OK, they were his highlights and not his screwups, but just watching where he was heading with great timing, some of that isn't just taught. They've either got it or they haven't and he appears to have a nose for the ball. The other thing I liked is that he's a pretty good size at 6'2" 220lbs and his opponents know when they've been tackled - some were stopped dead. Don't be surprised if Ndamukong Suh reminds Mike Tannenbaum of the talent to come out of the University of Nebraska (he's not real subtle). In which round is Gerry projected to go?

 

[Hoot]

Hoops - Excellent highlights video on Nate Gerry. He looks deceptively tough and what strikes me are his instincts. OK, they were his highlights and not his screwups, but just watching where he was heading with great timing, some of that isn't just taught. They've either got it or they haven't and he appears to have a nose for the ball. The other thing I liked is that he's a pretty good size at 6'2" 220lbs and his opponents know when they've been tackled - some were stopped dead. Don't be surprised if Ndamukong Suh reminds Mike Tannenbaum of the talent to come out of the University of Nebraska (he's not real subtle). In which round is Gerry projected to go?

I assume you meant Hoot. Yeah obviously with those highlights films it isn't showing his flaws, but I'm with ya man, he looks good. And I got to watch him every Saturday so I've seen the good and the bad. He has that natural knack to find the ball and he keeps fighting. I hope Suh is putting a bug in their ear!

I've seen Gerry projected to go anywhere from 4-7th round, most expecting the later rounds. Some even say undrafted.

---------- Post added at 05:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:31 PM ----------

Coming out of HS, he was a safety and quarterback. People did not know exactly what position he would play. Despite winning the Class-6 Missouri championship, I do not think he was heavily recruited. Let me let you read what the Lindenwood coaches said about him after seeing the championship game:
http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/a...woods-connor-harris-best-tackler-ncaa-history

I'm curious though why D1 schools didn't come after him after he was playing at the D2 level for awhile. Guys jump from JUTCO to D1 somewhat often.

 

[DKphin]

I'm curious though why D1 schools didn't come after him after he was playing at the D2 level for awhile. Guys jump from JUTCO to D1 somewhat often.

Lindenwood is in St.Charles, Mo. It is only 210mi. away from his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He probably wanted to be close to home.

 

[Hoot]

Lindenwood is in St.Charles, Mo. It is only 210mi. away from his home in Blue Springs, Mo. He probably wanted to be close to home.

I can understand that. Sometimes the hometown loyalty outweighs the big schools.