Sleeper/Steal Alert: O’Brien Schofield
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:
O’Brien Schofield- DE/OLB- Wisconsin
Projected Rounds:
6th-7th Rounds
Thoughts:
O’Brien Schofield had an unfortunate ACL injury at this year’s Senior Bowl that will cost him his entire rookie season. Schofield had and impressive draft process up until the injury and was even being discusses as a potential first round pick. The injury has greatly affected his draft stock but before the injury there was no doubting his ability. In the 2009 season he lived in opponent’s backfields tallying 24.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He is a bit undersized but makes up for that with good football intelligence. He is a locker room leader and commands respect. The injury has dropped Schofield down to the 6th or 7th round but if he could recoup from the injury he could make a major impact in 2 seasons. He might be worth the risk for a 3-4 defensive team looking for a pass rushing OLB. In my opinion his good character means the will work through this injury and go on to have a good NFL career.