New England Patriots undrafted sleeper: RB LeShun Daniels Jr.

The New England Patriots found themselves a gem in undrafted running back LeShun Daniels Jr. out of Iowa, who joins a crowded backfield…

It doesn’t really make any sense that Iowa running back LeShun Daniels went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. I mean, Chris Carson was picked…

The New England Patriots had a nice undrafted free agent class, one that included Northwestern’s Austin Carr, one of my favorite slot receiver prospects in this year’s draft. As much as I liked Carr coming out, however, the Patriots’ pickup of the former Iowa tailback is my pick to be the sleeper of this year’s class.

It might not even be with New England, either. The Patriots are loaded at running back right now, and don’t really seem to have any room for the 5-11, 222 pound Daniels.

Daniels saw action as both a freshman and sophomore at Iowa, but didn’t see any extensive work until his junior year when he was a key piece of Iowa’s three-headed monster at running back and a major component to Iowa’s run at a Big Ten title.

As a junior, Daniels established himself as the ‘thunder’ to Akrum Wadley’s ‘lightning’ in the Iowa offense, carrying the ball 145 times for 646 yards and eight touchdowns.

Entering his senior season, it was clear Daniels spent the offseason working hard in the weight room. He looked cut up rather than just ‘big’ and was even quicker than the year prior. That work in the offseason paid off for Daniels, as he broke the 1,000 yard barrier for the first (and only) time in his collegiate career sharing carries again with Wadley, and scored a career-high 10 touchdowns.

He also set career marks in carries with 213 in 13 games, and averaged five yards per carry. It wasn’t much, but Daniels also set a career high with eight receptions.

While catching balls out of the backfield isn’t necessarily the name of his game, Daniels proved capable of taking a decently heavy workload and providing the Hawkeyes with tough inside running.

Daniels obviously has the size to be a grinder for your offense, but that’s not really the extent of his game. Yes, he excels getting north and south as a runner, but don’t mistake his power for lack of foot quickness and agility.

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I found myself consistently impressed by his ability to make cuts and use his quick feet to get his runs to the outside. I was also impressed that a back as big as Daniels was able to break off long runs and flat out run away from the second and third levels of defense.

In that way, he sort of reminded me of LeGarrette Blount…

At 5-11, 222 pounds, Daniels excelled at the Iowa pro day, running a 4.56 second 40-yard dash and putting up 21 bench press reps with a 36-inch vertical jump. Those numbers would have held up really well among his peers at the Scouting Combine, especially with players of a similar size.

I don’t know if Daniels will be on the New England Patriots when all is said and done, but I think they are giving a shot to one of the best undrafted free agents in this year’s class. Daniels has an excellent combination of power and quick feet, and better speed than you would think. He is explosive and strong in both his upper and lower body, able to grind out tough yards and punch the ball into the end zone or past the sticks in short-yardage situations.

The Patriots have a deep stable of backs, but Daniels will stand out in preseason play and make it a tough decision for general managers around the league to keep off their roster.

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