 | Washington State receiver Jason Hill surprised many scouts with his 40-yard dash time in Indianapolis. Kevin Terrell/WireImage.com |
Coming out of Division I-AA Hofstra, Marques Colston wasn't quite a beacon for hype leading up to the 2006 NFL Draft. His Combine performance -- which included a mediocre 4.53 40-yard dash -- didn't really stand out and he wasn't interviewed in a one-on-one setting by any of the NFL's 32 teams. So it wasn't much of a surprise when he was available for New Orleans in the seventh round. But what followed sure was. Colston quickly worked his way up the Saints' depth chart, became a starter and went on to catch 70 balls for a team-leading 1,038 receiving yards. As we inch closer to this year’s draft, speculation on the first round will hit a torrent pace. But what about the rest of the weekend? Who are the sleepers beyond the first couple rounds?
Here at SIOC, we have a few potential steals up our sleeve. Sleepers come at all levels, so we'll give you three. In the first-day sleeper category, our guy is Washington State receiver Jason Hill. Besides making 148 catches and scoring 32 touchdowns in college, Hill posted a 4.32 40 time at the Combine. Our middle-rounds gem is Cal defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. A three-time all-Pac-10 selection, Mebane boasts an impressive combination of speed and power. And our diamond in the rough (aka "this year's Marques Colston") is Iowa State CB DeAndre Jackson. If he can bounce back from tearing his ACL, he could end up being quite the steal.
But, more importantly, who are your sleepers?