NFL Kickoff 2011: 9 Late-Round Draft Picks Sure to Light Up the NFL

Categorically, at least to me, the late rounds are three and later.

Every year there are some serious surprises. A diamond in the rough leaves teams scratching their heads, disappointed that they did not nab said player earlier. It is always a fun and self-destructive activity to look at all the great players drafted after your team takes a bust. That must be an interesting game for Raiders fans. 

This list will have some names that lit up the preseason, sure to bring the fire to the NFL in a shocking and unabated manner.

The rookies are in no order.

9: DeMarco Murray

While not necessarily the second coming of Adrian Peterson at Oklahoma, Murray made a name for himself, enough to become one of those guys that squeezes into one of the first three rounds but really has upper second round talent.

With Marion Barber now out of the picture, Murray figures to be second on the depth chart behind Felix Jones, but that may not last too long. Murray had an electrifying preseason, taking advantage of his time on the field.

He may not run with the fearsome power of Peterson, but he's shifty and great at receiving out of the backfield, and strong enough to drive his legs over the down marker.

8: Allen Bailey

After a two-week or so hiatus, it is back to writing for B/R. This may look bad because I have made it clear that I am a Floridian, but Bailey is likely to become one of the finest pass rushers in the league sooner than later.

After what seemed like two invincible top draft picks in LSU's Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson, Bailey is brought in to save two major busts as of now. The story of former coach Randy Shannon taking a skiff boat to Sapelo Island, Georgia, a Gullah former slave colony, to meet the Baileys, is now a legend.

Bailey often battled double teams and was held quite frequently to the blind eye of the referees, yet still racked up sacks and TFL like Bill Gates accumulates dollars. He is freakishly strong even for his size and has the quickness to run down halfbacks breaking through the tackles.

Bailey figures to be the savior of a line full of busts.

7: Ryan Mallett

I hate this.

It looks like following the eventual retirement of Tom Brady, the Pats will have no trouble in naming the heir to the throne. Mallett, a third-rounder from Arkansas, might be the best quarterback, and the steal of the draft.

Mallett is not one of those unpolished guys with high upside like Cam Newton, but he is a towering figure bearing a cannon for an arm and a pocket presence many NFL starters can be envious of.

This may be a stretch placing Mallett here, since he will very likely see little to no playing time barring a Pats blowout or a resting of starters before the playoffs, but Mallett surely looks like the guy to carry the QB torch from this draft class, despite a couple first rounders going early.

As a Dolphins fan, I can say that I am less scared of a Brady/Mallett-to-Ochocinco connection than one of those two to Moss, but it is hard to fail when you have this much potential and are thrust right into the coaching genius of Belichick.

6: Edmond Gates

Before you all go shouting "Miami Bias!" hear me out.

See that blur as he whizzes by the high speed camera? That was supposed to be Ted Ginn Jr. Now picture a player with Ted Ginn's speed, hands to match, and a fearless attitude to send his under-200-pound body upright and snag the ball.

I see Gates taking the role Mike Wallace took for Pittsburgh and opening the field as a vertical threat. With possession receivers Marshall and Bess taking care of the seams, Gates will likely see safety coverage.

In his final preseason game, Gates caught a deep ball on the first play of the drive for 42 yards, and throughout the preseason he was a step or two away from multiple touchdowns. Gates looks like the heir apparent to the best pass catcher in the NFL named "Gates."

5: Greg Jones

Here is a guy who fell to the sixth round despite All-Conference performances year in and year out in a conference dominated by herculean offensive lineman and hard runners.

Jones is a sure tackler with the ability to make the pick. In my eyes, as long as the linebackers do not miss a tackle, and have the strength to stand up a halfback, they are worth the look.

Jones was a major reason why the Spartans were able to compete, and he will factor into a Giants linebacker rotation that has been void of Antonio Pierce for a number of years, a former stalwart at MLB.

4: Mark Herzlich

How can you not feel good for this guy?

Sure he plays for BC, but sometimes the fans have to forget about football and think about the humanity and the severe sarcoma this man was diagnosed with. Unsure of whether he would survive or not, Herzlich defeated his Ewing's Sarcoma diagnosis and will likely bring that same vigor to the field.

What people tend to forget through all of this was before he went down with cancer he was an absolute monstrosity on the field, and he would have been a high draft pick if not for the crippling bone cancer that afflicted him.

You can smile all you want, but any halfback trying to bust through the A gap will forget about the cancer, and remember the concussion.

3: Leonard Hankerson

This pick could come back to bite me in the rear end and have a lot of folks stating their case for my bias, but Hankerson excelled at NFL-U.

The 2010 Canes had dreadful quarterback play, a horrific play caller in Mark Whipple, and a misused running game. It seemed like in every win and loss, Hankerson was due for a touchdown, a big play, or a seemingly ridiculous catch that he made look easy.

A lot of alarmism surrounds his drops, but it always seemed that in a pinch, Hankerson would be the guy to save the day. That being said, this is Washington, a team with no running game, no quarterback, and no receivers to open things up for him save for Cooley and his alumni partner Santana Moss.

If Washington is to use Hankerson's talents accordingly, they need to block, and pass with efficacy. Trent Williams could play a major role in a division with multiple solid edge pass rushers. This is not about Hankerson, but the people around him, and how easy they will make his transition into the NFL.

2: Drake Nevis

I was quite surprised to see DaQuan Bowers fall as far as he did, and equally surprised to see Drake Nevis fall to round three. Yes, LSU DL do not exactly have the recent pedigree (Dorsey, Jackson etc.), but Nevis figures to squeeze between two of the best speed rushers in Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney.

In the Colts' championship run, their D-Line was dominant and solely relied upon the big year from Freeney and the run stopping ability of their safeties and backers. Here, Nevis would have pressure lifted as both defensive ends will likely draw the occasional double team from the guards, leaving Nevis with the responsibility of stopping the run game.

It is not always about who the player is, but who is around them. Case in point, any player (namely QB's) drafted by a team with no hope of blocking for him. With most of the time being dominated by Peyton Manning and his offense, Nevis should have time to breathe, and room to work with.

1: Sam Acho

The Big 12 (or 10, or whatever) has recently put out some serious pass rushing prospects with names like Orakpo and Suh along with Kindle (who fell down the stairs and ruined his first season) among others.

Acho was picked in the fourth round by the Cardinals, who are definitely a ship worth salvaging. After the retirement of Kurt Warner and the subsequent failures and meltdowns by their QB's, the Cards went to the drawing board, acquiring a nice piece in Kevin Kolb to accommodate a well-rounded draft.

If the offense do their part, Acho will more than likely be in place to make an impact in the most dreadful division in football. It seems like my girlfriend could get a few sacks in the West.