2009 SFL Draft Steals
1.14- LE-David Veikune- 239 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, and 71 sacks
Profile: There haven’t been many DE’s that made the list the list in 2007 or 2008 but there are two here in the 2009. The first of those is David Veikune taken by the Ravens with the 14th overall pick in the draft. From his first season in the league, you knew he could be special. He registered 42 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks all in his rookie campaign. Since then he has posted another 4 seasons of double digit sacks including a high of 14 in 2013. He is currently 15th all-time in sacks with only 3 active players in front of him.
1.16- LG-Andy Levitre- 425 pancakes, 21 sacks
Profile: The LG position is not a position that generally gets drafted higher in the draft. So when the Browns took Andy Levitre at 16th overall, some might have felt it a little high. But Levitre has more than proved his worth in this league with 7 seasons of stellar play at the position. His physical attributes were always borderline elite, but what has enabled his success is above average AWR, PBK, and RBK to go along with his physical attributes. What makes Levitre interesting is that he is 6’2”, 305 lbs. Some GM’s will not draft a guy that small, but because the Browns did they have been richly rewarded.
1.21- LE-Larry English- 247 tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 64 sacks (Currently 20th all time in sacks)
Profile: Here’s a guy that has flown under the radar in the SFL but he has quietly really produced. English was drafted by the Bengals with the 21st overall pick. He spent one season as the starter in Cincinnati before being traded to the Bucs where he spent the better part of two seasons as the starter. The Bucs then traded him to the Jets during the preseason of 2012. He spent one season in New York before being traded to the Chargers who then after one season traded him to Washington. It is in Washington that he has shined recording 14 and 18 sack seasons consecutively. He is currently 20th all-time in sacks and he has two more seasons before regression.
2.4- MLB-Scott McKillop- 694 tackles, 96 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and 8 interceptions
Profile: I don’t know that many teams thought much about McKillop when he was drafted with the 4th pick in the 2nd round. After all at 80 SPD , 79 AGI, and 83 ACC he wasn’t at most GM’s radar at least not this early. But all he has done has made tackles including tackles for loss. The last four seasons he has been well over 100 tackles per season plus averaging 15 tackles for loss. He’s not flashy but he doesn’t miss tackles. He’s now starting to regress so I don’t know how much more he has left in him, but he has definitely produced at the MLB position.
2.10- CB-Macho Harris- 442 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 18 interceptions, 126 pass deflections
Profile: Macho Harris was taken with the 10th pick in the 2nd round. When he was drafted he only had 50 AWR which for most CB’s is the death knell. But this was not the case for Harris. The Bengals played him despite that AWR and then after being traded to the Bucs, in a package for Peyton Manning, begin to slowly shine. The Bucs were dedicated to making him good and they did just that. This offseason he was traded within the division to the Panthers where he is likely to put up good numbers in his final season before regression.
2.15- LG-Matt Slauson- 353 pancakes, 15 sacks
Profile: The Bears seem to be able to find OL in the mid rounds of drafts like few other teams. Now maybe is selecting the right players or maybe it’s their ability to develop them or a combination of both, but they do it well. Here they selected Matt Slauson with the 15th pick of the 2nd round. Slauson has been a 5 year starter in the league racking up some pretty good stats during those 5 seasons. The Bears did not start him his rookie season, but after that he’s been a reliable starter. Yet another value pick at the OL position for the Bears.
3.5- LG-Jaimie Thomas- 406 pancakes, 15 pancakes
Profile: The Falcons weren’t afraid to take a gamble at a raw OL prospect with pick 5 in the 3rd round and it definitely paid off. Jamie Thomas has started all 7 seasons in Atlanta. He was great his first 2 seasons but has come on strong since then. What makes this an even better selection is the fact that Thomas was a 24 year old rookie and the Falcons still made him a good starter in the league. Most teams would have left him on the bench, but the Falcons made this 3rd round pick a value pick by playing him and they’ve reaped the rewards for doing so.
3.10- WR-Patrick Turner- 410 catches, 6012 yards, 14.66 average, 36 TD’s
Profile: The Dolphins do WR’s a little different than everyone else and it has worked out quite well for them. Most teams want the 99 SPD receiver, instead the Dolphins go after the big WR’s. First it was James Hardy and then it was Patrick Turner who they took with the 10th pick in the 3rd round. Turner has had 2 1000 yard plus receiving seasons and has accumulated 6012 receiving yards over his career. He was a key part of the Dolphins dominant Super Bowl winning offense from 2014 as well. To get this much production out of the 3rd round is really good value.
3.31- LG-Ramon Foster- 367 pancakes, 17 sacks
Profile: The Giants go to the well just like Bears and Falcons before them selecting an OL with the 31st pick in the 3rd round. Foster, who was a 24 year old rookie, was a 6 years starter in New York putting up decent numbers before being traded to the 49ers in the offseason. Foster wasn’t necessarily anything special, but the Giants stuck with him and he developed well. Again, the numbers aren’t eye popping but he’s a LG and they don’t have huge pancake numbers. He’s good value late in the 3rd.
3.32- SS-Michael Mitchell- 385 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 10 interceptions, and 85 pass deflections
Profile: The Lions jump on this list with the last pick in round 3 selecting SS Michael Mitchell. He was a 7 year starter who started in his rookie season. His numbers were solid. In 2014 he had a very noticeable 24 pass deflections with is pretty high for a SS. He wasn’t a high tackle SS not did he cause many turnovers, but he was solid player particularly when you consider he was taken with pick 3.32.
4.10- TE-Travis Beckum- 300 catches, 3645 yards, 12.15 average, 25 TD’s
Profile: The final guy on the 2009 draft steals list is a player I got to see a lot of in TE Travis Beckum. His attributes aren’t anything special but he somehow made some huge plays for the Packers offense. He was taken with the 10th pick in the 4th round and has been a 6 year starter in Green Bay and coming off his highest yards receiving season at 735. He doesn’t dominate with speed but he finds the open space and moves chains. The Packers have to be happy with the value of a guy like Beckum in the 4th round.
