2010 NFL Draft Sleepers

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Every year there are picks that makes fans let out groans of despair. Little do they know that their team has done extensive research (yes, even the Raiders) on hundreds of prospects. Teams have their draft board surrounding the walls of the war room, ranking and having grades on all the prospects they chose to take a look at.

Somehow, some way, a few players always find a way to slip through the cracks. Sleeper picks are the picks who get the most bang for the buck. Tom Brady is the all-time best sleeper pick, of course. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft out of Michigan. How does that happen? Well, to be honest, a lot of it is luck. The draft and player evaluations can become a crystal ball game.

This year, much like any year, is full of sleeper picks. No names and small school prospects always get into the NFL and make a name for themselves. Proving themselves is part of what the draft is about.

Maurice Jones-Drew still holds a grudge against every single team passing over him. He’s proved them all wrong and that he should’ve been a 1st round pick. He was a sleeper. James Harrison was an undrafted free agent, he proved every team wrong times seven that they should’ve drafted him.

Sleepers are found in every round after that first round and even after the draft. If your team doesn’t get who you think they need in the first round, don’t worry, they could find a diamond in the rough in another round or maybe in undrafted free agency.

Here are 8 prospects who I think will be NFL Draft sleeper picks:

Sean Lee LB, Penn State: How does this guy get underrated by most other mock drafts I’ve seen? He’s shown that he’s recovered from the ACL injury he suffered. He’s going to be a great middle linebacker for whoever drafts him. Great tackler and work ethic. Some teams have him rated higher than Rolando McClain.

Andre Roberts WR, Citadel: Roberts just does not drop passes. He’s a hard worker, very elusive after the catch, and is good blocking downfield. He’ll need some work on route running, but I can see him becoming a number one receiver.

Armanti Edwards WR, Appalachian State: Remember this guy? He’s converting to WR and he’s one heck of an athlete. He has 4.4 speed and he’s going to be a big play maker for whoever takes him.

Arthur Moats OLB, James Madison: Will have to switch to OLB in the NFL from DE, but does very well against the run and can learn to become better against the pass. He has a great collection of pass rush moves in addition to being a great tackler.

Jevan Snead QB, Mississippi: Yea, I know he had a terrible 2009, but I believe with a few years on the bench and learning how to make better decisions, he can be a good NFL QB. He has the arm strength, but flaws in his mechanics caused him to be inaccurate last season. He has a very quick release, comparable to Drew Brees.

Deji Karim RB, Southern Illinois: Ran a 4.4 40, had a 43 vertical, and 6.95 3-cone drill. He’s a willing blocker, good receiver out of the backfield, has a Maurice Jones-Drew bowling ball kind of running style, and can run inside and outside. Rushed for 1694 yards and 18 TDs as a Senior.

Patrick Stoudamire CB, Western Illinois: He doesn’t have a great 40 time for a corner (4.5), but he’s a hard working, tough player. He’s good in zone and man-to-man coverage and is a good tackler.

Rafael Priest CB, TCU: Being part of the great defense at TCU this past season, Priest kind of didn’t get as noticed as Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington. But people could be noticing once he gets into the NFL. In college, he wasn’t thrown at a lot, as a result he had only 4 interceptions, and there was a reason for that: He batted away anything that was thrown near him.