NFL Draft 2011: Pat Devlin and The Top 25 Non-BCS Prospects in The NFL Draft

Pat Devlin is the big-name, small-school prospect because he transferred to Delaware from Penn State. Other small school prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft weren't given the same opportunity.

These are the players that are going to have a chip on their shoulder for their entire playing career.

They weren't offered a scholarship by a big name school and they won't be selected in the NFL draft as high because of that.

Here are the top 25 non-BCS prospects in the country: Who will be the sleeper than turns into a stud this year?

By the way, powerhouses like Boise State, TCU, Utah and Nevada don't count.

25. Phillip Livas (RS, Louisiana Tech)

The 5'8" Livas is as slippery as they come.  In his four years at Louisiana Tech, he recorded eight return touchdowns.  

His size will force him to focus solely on being a return ace.  

The player that could be the next Brandon Banks of the Washington Redskins could make a similar impact in his rookie season.

24. Charles Clay (FB, Tulsa)

Clay fits the new athletic fullback breed that's taken over in the NFL.

At Tulsa he's recorded around 3,300 yards from scrimmage and scored 38 all-purpose touchdowns.

He's a powerful runner that could be utilized like Brian Leonard of the Bengals.

23. Cecil Shorts (WR, Mount Union)

Shorts isn't short like his name suggests.  He's 6'0", but some sites list him at 6'2".

He's the receiver who stepped into Pierre Garcon's role after Garcon left for the NFL.

Shorts set the league record with 23 touchdown receptions in 2009.  In the championship that season, he caught 10 balls for 185 yards and two scores.

22. Vincent Brown (WR, San Diego St.)

The lanky Brown has downright owned the Mountain West Conference. 

In 2010, he recorded 69 receptions for 1,352 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.  During the year he averaged a whopping 19.6 yards a catch.  

Can you say deep threat?

21. Chris Carter (OLB, Fresno St.)

Carter is a fierce pass rusher who will have to convert to outside linebacker in the pros at 6'2", 240 pounds.

He recorded 11 sacks this year for the Bulldogs.

Obviously coverage skills are a concern because he played with his hand on the ground for four years, but he looks athletic enough to make the transition.

20. Cedric Thornton (DE, Southern Arkansas)

At 6'4", 295, Thornton is the top 3-4 defensive end sleeper in the draft.

He's dominated inferior competition at Southern Arkansas.  

In 2009, he led the nation in tackles for loss with 2.35 per game.

19. Shiloh Keo (SS, Idaho)

Kevin Terrell/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 1: Idaho safety Shiloh Keo is fired up before taking the field against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. The Vandals were defeated by the top-ranked Trojans won 38-10. (Photo

Keo has started ever since his freshmen year at Idaho.

He's a strong safety, but can actually punt return, too—a unique combination.

He's a hard hitter with a knack for making the big play.  Shiloh has 11 interceptions in his college career.

18. Will Rackley (G, Lehigh)

Will Rackley is a monster for a small school at 6'4", 305 pounds.  

He plays tackle in college, but will have to slide over to guard in the NFL.

He's been called one of the top sleeper prospects in the entire draft.

17. Andrew Jackson (G, Fresno St.)

He's nicknamed "The President" for a reason, other than his name.

The 6'5", 295-pound Jackson was First-Team All-WAC in 2009 and earned honorable mention All-American.

Jackson is also expected to move to guard at the next level.

16. Derek Newton (OT, Arkansas St.)

At 6'5", 305 pounds, Newton has the size to start at offensive tackle in the NFL.

He's arguably in the top 10 or 15 tackle prospects in the draft.

He's raw, but he has great potential.

15. DeAndre Brown (WR, Southern Miss)

Warning: those with a weak stomach don't look this guy up on YouTube.  99 percent of the videos on Brown are when he broke his leg.

The 6'6" talented Brown caught over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns as a mere freshman.

He has character concerns, but he's too talented not to get drafted in the middle rounds.

14. Mario Harvey (ILB, Marshall)

Mario Harvey is a beast at 6'0", 250 pounds.

If he can run even a semi-impressive 40 time his stock should sky-rocket.

I'm guessing Harvey would fit best in a 3-4 defense.  His biggest strength is in run support.

13. Kevin Kowalski (C, Toledo)

Kowalski has nice great size for a center at 6'4".

He's been the leader of a Toledo line that has dominated their conference.

In a thin draft for center, he's probably a top-five prospect.

12. Davon House (CB, New Mexico St.)

House is climbing rapidly up draft boards and with a great Combine, may even sneak into the second round.

He has 11 interceptions in his career at New Mexico State.

He also has good height for a corner at 6'0".

11. Kenrick Ellis (NT, Hampton)

Ellis is a mammoth nose tackle at 6'5", 340 pounds.  

He will be coveted by 3-4 teams as true nose tackles are always hard to find.

He was actually a South Carolina Gamecock, but had to transfer for violating a university policy.

10. Dwayne Harris (WR, East Carolina)

Harris is a wideout prospect out of East Carolina who can also return kicks.

He caught 101 balls this season for over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Harris could turn into a solid slot receiver at the next level.

9. Adrian Robinson (OLB, Temple)

Robinson is a 3-4 outside linebacker prospect known for his pass rushing ability.

He recorded 12 sacks in his 2009 campaign.

Robinson is projected to come off the board sometime in the fourth round and make an impact right away as a situational pass rusher.

8. Jerrel Jernigan (WR, Troy)

This kid has a lot of hype, and no, it's not just because of his cool name.

He's an elite playmaker with the ball in his hands.

He'll get action in his rookie season as his team will try to get him the ball with room to run because he's explosive.

7. Muhammad Wilkerson (DT, Temple)

Wilkerson just declared for the draft and with good reason.

He's a massive defensive tackle at 6'5", 300 pounds.  For a lineman that huge, he had 9.5 sacks this season.

He could easily sneak up into the second round.

6. Matt Szczur (WR, Villanova)

People will compare this guy to Wes Welker just because he's quick and light skinned.

He's not Welker, but he's some kind of playmaker in the open field.

Szczur was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round of the MLB draft in 2010, but hopefully he'll forget about baseball and enter the NFL draft.

5. Jaiquawn Jarrett (S, Temple)

Jarrett is a hard-hitting free safety who is projected to come off the boards in the third round.

He has no durability problems as he's played every game of his college career.

He lacks great top-end speed, but he makes up for that with great instincts.

4. Nathan Enderle (QB, Idaho)

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Nathan Enderle #10 of the University of Idaho Vandals hands off the ball during the game against the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfe

Enderle has the size you want in a quarterback at 6'5", 230 pounds.

He recorded a passer rating of 123.43 this past season.

He's a very accurate passer and should come off the boards sometime within the third or fourth round.

3. Darius Morris (OT, Temple)

Yeah, that's seriously the best picture I could find of Morris.

Don't let the scout.com recruiting picture taken in the kid's living room fool you.  He's been compared to Rodger Saffold.

A good Combine for Morris and he could be a second-round lock.

2. Benjamin Ijalana (G, Villanova)

Ijalana is a tank of a run blocker and is a second-round lock right now.

Not many guards have better size at 6'4", 320 pounds.

He's started every game during his career at Villanova.

1. Pat Devlin (QB, Delaware)

After all the big names like Andrew Luck, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Mallett, Cam Newton and Jake Locker come off the board, Devlin becomes the most wanted quarterback in the draft.

He has great size at 6'4", 220 pounds and will draw comparisons to former Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco.

He'll come off the board in the early second.  Don't be surprised if the New England Patriots trade down with that first pick in the second to a team who missed out on a quarterback in round one.

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist and Writing Intern at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer.  Follow him at One Yard Short.com or on Twitter.