2015 Draft Sleepers Who'd Fit Perfectly with the Miami Dolphins

By now, everyone knows about the top prospects available in the 2015 NFL draft.

But what about the rest of the board? Surely, the Miami Dolphins' crowded scouting department has looked beyond the first round. Mike Tannenbaum, Dennis Hickey, Joe Philbin and everyone else in the front office have been poring over hours upon hours of film of the prospects at the top and bottom of the board.

Both ends of the board are just as important. After all, a late-round pick can just as easily be a key piece to a team as an early-round pick can prove to be a total miss.

Those late-round picks are often referred to as "sleepers." For the purposes of this article, we'll define a sleeper as someone who is projected to be picked from the fourth to seventh round.

Let's take a look at some of the sleeper candidates who could take the NFL by surprise.

DeAndrew White, WR, Alabama

Most Dolphins fans would love their team to draft a top wide receiver like DeVante Parker (Louisville) or Kevin White (West Virginia), but it's not always all about the high-profile pass-catchers. Bleacher Report's Justin Mosqueda said it best when he was describing the importance of a deep receiving corps in the modern NFL:

"

Teams don't need to invest big draft picks in receivers in today's NFL where spacing matters so much. What they need more is consistency from snap to snap. Both Super Bowl teams, the Patriots and Seahawks, are good examples of teams who build their wideout unit in that way. White can be that third receiver for a team to trust on a week-by-week basis.

"

He was talking about Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White, who may not have been the top target at Alabama. A lack of production—he put up more than 500 yards and four touchdowns in the past two years at Alabama—doesn't take away from his skill set. The scouting combine is not the measure of all talents, but here's a quick compare-and-contrast between White and his former teammate, Amari Cooper, one of the top prospects of the class:

	40-yard dash	Vertical	Broad	3-cone drill	20-yard shuttle
Amari Cooper	4.42	33"	120"	6.71	3.98
DeAndrew White	4.44	34.5"	118"	6.97	4.18

The Dolphins may not use a first-round pick on a receiver, but they could still add a talented, dependable receiver to the group if they select White.

John Crockett, RB, North Dakota State

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and Georgia's Todd Gurley have been stealing the headlines, but this year's running back class is pretty deep: According to CBSSports.com, there are 10 or 12 backs who are projected to be selected within the first three rounds of the draft, and according to NFL.com, there are eight who have a chance to become an NFL starter and 12 more with a chance to make a roster.

That's the way the running back board has shaped up over the course of draft season, but there's no rule precluding a late-round running back from making a big impact. North Dakota State's John Crockett is hoping that he can be another Day 3 pick to take the NFL by storm. 

Specifically for the Dolphins, Crockett's skill set might be close to perfect. He has patience to wait for holes to develop, burst to get through them once they open and the agility and change-of-direction ability to get through those holes at a moment's notice. 

Scouts agree that Crockett will have to learn to play with better pad level, but if he can improve in that area, he could generate more power to run through tacklers instead of trying to dodge them. In the meantime, his experience in a pro-style offense will allow him to contribute on any down.

Jamil Douglas, OG, Arizona State

Uncredited/Associated Press

More than likely, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin will end up naming either Dallas Thomas or Billy Turner as a starting guard. The question is: Will it be both? And if it is, will the Dolphins offensive line suffer the same fate it suffered in 2013, allowing quarterback Ryan Tannehill to be sacked 58 times?

The Dolphins may feel a fire under their backside just thinking about that prospect, and therefore, they could be looking at drafting a guard within the first two days of the draft. But if they feel like waiting until the fifth round or later, one player they could target is Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas.

Douglas is not a mauler at guard, with CBSSports.com's Rob Rang describing him as "inconsistent in the running game" and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein calling him a "finesse, left-guard only prospect." The Dolphins don't need a mauler though, as their zone-blocking scheme calls for the linemen to use angles and leverage to block more than pure power, and they also asks their linemen to block on the move.

Those same scouts love his ability to pull and open holes on the perimeter for screens, as well as his lateral agility and ability to win leverage. That sounds like a perfect prospect for more depth on the inside of the Dolphins offensive line.

Hayes Pullard, ILB, USC

Dean Hare/Associated Press

There are no studs, no blue-chippers among this year's group of inside linebackers. Everyone has his flaws. Why strike at the top, then, when the value could be there even later? 

Southern California's Hayes Pullard may not be the ideal inside linebacker, at 6'0" and 240 pounds, and he isn't the "tough guy" or the thumper that some teams would love to have inside, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. He is solid in coverage, however, with the athleticism, change-of-direction ability, speed and ball skills to play either man or zone coverage.

If he can be taught to use his athleticism to help out in run defense, slipping blocks and using his hands to shed them altogether, he could become a three-down inside linebacker in time. For now, he would at least provide a solid coverage option on passing downs, and also on special teams coverage.

Kaleb Eulls, DT, Mississippi State

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The Dolphins just spent big money on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but they still need someone to start next to him. The only option right now is Earl Mitchell, who has never been more than a part-time player at any point in his career.

It's highly unlikely that the Dolphins will find someone to be a starter at defensive tackle in the seventh round, but if they want to go with a committee approach at the spot next to Suh, Mississippi State's Kaleb Eulls could help fill out the rotation. 

At 6'4" and 295 pounds, he's not built like a burly, run-stuffing defensive tackle, but he has a surprising amount of power in his lower half and can anchor well against double-teams, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. The Dolphins coaches will take his issues with leverage off the snap; those are coachable. What's not coachable is a nonstop motor, which Eulls already possesses. 

Eulls isn't much of a pass-rusher, but for now, he could be a first- and second-down player to help stuff runs. When his variety of rush moves begins to expand with experience, he could step into a bigger role with time. 

Unless otherwise noted, all scouting combine information and draft notes provided by NFL.com and CBSSports.com.