NFL Late Round Gems and Priority Free Agents

I was simply going to title this article "Marcus Vick," but I am having a hard enough time getting anybody to read what I wrote as it is. 

Then I thought about calling it "The Oakland Raiders Suck!" so I will be guaranteed at least 3,500 views on Bleacher Report, which is funny because the bulk of my articles involve the St. Louis Rams, a team that has won a championship in the last 10 years.  Call me bitter...

So this article is simply called "NFL Late Round Gems and Priority Free Agents"—another list by yours truly of 10 players who will either be late round draft picks or undrafted priority free agents who I believe could one day end up in Honolulu.

A little background about myself first. I have sat glued to the TV since I was seven years old watching the NFL Draft. Every year it seems I wait and wait for that one college player who I think could make a difference in the NFL. I wait and I wait and I wait...You get the picture.

The first time I remember this happening was in the mid-80's, waiting for Oklahoma Sooner option quarterback and all around  bad-ass Jamelle Holieway to be drafted. It never happened. I was young and naive at the time, but I really believed there was a place in the NFL for an option QB. I still think he would have been a great punt returner.

A bit more recently, I waited for former Ohio State wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo to be selected. I honestly didn't think I was going to wait all that long. Heck, The Sporting News even had him going in the first round in their annual draft guide's mock draft. He went in the seventh.

In 2006, it was Marcus Vick. I thought Vick was a good college quarterback and I still believe he could make it as a returner or a receiver in the NFL, but the guy simply can't stay out of trouble.

Last year Notre Dame running back Darius Walker declared early for the draft and wound up undrafted. He did end up signing with Houston and he actually played pretty well down the stretch for the Texans.

So here is my list. I believe all 10 of these players to be decent pro prospects, but for one reason or another they will go undrafted or picked right before Mr. Irrelevant himself.

A quick reminder: Kurt Warner, Tony Romo, Willie Parker and Green Bay Packers surprise Ryan Grant all went undrafted.

1. Tony Temple, RB, Missouri

Temple will get overlooked because of his measurables and his lack of breakaway speed, although he was a very productive college back.

In this year's Cotton Bowl against Arkansas, Temple saved his best performance for last, breaking the Cotton Bowl record for yards gained in a single game. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were the marquee names, but Temple ran away with the show.

Temple's hard-nosed running style might get him a look on draft day, but his lack of elite speed tells me that I shouldn't hold my breath. I will probably end up scouring that section in the newspaper that lists NFL transactions and free agent signing a few days after the draft has concluded.

2. Darnell Jenkins, WR, Miami

In the tradition of Rambo, Vick, and Darius Walker, this guy is the reason I will be watching the entire draft. Jenkins is a personal favorite whose toughness and game speed should warrant a late round pick.

However, a 2006 knee injury, a pedestrian 40 time, and a few dropped passes may cause a few teams to take him off their draft boards.

Big mistake.

Critics argue that he wasn't a very productive college receiver, but did anyone notice who was throwing him the ball during his tenure at "The U?" Kyle Wright, Kirby Freeman, and Brock Berlin. Those three would make Wes Welker look unproductive.

I pray that Jenkins is a Ram by the end of April 27, 2008.

3. Zackary Bowman, CB, Nebraska

This guy was a first round lock before tearing his ACL in 2006 and his patellar tendon last season. Now, it looks as if he could go undrafted altogether.

If Bowman is fully recovered, he has the size, instincts, and quickness to be a shut down NFL corner...but that is a big if.

There will be a team out there who takes a flyer on him on potential alone, and if (there is that word if again) he is at 100 percent, I could see him playing in Hawaii at the Pro-Bowl one day.

4. Shannon Boatman, OT, Florida State

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