To the 4 people who view this site on an average day, please enjoy another football article by Alex Blaine of @superlatenflnews. At this point, Basketball Beeswax is just a name for any sports content I want to post. Be prepared for lots of MMA posts next week. - Simon Pruitt, Editor in Chief?
The first player that could potentially turn into a hidden gem on my list is Julian Okwara. Okwara is a defensive end out of Notre Dame who suffered a broken leg towards the end of the season last year which kept him from showcasing his skills at the 2020 NFL Combine. Julian is arguably one of the most explosive pass rushers in this year's draft class and has been heavily slept on. Okwara finished last season with a pass rushing grade of 90.4 and had huge performances against Isaiah Wilson and Mekhi Becton, both of whom were first rounders. Don’t be surprised if Okwara turns into a star.
Next up on the list is CB Cameron Dantzler out of Mississippi State. At this year's combine, Cameron ran a mediocre 4.64 40 yard dash, which may have been a large reason why he slipped down to the third round. However, if you watch the game tape, Dantzler isn’t slow at all as he managed to keep pace with high powered offenses such as Alabama and LSU, only allowing 3 catches and 21 yards in both of those games combined. The game tape also showed that Cameron is an extremely skinny corner, possibly the skinniest of the group that were at the combine. With the benefit of an NFL weight room, Dantzler could turn into another hidden gem.
Adam Trautman out of Dayton may have the best hands of any tight end in this year’s draft. He can catch any out of place pass with ease and only had 2 catchable drops last season. The only limitation in Trautmans game is his speed as he ran a 4.80 at the combine. As of right now, the guy throwing to him in Drew Brees already has deep threats in Michael Thomas and company and needs someone like Adam who can stay underneath and secure catches. Trautman is a very underrated pick and could also turn out to be a star.
The Eagles lost one of their best players in safety Malcolm Jenkins this offseason in free agency, hurting the lacking secondary even more. The Eagles front office didn’t select a safety until the 4th round when they selected K’von Wallace out of Clemson. Wallace took nearly half of his snaps in the slot last season, showing that he can play anywhere in the secondary. Wallace is also arguably one of the best tackling safeties in this year's draft class only missing 13 tackles in 159 attempts in the past 3 seasons. Only time will tell if Wallace is another one of those hidden gems.
Tyler Johnson is one of the more impressive route runners out of the deep receiving class in this year's draft and has a spectacular release when you watch the film. His skill set translates perfectly into the slot position - exactly what Tampa Bay needs. Having two Pro Bowl wideouts in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and two great tight ends in Rob Grownkowsi and OJ Howard, all the Bucs were really missing from their star studded receiving corps was a slot receiver. Along with that, the Bucs new QB Tom Brady has earned himself a reputation of throwing underneath slot routes, which is what Johnson is best at. This is a pick that could extremely benefit the Bucs and could turn out to be another hidden gem.