Sleeper/Steal Alert: LeGarrette Blount
By Editorial Staff
Sleeper/ Steal Alert
Every year the NFL Draft is littered with Busts and Steals/Sleepers. Steals/Sleepers are what make a team’s draft special and build decision makers reputations. Some of the more famous Steals/Sleepers include Tom Brady (round 6 pick 199), Terrell Davis (round 6 pick 196), and Zack Thomas (round 5 pick 154). But a Steal/Sleeper doesn’t necessarily have to be drafted in the later rounds. An example would be the Green Bay Packers getting Clay Matthews at pick 26 after players like Larry English were selected. Matthews earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl after registering 10 sacks in his rookie season. We are going to examine some of the different sleepers in this year’s draft.
Player:
LeGarrette Blount- RB- Oregon
Projected Rounds:
5th-6th Rounds
Thoughts:
LeGarrette Blount is not an unknown man in the college football scene. Many will link Blount’s name to the incident where he punched a player from Boise State after a game last season. While that was a bad situation that hurt his draft stock he has worked hard to rebuild that image. Blount is a big powerful runner weighing in at 240lbs. Blount has surprising speed despite his size and was able to run a 4.59 40 yard dash. Many will argue that he was misused in the Oregon offense that was mainly suited for smaller faster backs. When I look at Blount and his running style I quickly go to Brandon Jacobs who has been successful with the New York Giants. Blount might be able to make an immediate impact as a team’s short yardage back. Due to the character issues a team may be able to steal Blount in the 5th or 6th round.