2015 Draft Sleepers Who'd Fit Perfectly with the New York Jets

Just because you've never heard of them, doesn't mean they can't contribute to your team.

Make no mistake; the New York Jets, like 31 other teams, are putting a lot of time into deciding who they will take with their first-round pick. At the same time, they're also watching film on hundreds of other prospects who could be available to them in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

Yes, the focus of most of the draft analysis is honed in on the first round, but more than seven times as many picks will be made in the ensuing rounds.

The Jets have to be ready, and they have to be looking for the potential steals of the draft. For the purposes of this article, a "draft steal" will be categorized as a player who is likely to be taken on Day 3 of the draft, but whose value could far exceed their draft slotting in the right environment.

For these five prospects, I believe the Jets are just the right fit in the late rounds of the draft.

Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford

If Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey could express his love for versatile explosive players, he would engrave "CG + EVP 4 EVER" inside a heart on a tree. Stanford's Ty Montgomery is built more like a running back than a wide receiver at 6'0" and 221 pounds; maybe that's why Bleacher Report's Justin Mosqueda predicts a position change in his future. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein also points out that Montgomery "doesn't display natural wide receiver characteristics."

But the Jets need players who can run, players who can catch and players who can return kicks. Montgomery can do all three; he's bound to find some sort of role on the team. 

More evidence that he's a sleeper? According to Mock Draftable, a website that analyzes combine measurables, Montgomery compares closely to Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald—not for his size, of course (6'0" and 221 pounds compared to Fitzgerald's 6'2.8" and 225 pounds), but for their combination of speed, agility and explosion. 

Montgomery is given a fifth- to sixth-round projection by CBSSports.com, whereas NFL.com gives him a third- to fourth-round selection. If the Jets can nab him on Day 3, he would give them one more gadget player to incorporate into the offense, and one who could also contribute on special teams (two kickoff return TDs in 2013, average of 27.4 yards per kick return for his career; two punt return touchdowns on 12 returns in 2014, average of 19.8 yards per punt return). 

Quinton Spain, OG, West Virginia

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Aside from prospects with character concerns, late-round prospects fall into one of two categories: Those who have the physical traits but need coaching, and those who are like coaches on the field but lack the physical traits and athleticism to be a star.

West Virginia guard Quinton Spain falls into the first of those two categories, and if Jets offensive line coach Steve Marshall thinks he can work with this big ball of clay, he might end up with a work of art in time. At 6'4" and 332 pounds, Spain is built like a brick and has a nasty streak to match, but needs to work on his fundamentals such as hand use, footwork and leverage.

The Jets are still trying to sort out their offensive line, with Brian Winters, Willie Colon and Oday Aboushi all seemingly battling for one starting spot while James Carpenter fills in at left guard. If Spain can improve on the finer points of his game, he could be a factor in that battle. 

Alani Fua, OLB, BYU

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Let's face it, you're simply not going to find a prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker on Day 3 of the draft. 

BYU's Alani Fua has the length of an edge-rusher at 6'5" and sporting 32" arms, but at only 238 pounds, he'll have to add considerable mass before he can consistently hold the point of attack. That's what an NFL strength and conditioning program is for. 

In the meantime, Todd Bowles can move him around the defense as an athletic pass-rusher from multiple spots. He even has enough awareness in coverage that he could be trusted to sink into short zones from the outside linebacker position. As long as he doesn't sacrifice athleticism for mass, he could be a well-rounded outside linebacker with time. 

The Jets have needed a blue-chip edge rusher for years, but if they're still not willing to invest a high-round draft pick into the position, Fua would make a solid addition to the rotation. 

Akeem Hunt, RB, Purdue

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Get the ball in Akeem Hunt's hands out in space, and let him go to work. That was part of the plan for the Purdue Boilermakers with the explosive, versatile prospect (Chan Gailey and those EVPs, remember?) at their disposal. 

Hunt may be a bit smaller than your average running back at 5'10" and 183 pounds, but that didn't stop his coaches from trying to find ways to get the ball into his hands, from jet sweeps to screens to toss plays to kick returns.

Whichever team drafts him will have to have a plan; NFL.com's Lance Zierlein points out that Hunt "doesn't have consistency of production at any one position to create confidence in giving him much of a draftable grade," but adds that Hunt's "ability to return kicks might be a foot in the door while an offensive coordinator figures out how to use him." Sounds like a job for Gailey. 

Hunt is one that could prove better than the price of admission at only a sixth- or seventh-round pick.

Durell Eskridge, FS, Syracuse

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He has the physical traits; he needs the coaching.

That line described Quinton Spain earlier in the article, and it also describes Syracuse safety Durell Eskridge. 

No one will question whether he has the size of an NFL player; at 6'3" and 208 pounds, he has "the look" down. The height allows him to prevent passes from going over his head; the length allows him to wrap up ball-carriers more easily.

What scouts question is whether he has the polish and awareness to excel as a rookie. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says Eskridge "needs more game experience to sharpen his instincts and process more quickly," and CBSSports.com's Rob Rang says Eskridge is "not yet the sum of his parts."

The Jets seem set on Marcus Gilchrist as their starting free safety and Calvin Pryor as the strong safety, which may be a good thing for Eskridge, as it would allow him to develop for a year or two before being thrown into the spotlight.

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