Draft Sleepers - QB/TE/FB

by yibberat on Jan 22, 2012 4:30 PM MST

Following on from RB sleepers and WR sleepers here's my list of miscellaneous position sleepers on offense. Less video here because well I haven't found any on some of these players

Quarterback

This is always a really small group. One of these players has already "broken out" and is no longer a sleeper but I'll list him anyway. QB sleepers only work for one type of NFL team. A team that doesn't create drama at the position. These players are raw and NFL game time can't come with pre-expectations that the QB is a savior. As long as Bowlen, Elway, and Tebow are with the Broncos, we will have drama at the position.

B.J. Coleman - 6'3" 234 lbs - Tennessee-Chattanooga - A Lane Kiffin wreckage. Was the #10 ranked pro-style QB out of HS. Went to Tennessee and found himself in a crowded QB situation with coaching conflict too. Transferred to Chattanooga (an FCS school) where he's had 3 good years. There will be level of competition issues and his upside is probably a game manager. But he's already moved from undrafted to 5th round projection based on his Shrine Bowl week. Not a sleeper anymore and no video.

Aaron Corp - 6'3"205 lbs - Richmond - A Pete Carroll wreckage - Was the #3 ranked dual-threat QB out of HS. Went to USC and redshirted his freshman year. Backed up Mark Sanchez (one year older and the #1 pro-style QB in his HS class) the next year. When Mark Sanchez declared for the draft, Pete Carroll opened up the QB slot to competition and Corp beat out Matt Barkley (two years younger and the #1 pro-style QB in his HS class) for the job. Fractured his leg in training camp, Carroll opened up the QB slot for competition, Barkley had two good games, Corp had one bad one (playing with a brace because his leg was fractured), and Barkley took the job. Corp (probably correctly) believed that Pete Carroll wouldn't open the job again to competition so he decided to transfer to Richmond after that season. Three days later, Pete Carroll took the coaching job in Seattle. Has fast reads and fast release and has been playing in a pro-style offense at Richmond. A bit scrawny but his upside is definitely game manager with potentially elite dink and dunk game. Right now projected in the 7th round but he'll go higher.

John Brantley - 6'3" 220 lbs - Florida - An Urban Meyer wreckage - The #3 ranked pro-style QB out of HS. Went to Florida where he backed up Tim Tebow in an offense that was completely unsuited for a pro-style QB. Took over the starter role when Tebow came here but was still like a fish out of water. Was going to transfer but Florida brought in Charlie Weis who put in a more pro-style offense. And then Brantley gets a series of minor injuries in 2011. He has very good upside but is probably practice squad raw for a year or more. Will likely be undrafted but get a lot of PS offers.

Fullback

I haven't found any sleepers. The top 3 are the best three and the only draftable three. Outside that, Broderick Green may be rosterable.

Tight End

The chances of us drafting a TE with Daniel Fells, Dante Rosario, Virgil Green, Julius Thomas, and Cornelius Ingram on/near our roster are near zero. As are our chances of getting a UDFA to camp. But here's the two sleepers I've found

Kavario Middleton - 6'5" 250 lbs - Montana - The #6 ranked defensive end by Rivals and the #3 ranked tight end by Scout out of HS. Went to Washington where he had a good sophomore year in 2009. Was kicked off the team for (probably) drug test results. There's a question though as to whether they deliberately chose to expel him rather than suspend him because there was a coaching conflict. At any rate, transferred to Montana where he has kept his nose clean. Maybe. Will likely be undrafted. At any rate, Montana is looking like good sleeper territory with Middleton and Antwan Moutra (a WR). We better have our scouts there. Montana should be Broncos country not Seahawks droppings.

Aron White - 6'4" 240 lbs - Georgia - A top ten TE out of HS. Went to Georgia where he found himself with Orson Charles (a top ten TE/WR). Charles doesn't block so he got the receiving targets and is now a top round TE. White can block so he got stuck blocking and will soon pursue a career doing something else. Probably won't get drafted but an NFL team would be nuts if it didn't invite him to camp. He is top round upside. It'll be some team other than the Broncos though. We're too crowded at the position.

Next up - offensive line and then head over to the other side of the ball.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Comments

How about QB Austin Davis out of Mississippi St?

I think we stand pat at TE and hope the 2 rookies develop…

Win, lose or draw, we are the Denver Broncos! 13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain't!

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Jan 22, 2012 8:17 PM MST reply actions

I don't think he's ever been scouted

but a guy who holds all the passing records at Brett Favre’s school is gonna get attention at the combine.

by yibberat on Jan 22, 2012 8:55 PM MST up reply actions

That was my thinking.

Win, lose or draw, we are the Denver Broncos! 13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain't!

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Jan 22, 2012 11:44 PM MST up reply actions

Dude, sorry to hear you're going through that.

I had no idea you were even sick. So sorry to hear that. But knowing what I know about you, I’m sure you’ll battle through it.

Truth shall be known.

by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Jan 23, 2012 8:29 AM MST up reply actions

Ah, thanks Jerry, I appreciate that.

It’s kinda of funny when you go to the doctor for a simple exam and find out the bad news. It has been an arduous journey from that June 26th colonostophy…

Win, lose or draw, we are the Denver Broncos! 13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain't!

Follow @bfree2bronc

by bfree2bronc on Jan 23, 2012 10:01 PM MST up reply actions

Not gonna pry

But strength and positive thoughts sent your way, brother.

- Nick

"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu

by ncm42 on Jan 23, 2012 10:10 PM MST up reply actions

You've got a great outlook on life, so you'll beat this

No doubt in my mind.

Also, I think it’s important to share survivor stories. I have a friend who beat colon cancer. His attitude in life sucked – the eternal pessimist. But he beat it after a bowel resection and chemo. Now he’s happier than before and his priorities seem…well, I shouldn’t judge, but his priorities more closely align to mine than before he had cancer. He’s glad it happened.

But you’ll beat this thang!

Truth shall be known.

by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Jan 24, 2012 12:55 PM MST up reply actions

Where does the Cincy QB rank?

I suppose he isn’t a sleeper if you didn’t mention him. I have heard several people say he would be a good duel threat type, and I saw him play a couple of time and thought the same. I’m sure we bring in a QB at least an undrafted FA, maybe one of those guys? I also think we will bring in at least one UDFA TE. Interesting when I see the FB and TE for the NYG, then I look at our guys and they seem significantly smaller . . . Not sure if that is just a style thing, but I would not mind having a TE or 2 that looked like an OT, but could run and catch a bit.

by brettden on Jan 22, 2012 9:50 PM MST reply actions

Here's a scouting report on Zach collaros

A shorter, undersized quarterback prospect who seems to struggle to see over the line of scrimmage at times and routinely gets a number of his passes knocked down at the line. Plays mostly from the gun and does a good job with his pre-snap reads understanding the defense, locating his target and getting the ball out quickly. Stays compact with his footwork and his release is much quicker underneath. Possesses good touch and accuracy down the field, drops the football into tight areas and is very comfortable completing bucket throws down the field. However, the further down the field he’s asked to throw, the more of a wind-up he gets with his release and then he really needs to step up into throws in order to generate enough momentum for himself to get passes vertically.

Possesses a good feel in the pocket, and is a natural athlete who not only can buy time for himself but create with his legs. Is a “plus” runner for the position in the open field, has some wiggle to his game with the strength to bounce off a tackle and keep churning his legs. However, relies too much on his legs at times and his eye level has a tendency to drop too quickly. He’s at his best when asked to improvise, however, looks to create on his own too often. If his pre-snap read isn’t on, he has a really tough time going through his progressions from the pocket. Is limited to more of a oneside-of-the-field, read-only guy who routinely looks to take off and run if nothing is on. Will hang in the pocket and stare down the barrel of the shotgun in order to deliver the throw. However, doesn’t stay real balanced with his footwork. He trusts his accuracy and touch, and routinely will fall off throws or not set/reset his feet into a throw. Can create plays out of nothing, but too often his accuracy runs hot/cold. Lacks a big time arm, spins a clean football, but doesn’t have the natural arm strength to really drive the ball outside the numbers.

Had to appear in court as a sophomore for being caught with a fake ID.

Impression: Looks more like an ideal CFL type quarterback where his athleticism and ability to improvise will serve him well. Lacks ideal arm strength, size and coming from a spread, his learning curve looks to be too severe to make an NFL roster.

by yibberat on Jan 22, 2012 10:07 PM MST up reply actions

My buddy at USC told me Aaron was chasing a lot of tail at USC

From what I heard he wasnt as committed as some of the other players on the team. That being said a lot of other players on the team were like him but i guess their talent overshadowed any of the neglect. He is talented enough to look at though no doubt.

by ShyandObese on Jan 23, 2012 12:57 AM MST reply actions

G.J. Kinne

What about Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne? I don’t know much about him other than he fits the pattern of the rest of your sleepers. Former prep All-American. Transferred from a high-profile program (Texas).

The thing I like about him is he’s pretty thick (not in the head). 6’1/230ish. Can really spin it; make all the throws, but has some mobility. Could be perfect as a backup to Tebow.

Was recently named MVP of some all-star game. I didn’t get to see the whole game, but I saw him make a few throws and he looked really good.

Also, regarding Coleman. I like this kid. He has a pro arm and is pretty mobile. He’s overcome some adversity in his life (dad was murdered when he was a teen). Son of a coach. Reputed to be an amazing worker. Religious – routinely tweets the word “blessed.” Sound familiar? Could be a nice backup to Tebow too.

Truth shall be known.

by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Jan 23, 2012 8:26 AM MST reply actions

In the Shrine game

I thought Chandler Harnish Northern Illinois 6-2 219 4.72 played the most like Tebow I’ve seen so far.
I am not in the camp that thinks we are looking though. Weber seems like something we should hold on to.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 23, 2012 8:32 AM MST reply actions

Harnish is too much like Tebow

He’s a dual threat QB who thrives in a spread/shotgun. College football is full of those QBs but they have a real tough time making the transition to a pro-style or dropback offense. Assuming they do transition, they are going to lose a lot of the skills that made them successful in college.

It’s hard to project any dual-threat QB to succeed in the NFL because so few have unless they made the transition in college. It’s easy to point to Cam Newton and Tim Tebow but they are rookies. Before that – who? Vince Young? Michael Vick? I don’t think rookie success is going to change the way NFL teams draft QB’s.

A guy like Jake Locker is the best example. He was a dual-threat QB out of high school. Was great in his first two years (esp freshman) at Washington as a dual-threat. Was great in his first year in a pro-style offense with coaching change. Everyone thought he made a mistake going back to play his second year in a pro-style. And for his draft stock, he did make a mistake because that second year was poor. He went from a certain #1 pick to a questionable top round pick who everyone thought was a reach. But long-term, that two years of pro-style experience on a college’s dime helps his transition to the NFL. If that second year in a pro-style offense (at the college level) had instead been his first year in the NFL; then everyone would have declared him a bust and everyone would be mocking Titans to draft another QB.

Maybe Cam Newton and Tebow won’t hit a transition wall. Or maybe they will.

by yibberat on Jan 23, 2012 1:50 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs

OK.

Hey, do you feel Tebow will get his footwork right with Elway’s tutelage so he can become a prostyle QB? I know putting you on the spot. I just wanted to hear your opinion.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 23, 2012 2:11 PM MST up reply actions

I can't predict the future

I do think that we are not a franchise (owner, fans, etc) that will accept any transition “bumps” when it comes to QB. I wish we could just take a chill pill about that position for a couple years.

by yibberat on Jan 23, 2012 7:22 PM MST up reply actions