There’s gold to be mined in the late rounds of the NFL Draft. The historic example is a man drafted 199th overall before winning seven Super Bowl rings in a 23-year career. The recent one is the wideout drafted 177th who just had the best rookie season any wide receiver has ever seen.
Tom Brady and Puka Nacua are merely two shining examples of players selected on the final day of the draft only to emerge as first round talent. 2024 will provide another handful of these prospects; the scouting department that can dig out the wheat in a field of chaff will have the formula for a perennial contender — and a whole bunch of performance-based pay raises in store.
After churning a bunch of game film and combine performances, these are the players I’m most excited about. They range from a guy who could sneak into the latter stages of the third round to one who could be a hidden gem on the undrafted free agent market.
1
OL Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
McCormick may be cheating here; his performance at the combine has set the FCS All-American up to potential sneak into the tail end of Day 2. This guy may not have elite size, but he’ll be one of the league’s most athletic all-around linemen as soon as he’s selected.
McCormick isn’t just workout numbers. He’s precisely as aggressive and disruptive as you’d expect from a Dakota-bred lineman who was vital to South Dakota State’s breakthrough from “little brother” to “eater of FCS worlds.” He uses that athleticism to pull and get where he needs to be, then revels in ragdolling linebackers and edge rushers to pave the way for an offense that averaged better than 6.3 yards per carry last year.
His pass blocking isn’t as refined, but he has the tools to get there. He could take an immediate starting role as a road-grader for a run-heavy NFL offense. Or he can work his way through the rotation as a high-value project for a team that’s already set up front. Simply put, there’s no team out there who “couldn’t* use Mason McCormick.
2
RB Dylan Laube, New Hampshire
Laube isn’t an every-down bellwether running back. That’s why teams are so interested in him.
Certainly he could handle those duties. He toted the ball more than 400 times in his last two seasons with the Wildcats, averaging 4.8 yards per handoff along the way against solid Colonial Athletic Association opposition. But what turns him from a priority undrafted free agent into a potential early Day 3 selection is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Laube had 117 catches in his final two seasons (22 games) at UNH. Nearly 300 of them came in a single game against Central Michigan.
This is a player who can be more than just a running back. He can be the antidote to third downs. He can motion out to the slot and given opposing defenses headaches. He’s an ideal fit for an enterprising offensive coordinator invested in unorthodox formations and weird nonsense.
Also, he’s got a 37-inch vertical leap and elite three-cone and shuttle drill times which suggest his explosive cuts will hold up against NFL defenses. He’s a ready-to-go yards-after-catch machine, and he’ll be waiting on Day 3.
3
CB Qwan'tez Stiggers, Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
Stiggers never played college football. His career began with the semi-pro Fan Controlled Football league before he moved north to Toronto. After acing his tryout with the Argonauts, he moved into the starting lineup and was named the CFL’s rookie of the year last winter.
This ability to quickly overcome a steep learning curve is a massive point in Stiggers’ favor. He’s a raw prospect, but physically he looks the part of a lockdown corner. He’s a jacked-up 205 pounds and he uses that muscle to fight through contact and get to the ball. He’s an instinctive player with solid speed and the ability to identify routes as they unfold.
Those skills will be put to the test in 2024, but Stiggers has all the tools to not just pass but excel. He’s once again staring down long odds, but he just had a rookie of the year campaign without a single snap of college ball. Bet against him at your own peril.
4
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., Purdue
Tracy hasn’t played much running back in his career. That’s a feature, not a bug for interested NFL teams.
The former Iowa wideout turned Purdue lightning-quick running back has only 146 carries across six years of college ball. It means he’s got fresh legs and limited wear and tear to go with elite explosive traits. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry as a Boilermaker and showed off top-of-class burst at this year’s combine.
Tracy, as you’d expect, also offers the value you’d expect as a pass catcher as the guy who finished second in receiving yards for the 2019 Hawkeyes. He’s got electric cuts and is always looking for the big play. That’s not always a good thing — he’ll abandon running lanes for home runs that turn into strikeouts — but it’s a correctable one. Get him space and he’ll get you big yards, especially in the right platoon.
5
S Sione Vaki, Utah
Vaki isn’t particularly big for an NFL safety. He doesn’t bring eye-popping stats after only two years of FBS football.
What he has, to borrow a phrase from the youths, is that dog in him.
Vaki did whatever Utah needed in his two seasons, serving as a downfield deterrent and backfield presence as a safety and running back. He’s never seen a problem he wasn’t willing to run face-first into, making him valuable in the box against the run or chasing down receivers after the catch.
While that can lead to rough angles and frustrating mistakes, those are coachable issues — and Vaki is imminently coachable. He’s the kind of guy someone like Dan Campbell or Mike McDaniel would absolutely love to have on staff. The question is whether he can overcome that lack of length and average athleticism and be a valuable coverage safety against NFL offenses.
6
OT Bayron Matos, South Florida
The Final Four got us all keyed up about D.J. Burns’ potential to go from the hardwood to a spot on an NFL offensive line. This whole time, a more realistic transplant was waiting to graft.
Matos started 15 games as a forward for the New Mexico Lobos in 2020-2021, averaging six points and four rebounds along the way. He transferred to South Florida, played 28 more games there and walked onto the Bulls’ football team. He was a defensive lineman/designated kick blocker in 2022 practices, then moved to the offensive line before the NFL pegged him for the International Player Pathway Program. He never played a game for USF, but continued his offensive line education at IMG Academy, the sports-based boarding school/interscholastic powerhouse in Florida.
That makes the Dominican big man raw as sashimi, but his athleticism could still vault him into the draft. He ran a 4.88-second 40 at 6-foot-7 and 313 pounds and has the long arms and nimble footwork of a basketball star. He won’t be a starter in 2024, but he could be a Pro Bowler with the right guidance — and it won’t cost a ton of draft capital to find him.
7
EDGE Justin Blazek, Wisconsin-Platteville
I watch more Division III football than most, and as a rule I like to toss in at least one D3 stud despite the tier’s well-known lack of representation on Sundays. Only six of these non-scholarship standouts made NFL rosters last fall, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. In recent years, players like Ben Bartch and Quinn Meinerz have fought their way to the middle of the draft.
Blazek (not pictured above because, shockingly, USA Today has minimal WIAC coverage) won’t rise that high. He probably won’t be selected at all. But he may be Division III’s best chance to add to its total this fall.
The 252-pound edge defender is undersized for his position, but he’s explosive and able to redirect his speed with finesse. I had the chance to see him take on Augustana at last fall’s Culver’s Isthmus Bowl where he had one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
He also took a short yardage handoff and exploded through the line in a way that genuinely made him look like an elementary school gym teacher blasting his own students. It was delightful and at least slightly expected — he had 10 carries and four rushing touchdowns as a senior. He may not rise above the practice squad, but Blazek has the motor and intensity to make his team better, even if it’s not on Sunday.
