2014 NFL Draft: Prospects Worth a 2nd Look in the Film Room

If you’ve been keeping up with the 2014 NFL draft, you’ve probably already heard more than enough about the projected top picks such as Jadeveon Clowney, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there are many prospects in this year’s draft class who receive little to no attention from the media, but they should be looked at just as closely by NFL scouts.

Naming all of the prospects in that group would not be plausible. There are hundreds of talented college football players getting legitimate looks from NFL teams in a draft considered by Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, among others, to be "as deep across the board as any draft” in 30 years, according to NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread.

The following prospect names, however, are among those who seem to be flying under the radar—or are perhaps just making their way onto the radar—despite showing the skills in their collegiate careers to be highly productive NFL players.

Some of these players could sneak up into the early rounds while some might not necessarily even be drafted at all, but each of them is worth going back to the film for to take a second look.

Jerick McKinnon, RB, Georgia Southern

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Jerick McKinnon might not have been taken seriously as a running back prospect a few months ago, but after strong showings at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, McKinnon might now be in position to emerge as the top small-school running back in this year’s draft class.

The problem with evaluating McKinnon on film is that he played a plethora of positions at Georgia Southern, primarily quarterback, which makes it difficult to get a true idea of what he can be as a tailback. Additionally, most of his film is from games against FCS competition—and therefore rarely against NFL-caliber talent—instead of against major schools with defenses full of future pros.

Still, even his limited film as a runner and against top schools is enough to show a highly promising skill set.

McKinnon has terrific speed, which showed up in games against SEC schools in Florida and Georgia, against top talent at the Senior Bowl and in his 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He also exhibits terrific vision as a ball-carrier.

He has decent size for the running back position (5’9”, 209 lbs), and though he lacks power, he has demonstrated that he does not shy away from contract.

Though his positional changes in college make it tougher to evaluate McKinnon as a running back, that versatility is also far from a negative. While his exceptional measurables and impressive highlights indicate that he could be a dynamic runner, even if only situationally, teams could also view him as a gadget-play threat and/or as a Wildcat quarterback.

Robert Herron, WR, Wyoming

In a draft class of wide receivers loaded with early round talents from major college football programs, it would be easy to overlook a player from Wyoming, but Robert Herron deserves to be in the conversation with the rest of the top wideouts as a potential second- or third-day draft selection.

Herron has terrific acceleration and great straight-line speed, can burn defensive backs deep and naturally glides under the ball in the air. With good change-of-direction quickness and the strength to bounce off contact, Herron also does a great job extending plays in the open field.

A sure-handed wideout, Herron is also a solid route-runner, though the latter is a skill he still needs to develop at the next level. He projects best as a slot receiver in an NFL offense, but he has enough strength to hold up as an outside receiver despite his small stature (5’9”, 193 lbs).

While many media draft analysts have brought attention to Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith being overlooked in his non-selection for the NFL Scouting Combine, Herron is actually the Cowboys’ top prospect.

He might be overshadowed by bigger names in the pre-draft process, but if teams give Herron the second look he deserves, he could end up being selected ahead of some of those large-school standouts on draft weekend.

Trai Turner, G, LSU

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After playing just two seasons at LSU, Trai Turner’s decision to declare for the NFL draft as a redshirt sophomore was perhaps among the most surprising of this year’s record-setting class of 98 early entrants. But although some might feel that Turner should have returned for at least one more season of college football, that is no reason to overlook his potential to be a very good NFL guard.

While he hasn’t received as much attention since declaring as most of the draft’s other underclassmen, including fellow guard prospects Xavier Su’a-Filo (UCLA) and David Yankey (Stanford), the LSU product might not fall too far behind the top interior offensive linemen on draft weekend.

Being blocked by Turner is like running into a stone wall. While he doesn’t often drive defenders off the line of scrimmage, he consistently locks onto opponents when he gets his hands on them, and he rarely budges any ground or loses a battle once he has a defender engaged.

Turner has good size for a guard at 6’3” and 310 pounds with 34” arms. He is also an explosive athlete for his size, as evidenced by his collegiate game tape and by his 4.93-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He does not have terrific lateral quickness, but he is a skilled pull-blocker who finds his block well and can generate power once picking up a defender.

Both a strong pass-protector and a solid run-blocker who can turn defenders away from ball-carriers or at least keep his opponents at bay, Turner has the skill set to be a starting guard in the NFL. With offensive linemen likely to be in high demand once again in this year’s draft, Turner could end up as a Day 2 draft selection.

Derrell Johnson, OLB, East Carolina

If you aren’t a follower of East Carolina football, chances are good you haven’t heard much about Derrell Johnson, but despite his failure to receive an invitation to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, he could turn out to be a steal as a sleeper prospect in this year’s draft.

Johnson does not have outstanding physical tools, but he is a well-rounded playmaker. He is a skilled pass-rusher off the edge who accelerates effectively and uses his hands well, but he also changes directions well in space and can drop back fluidly into coverage.

He doesn’t stand out in any one area, but his versatility gives him the ability to be an edge defender, ideally as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but to also move around to other linebacker spots.

At the least, Johnson projects as a movable part in a defensive rotation who can also be an impact player on special teams.

Johnson might not be on every NFL team’s radar, especially considering he was not among the 335 players invited to Indianapolis, but any team digging deep for late-round value for its defensive front seven would be smart to take a second look at the Pirates outside linebacker.

Ross Cockrell, CB, Duke

While this year’s incoming rookie class of cornerbacks includes four or five potential first-round picks, there is a steep drop-off in talent after the top group of prospects. That leaves the door wide open for a talented but overlooked cornerback prospect in Ross Cockrell to make a big move up the draft board.

Duke hasn’t been known as a factory for NFL talent in recent years, but Cockrell has the talent to stick around at the next level.

His physical tools are unspectacular, but he is a fluid athlete who plays with physicality, has clean footwork and excels at finding and making plays on balls in the air.

Though he has limited strength and needs to improve as a tackler, he answered doubts about his ability to hold up against bigger outside receivers in his final two collegiate games. After holding his own in the ACC Championship Game against Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin, he made Texas A&M wide receiver and potential top-10 pick Mike Evans look like a mere mortal in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

A closer look at Cockrell’s body of work shows he has consistently been able to match up with opponents' top receivers and hold them in check, while he has also made many big plays. The Blue Devils’ all-time leader with 53 passes defensed, Cockrell is a midround prospect who could emerge as a second-day draft selection.

Terrence Brooks, S, Florida State

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On a national championship Florida State team with no shortage of household names, safety Terrence Brooks has been consistently overshadowed, but he was quietly one of the Seminoles’ best defensive players in their title run. Now an NFL draft prospect, he could also quietly make his way into being one of the top five safeties selected this year.

Brooks hasn’t made as many flashy plays as some of the draft’s other top safeties or Florida State’s other top draft prospects, but he’s as well-rounded as any prospect at the position in this class.

At Florida State, Brooks gained experience playing free safety, strong safety and cornerback. He is a very good athlete who can cover a lot of ground on the back end, but he can also come up and make plays in the box in run support.

Brooks is somewhat inconsistent as a tackler, but he is physical and can be an effective blitzer. In coverage, he is very good at tracking, closing on and making plays on the ball.

Any team that is looking for a safety but might not select one in the first round should take a strong second look at Brooks. He could project to playing any safety spot in an NFL defensive scheme, and he could end up as a second- or third-round draft choice.

NFL Scouting Combine information via NFL.com.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope