2010 Draft Class Steals
This is the final edition of this set of draft class steals. The 2010 class was another good one for many teams. Here is a look at the picks I believe were definitely high value picks.
1.21- LT-Jared Veldheer- 425 pancakes, 14 sacks
Profile: Veldheer was draft with the 21st overall pick by the Bengals and has been a 6 years starter in Cincy. He’s been a steady, quality starter who hasn’t given up very many sacks throughout his career at LT. He’s also only 27 years old which should give him at least another 4 seasons with starter quality attributes. He will never be the high profile pick in the draft but he will also outlast most of the players in his draft class. He is underrated value for 1.21.
1.25- WR-Dezmon Briscoe- 440 catches, 7402 yards, 16.82 average, 57 TD’s
Profile: Briscoe was taken with the 25th overall pick by the Lions and has been nothing but productive from the day he came to Detroit. He’s had 6 straight 1000 yard plus receiving seasons as a Lion and he has 3 more seasons before he hits regression. His best season was his second one where he had 93 catches, 1528 yards and 13 TD’s. His worst season was in 2014 where he had 59 catches, 1004 yards, and 9 TD’s. He’s a very dependable WR who is difficult to cover and who is always productive. His attributes are consistent with his production, which isn’t something you can always say for a player. The reverse is also true, his production is consistent with his attributes. This is a challenge for some players. His profile easily makes him a great value late in the 1st round.
2.14- MLB-Rolando McClain- 536 tackles, 84 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 9 interceptions
Profile: The Jets drafted Rolando McClain with the 14th pick in the 2nd round. He doesn’t have high end SPD or ACC but what he does have is size, STR, AWR, and TAK. This combination has made him very productive in his time in NY. McClain has had double digit tackles for losses in every one of his 6 seasons. He’s had at least 1 sack in 5 of his 6 seasons, 1 interception and double digit pass deflections in 5 of his 6 seasons as well. In 2011, his second season, he also had 6 forced fumbles. This is the second most forced fumbles anyone has ever had in a season, behind only Jordan Beck who had 8 in the same year. It looks like McClain has been versatile as well playing in both a 4-3 and a 3-4. MLB’s are not hard to find, but McClain has been a value pick for the Jets at 2.14.
2.24- RE-Jason Worilds- 204 tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 45 sacks
Profile: Jason Worilds was take by the Cowboys with the 24th pick in the 2nd round and he has been really good considering where he was taken. He’s had back-to-back seasons of 12 and 13 sacks respectively in 2011 and 2012. Also during that 2012 season he had 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 1 TD. After spending 6 seasons in Dallas, Worilds was traded to Houston in the most recent offseason. The downside to his profile is that he is 29 so this current season will be his last before he hits regression. Getting 45 sacks out of a late 2nd round pick, makes him a good value pick though.
2.26- WR-Carlton Mitchell- 392 catches, 6919 yards, 17.65 average, 48 TD’s
Profile: Mitchell was taken by the Raiders with the 26th pick in the 2nd round. He’s one of those guys that when you look at him you don’t immediately think elite, you just think pretty good. But his production would suggest more elite than pretty good. He’s the 2nd round’s version of Dezmon Briscoe. In 5 of his 6 seasons in the league, he’s had 1000 plus yards. Only his rookie season of 2010 did he have less and that was 945 yards. His best season was his last with the Raiders in 2014 when he had 69 catches, 1428 yards, and 15 TD’s. He’ll have 2 more seasons before he starts to regress and he’s signed to a really nice contract for 4 more years. Mitchell is the exact type of guy these articles are meant to highlight. He’s very likely to end up with 10,000 plus yards for his career and as such makes for an amazing value pick late in round 2.
2.27- MLB-Sean Lee- 580 tackles, 79 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 10 interceptions
Profile: Sean Lee was taken with the 27th pick in the 2nd round by the Bears. He’s been a 6 year starter in Chicago posting triple digit tackles in 3 of those 6 seasons and double digit tackles for loss in all 6 of those seasons. He is a high AWR, high TAK MLB who can also produce some turnovers via the interception. Having played against him twice a year, the Vikings have experienced the tackling machine that is Sean Lee. In the bigger picture, MLB’s are easier and easier to find in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of drafts but that wasn’t always the case. Lee is on the front side of that trend. He was clearly worth the late 2nd the Bears used on him.
2.29- RG-Chris Scott- 349 pancakes, 20 sacks
Profile: The Ravens too Scott with the 29th pick in the 2nd round of the draft. Stop me if you have heard this one before, the Ravens draft an offensive lineman in the middle rounds of the draft and get great value for doing so. Scott is another in the tradition of the Ravens offensive line. Scott is a 5 year starter in Baltimore. He didn’t play his rookie season, but he’s been the starter ever since. In 2013 he posted 90 pancakes with only 3 sacks given up. Those are really good numbers from a RG. His career numbers won’t be as high as others since he didn’t play his rookie season and only has 2 more season before he starts to regress. But I don’t think that diminishes the value of the player at the pick he was taken.
2.30- HB-Jonathan Dwyer- 1541 attempts, 6851 yards, 4.45 average, 28 TD’s
Profile: Dwyer was taken with the 30th pick in the 2nd of the draft. I think Dwyer has been under appreciated in the league. His teams have been happy to put him on the trade block and it appears GM’s view him as a guy that can be upgraded over. His numbers, however, tell a bit of a different story. He’s had over 1000 yards in 5 seasons. His best season was his third season in which he had 341 carries for 1680 yards and 9 TD’s. He still has another 3 full seasons before he regresses as well so he could definitely get to 10,000 yards in his career. RB’s in the 2nd round can be very productive and Dwyer is one of those guys. A good value pick in the late 2nd.
3.16- MLB-Darryl Sharpton- 503, 52 tackles for loss, 6 sacks,10 interceptions
Profile: Sharpton was taken by the 49ers with the 16th pick in the 3rd round. In a league where LB’s are 6’3”, 6’4”, and 6’5”, Darryl Sharpton stands out by being the short guy in the room at 5’11”. However, the last 3 seasons he has come on strong for the 49ers including last year’s Super Bowl winning team. His best statistical season was 2014 when he had 136 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He hasn’t been a producer for a long period of time and he has just one more season before he starts to regress, but when you can get a starter on a Super Bowl winning team, like Sharpton, at 3.16 it’s a value pick for me.
3.17- DT-Terrence Cody- 187 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 36 sacks
Profile: Cody was taken with the 17th pick in the 3rd round of the draft by the Dolphins. DT’s are a hard position to figure out and and even harder position to get consistent production from. But the Dolphins have done quite well here with Terrence Cody. He’s had 5 sacks in at least 5 of his 6 seasons including a 10 sack season in 2012. In fact, he’s currently 7th all-time among currently active DT’s in sacks. Another positive for the Dolphins is that he has 2 more seasons before regression and is under contract for 3 more seasons. Really great value here at pick 3.17.
3.19- SS-Chad Jones- 359 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 13 interceptions, 72 pass deflections
Profile: Chad Jones was selected with the 19th pick in the 3rd round by the Eagles. He stands out as being a tall, physical SS lacking in SPD. You would think that profile could have resulted in a shorter shelf life, but that has not been the case. Jones has been a 5 year starter in the league and he’s only 27 years old. This means he will have 3 more seasons before regression. It’s probably important to understand he’s already at 89 AWR so, in addition to his size, he now has high AWR as a feature. Jones has had several good seasons, but none better than 2013 where he had 81 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 21 pass deflections. Jones was a good value at 3.19.
6.2- C-Matt Tennant- 263 pancakes, 31 sacks
Profile: The final value pick in this class is Matt Tennant, taken with the 2nd pick in the 6th round by the Buccaneers. Tennant has played with the Bucs for four seasons and his current team, the Titans, for two. Anytime you can get a quality starter in the 6th round you are drafting well. Tennant is not an athletic center not does he have a great deal of size but he does have elite STR and that seems to be what has contributed to his success. He’s had problems giving up sacks, but he’s also had some young QB’s to block for. Regardless of his sacks allowed statistic, he is still a great value at 6.2.
