In order to be a contender in the NFL, your team must not only select a stud in the 1^st round, but you must find valuable starters in the mid to late rounds in the NFL draft. Over the last 5 years, the WFT has hit on a few such as Preston Smith 2^nd round 2015, Jamison Crowder 4^th round 2015, Kendall Fuller 3^rd round 2016, Matt Ioannidis 5^th round 2016, Tim Settle 5^th round 2018, Terry McLaurin 3^rd round 2019, Cole Holcomb 5^th round 2019, Antonio Gibson 3^rd round 2020, and Kamren Curl 7^th 2020. However, their 2^nd rounders have turned up empty (Su’a Cravens 2016, Ryan Anderson 2017, Derrius Guice 2018). There are certainly reasons to be optimistic that these next five years will be different but as I wrote before, Martin Mayhew has had his fair share of 2^nd and 3^rd round whiffs. Here are some names that the WFT should be considering with their day 2 and day 3 picks.

2nd Round (WFT picks #51):

Wyatt Davis, OG, OSU (2^nd-3^rd Round): The grandson of Hall of Famer Willie Davis is widely considered to be the best interior offensive lineman in this class. However, he was injured his knee halfway through the National Championship game against Alabama and it didn’t help his draft stock when he skipped his pro day. Hopefully that means this beast could fall to us in the 2^nd round. Davis dominated all three years as a starter at Ohio State (just turn on the semi final game against Clemson) and would be the perfect final piece to our offensive line at LG and be a potential replacement to Scherff if he leaves at the end of the year.

Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State (1-2^nd Round): Radunz was a man among boys in the FCS, helping the Bison to a perfect season in 2019 and garnering All-American honors his junior year. His senior year was canceled outside of one game against Central Arkansas. Where Lance struggled, Radunz looked great, dominating the line of scrimmage and taking care of business on the edge. Still, Radunz was flying under the radar of the national media until he went to the Senior Bowl and was named the “Overall Practice Player-of-the-Week”, a prize that Justin Herbert won last year. Radunz is a little smaller (6’4” 301lbs) then his peers in the class which may limit his ceiling but if his tape translates to the NFL, he should be a starter for a long time.

Nick Bolton, ILB, Missouri (1^st-3^rd Round): Bolton is one of the hardest hitting ILB’s in the draft and is one of the true 4-3 MLB’s as well. The true junior started games as a freshman and led the SEC with 100 tackles as sophomore and finished with 95 in this COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was widely considered to be a first round selection until he had a lackluster pro day (4.60 40, 32” vertical, 7.40 3-cone). Further, he only stands 6’0” but weighs a stout 232lbs. Yet when put on the film and you’ll see exactly why he was thought to be a 1^st round pick at the end of the season. He is a force against the run and has some of the hardest hits in the class. He’s also a sure tackler, wrapping up well and driving the ball carriers back into the turf. He plays downhill and is always around the ball. One concern is he doesn’t like taking on blockers head on. He elects to juke around them more often than not which may get him into trouble in the NFL. He’s not awful in pass coverage but that will certainly be a struggle for him against bigger tight ends and quicker slot receivers. The biggest knock-on Bolton is his size and athleticism; will he be able to have the same success against big NFL lineman/ TEs/ Slots?  Many scouts see him as a 1^st/ 2^nd down MLB and will have to come out on obvious passing downs. I disagree. I feel Bolton could be the tone setter a young defense like the WFT needs. Given the fact that he’s shined against SEC offenses during his time at Mizzou, I feel he could be the perfect pick in 2^nd round, if he’s available.

Jamin Davis, ILB, Kentucky (1^st-3^rd Round): Davis is somewhat opposite of Bolton. He exploded onto the draft scene after an impressive pro day where he ran a 4.37 40 and had a 42” vert all while weighing in at 234lb and standing 6’3”. I’ll say he definitely doesn’t look as fast on the film, at least consistently. Davis is not as sure of a tackler as Bolton either, and has a tendency to get blocked clean out of plays. He’ll need to work on his block shedding in the NFL but you can see flashes of why scouts are excited about him. Davis played some as a true freshman and sophomore but after starting every game his junior year, he finished with 102 tackles and 3 interceptions this past season, getting better and better as the season went along. He finished his NCAA career with 13 tackles and a game-winning interception against NC St in the Gator Bowl. The true junior still has a lot of room to grow but if he falls to #51 (and we don’t take an ILB in the 1^st round) this would be a nice high-upside pick for Rivera and Del Rio (two ex-linebackers) to groom into a star. There are even rumors he could be the pick at #19…

Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia (2-3^rd Round): Eric Stokes is the living embodiment of the phrase “you can’t teach speed”. Stokes is fast on the film, but after running a 4.25 40 at his pro day, he’s easily the fastest player in this draft class. Stokes finished 2020 as a 2^nd team All-SEC with 4 Ints (returning two for scores). He doesn’t shy away from tackling either. Stokes has straight line speed but doesn’t appear to have the quick hips that some of his peers have. However, if the WFT can harness that speed, whether out wide or on special teams, he would be a solid pick at #51.

3^rd Round (WFT picks #74 and #82):

Jabril Cox, OLB, LSU (2-3^rd Round): Cox was another 2019 FCS National Champion with the NDSU Bison but transferred before the 2020 season so he could play a full season and help his draft stock. He started right away for LSU Tigers and had a decent year despite the Tigers forgettable year, finishing with 58 tackles and 3 interceptions. Cox is widely considered to be the best coverage linebacker in the class and that is apparent on film. He’s also very disciplined and technically sound. According to PFF, Cox allowed zero touchdowns and recorded zero penalties across 352 coverage snaps all while intercepting three passes. Cox stands 6’2” and weighs 231lbs at his pro day where he ran a 4.56 40, 34” vert and a 10’3” broad jump. Cox would fill the need as a weak side linebacker for the WFT on day one and should have much more success in the NFL than he did at LSU.

Stone Forsythe, OT, Florida (3-4^th Round): Stone Forsythe, son of former NFL offensive lineman Ray Forsythe, is a large human being, standing 6’8” tall and weighing 307lbs at his pro day.  Stone has some of the longest arms in the class which help him tremendously in pass protection. Forsythe was so good this last year, it’s hard to find a real glaring weakness in his game. He’s similar to Darrisaw where he doesn’t show the kind of nastiness and anger on film that some of the other tackles in this class show. Florida passed the ball a majority of the time so you really only got to see him in pass pro making his run blocking a bit of a question mark. However, give this guy a few years with NFL coaching and training staff, he could absolutely be a starter and a good one at that.

Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas (3-5^th Round): Jaelon Darden is one of my favorite players in this year’s draft. The North Texas senior was a stud this year, finishing 2^nd in the NCAA with 19 TDs (behind Devonta Smith) and averaged 132.2 yards per game. Darden made defenders look ridiculous on film, using his top-notch agility to make defenders fall over or run into one another. Darden will be a slot receiver/ kick returner in the NFL and if he can make defenders miss half as much as they did in 2020, he could easily be a star.

Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse (3-4^th Round): The WFT hit a home run with the selection of Kamren Curl in the 7^th round of last year’s draft and with reports of Landon Collins moving to linebacker, the WFT needs a Free Safety. Cisco may not be the prototypical FS we are looking for but wow does he have a nose for the football. He finished his collegiate career with 13 interceptions in basically two years (his 2020 season ended due to injury after 2 games) including 14 passes defended as well as forcing two fumbles. His film is exciting as well. Besides forcing a ton of turnovers, Cisco goes all out when tackling and he has a knack of timing up his big hits perfectly. The reason he’s falling to the 3^rd or 4^th round?? Cisco tore his ACL this past season. The WFT cannot afford another ‘Bryce Love’ with 3^rd round pick (or any pick for that matter). Also, his all-or-nothing means he doesn’t wrap up as well as some of his peers and can bite on play-actions and double moves, leaving his guy wide open. It would be interesting to see just how high Cisco could’ve gone if he didn’t have the freak ACL injury but if Rivera believes he is healing properly and is just as athletic as he is on film, this would be an exciting player to add to our defense especially in the 3^rd or 4^th round.

4^th Round (WFT picks #124):

Shaun Wade, CB, OSU (4-5^th Round): Wade opted out of the 2020 season but once the Big Ten changed their minds on the season, he came back and was a 1^st team All-American finishing the shortened 2020 season with 35 tackles, 2 Ints, and 4 passes defended. Towards the end of the season, Wade was overmatched by some of his opponents, especially in the national championship game against Devonta Smith. The former 5-star recruit has plenty of potential and is well worth a 4^th round pick. He could grow behind WJ3 and Fuller and possibly challenge Jimmy Moreland for the nickel CB position. It’s fair to say he will also benefit greatly from a year or two in an NFL training facility and having Chase Young rushing the passer in front of him again.

Khalil Herbert, RB, VT (4-5^th Round): Herbert is advertised as a power back but his speed was evident this past season as he went for 1182 yards and 8 TDs with 7.7 yards per carry. Receiving is listed as a weakness but he finished the year with 179 yards on 11 reception as well. Hell, he even has a 99-yard kick return on his stat sheet. His vision and patience are evident on film plus he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at his pro day. He would be a fine addition to our backfield with Gibson and McKissic.

Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana (4-6^th Round): Jamar Johnson finished the 2020 season with 4 INTs, 3.5 TFLs, 4 passes defended and was the first Indiana safety to finish All-Big Ten since 1996. Johnson possesses the prototypical size for a safety, standing 6’2” and weighing 205lbs. He ran a 4.58 40 as well as a 35” vert and 17 reps on the bench. Similar to Cisco, Johnson played more strong safety for Indiana and may not be the true FS to complement Curl. However, unlike Cisco, Johnson seems comfortable as the last man of defense. He does a great job of reading QBs eyes and has excellent hands to make a play on the ball. Johnson may not be as explosive as Cisco, but he’s a solid player and rarely finds himself out of position. Johnson was a special team’s demon as well at Indiana which may be where he starts his NFL career. The WFT could do a lot worse than selecting one of the standouts for a surprisingly impressive Indiana Hoosiers defense that gave Ohio State fits (Johnson picked off Justin Fields twice).

Brady Christensen, OT, BYU (3-4^th Round): If the WFT hasn’t addressed the tackle position by the 4^th round, there is a chance that Christensen might fall right into their laps here in the 4^th because of the depth of this draft class. Christensen was one of the top graded tackles in 2020 by Pro Football Focus and was a big part of the Cougars (and Zach Wilsons) success. He was named a first-team All-American for his season and is one of the most technically sound prospects in the draft. The only issue is he’s much older than his peers in the class; he’ll be 24 years old heading into his rookie season because he took two years off for a mission trip. Christensen will need to bulk up to be an every-down starter in the NFL but there is nothing wrong with taking a consensus All-American in the 4^th round if he’s available.

5^th Round (WFT picks #163):

Dax Milne, WR, BYU (5^th-Undrafted): Milne is being overlooked by scouts even though he had a phenomenal season for the Cougars. He was Zach Wilson’s favorite target, finishing the year with 70 receptions for 1,188 yards and eight TDs. Milne made plenty of big time catches in traffic as well as some spectacular one-handed catches. Scouts say he may not be able to separate at the NFL level and doesn’t pose much of a threat after the catch. However, after running 4.57 40 at his pro day, he might be able to separate more than they think.  Depending on whether or not the WR position has been addressed by the WFT earlier in the draft, Milne could be a sleeper who would have a chance to not only make the roster, but possibly start out wide as well.

Jordan Smith, DE, UAB (5^th-7^th Round): Yes, the WFT has two young, fierce defensive ends. However, after the departure of Kerrigan and Anderson, if either Young or Sweat go down with an injury, we might have to start last year’s 7^th round pick James Smith-Williams or free agent pickup Casey Toohill (2020 7^th rounder as well). We could certainly use some depth and Smith could not only provide depth, but some potential upside as well. Smith stands 6’6” and weighs 255lbs. He transferred from Florida to UAB where he shined for the Blazers, forcing 12.5 sacks, 23.5 TFLs and 3 forced fumbles in two years. Smith has some flashes on film, but found himself double/ triple teamed often so it was hard to really grade correctly. He doesn’t have the hip bend and agility of a top pass rusher, getting pushed around the pocket often and getting juked by smaller RBs occasionally. However, he knows how to use his length to bat passes and is solid against the run. I like the upside of selecting him in the 5^th round here, if he’s available.  

7^th Round (WFT picks #244 and #246):

Mike Strachan, WR, Charleston (6-7^th Round): Strachan stands 6’5”, weighs 225lbs, ran a 4.46 40, and dominated DII over the last two years. As for a 7^th round flyer, you could do a whole lot worse than an ultra-productive DII player with NFL athleticism (finished 2019 with 78 receptions, 1,319 yard and 19 TDs in 11 games). 

Tarron Jackson, DE, Coastal Carolina (6-7^th Round): As I said before, the WFT needs some depth at DE. The 6’2” 270lb Tarron Jackson is relentless. He has a high motor and his coaches rave about his work ethic. Jackson is quick off the snap and likes to use his bull rush to shrink the pocket. Every now and then, he’ll do a hop-step and jump around the offensive lineman expecting the bull rush, and he’s in the backfield for creating a big TFL. Clearly football means a lot to this player so he will certainly give it his all to make the team. Hopefully the WFT take a flyer on this Jackson.