2015 NFL Draft: Projections for Elite Talent Sure to Slide to Later Rounds

The NFL draft is rife with stories of players dropping down the board, for one reason or another. Who will ever forget Aaron Rodgers slipping down the board, after all? 

It happens every year, and every year, teams end up nabbing excellent talents at great values. Let's break down a few players who have the potential to be great NFL players who will be available later in the draft. 

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is arguably a top-three cornerback in this draft, purely from a talent perspective. He was an All-American at Oregon his senior year, after all, after finishing with 63 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes defended this past season. 

So why will he potentially drop out of the top 50 picks?

The biggest concern for Ekpre-Olomu is that he suffered a knee injury before the postseason this year, which has sent his draft stock plummeting. According to Matt Miller in the above video, his size (5'9", 192 lbs) and ability in man coverage are also concerns, but the knee issue is what has teams concerned. 

Which means that late in the second round or perhaps even in the third, a team that isn't concerned about his size could be getting an absolute steal. Ekpre-Olomu has proved on the field that he can perform, and without the knee injury, he'd likely be a late first-round pick, so he'll represent great value for a team.

Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M

Cedric Ogbuehi is a pretty similar story to Ekpre-Olomu. Like the Oregon corner, he suffered a knee injury, with Ogbuehi tearing his ACL in the Liberty Bowl. Like Ekpre-Olomu, he almost assuredly would have been a first-round pick and now may drop pretty far down the board. 

And like Ekpre-Olomu, he'll be a great value for a team that nabs him.

There are some concerns, of course. He struggled this past season after switching from right tackle to the left side, and he'll need to bulk up in the NFL for sure. His athleticism is his major selling point, however, so the team that drafts him will certainly be hoping the knee injury doesn't derail that. 

Ogbuehi thinks he'll address any concerns once he hits the league.

"[I] probably [need to] get my conditioning down," Ogbuehi told Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. "I know once I get there, I’ll get it down pretty fast."

Regarding his ACL injury, Ogbuehi added, "I don’t look back. No point."

Indeed, no point. Ogbuehi's injury probably cost him some money, but he'll have plenty of opportunities to earn it back if he lives up to his potential. 

Paul Dawson, LB, TCU

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You can make the argument that Paul Dawson isn't an elite talent, given that he really failed to impress at the NFL Scouting Combine. You can't argue that he had elite production in college, however. 

All he did in the last two years was post 227 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and five interceptions and become an All-American his senior year. Not too shabby. 

Dawson isn't going to wow anybody with his athleticism, no, but he's the type of player who works hard and has good instincts on the field. He made himself a great linebacker at TCU. Don't bet against him doing the same in the NFL.