Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports
89.) Chargers: WR Bruce Ellington, South Carolina (5’9, 197) – The Chargers had success drafting a receiver in the 3rd round last year, Keenan Allen, but they have little depth behind him. Ellington is a phenomenal athlete (he was South Carolina’s starting point guard as a freshman). He lacks height, but is thickly built and with a 39.5″ vertical can go up and get the ball. Ellington’s best trait is his quickness and should be a dangerous underneath receiver and a good complement to Allen and Gates.
90.) Colts: C Westin Richburg, Colorado (6’3, 298) – The Colts tried to find a center in free agency, but Phil Costa retired a few weeks ago before ever donning a Colts uniform. Richburg helped his stock with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and was one of the only O-lineman there who had any success against Aaron Donald. Richburg didn’t miss a game in college, showed good intelligence making the line calls the last two seasons for CSU, and performed well against an upgrade in competition at the Senior Bowl. He should be able to step in and compete for a starting job as a rookie.
91.) Saints: OLB/DE Chris Smith, Louisville (6’1, 266) – The Saints signed three LBs in free agency and currently all of them are slated to start with little to no depth behind them. Smith helped his stock at the Senior Bowl showing great quickness off the edge, the power to bull rush, and a surprising mix of pass rush moves. His combine performance was solid as well with a 4.71 40-time and a 37″ vertical. Smith is a tweener; He lacks the ideal height for a 4-3 DE and ideal mobility for a 3-4 OLB. He does have unusually long arms which help negate his less than ideal size and elite acceleration which makes up for his slower than ideal change of direction ability. Smith is a good football player with a knack for getting to the QB and I think DC Rob Ryan will find a way to use him effectively.
92.) Panthers: CB Philip Gaines, Rice (6’0, 193) – The Panthers lost starting CB Captain Munnerlyn and don’t have much depth to replace him. Gaines is a tall corner who helped his stock with a 4.38 40-time at the combine. He has good height and ball skills (35 passes defended in two seasons) but needs to get stronger and improve his coverage technique. On tape Gaines gets burned too often and isn’t aggressive enough verse the run, but with some technique improvement he could be a starting caliber corner.
93.) Patriots: S Dion Bailey, USC (6’0, 201) – Bailey switched between OLB and safety in college and played well at both. He is a sure tackler with great instincts and enough speed to be adequate in coverage. Bailey showed good hands in college with 11 career interceptions. He’s the type of versatile defender that Belichick likes and will be a standout on special teams until he finds a role on defense.
94.) 49ers: LB Chris Borland, Wisconsin (5’11, 248) – The Niners aren’t sure if Navarro Bowman will be back in time for the start of the season so they get some insurance at ILB here with Borland. He would be a lock for the first round if he were a few inches taller, but he’s shorter than ideal for the position. His lack of height will hurt him covering taller tight ends, but that’s really his only flaw. Borland might have the best instincts I’ve seen at the college level since Luke Kuechly. He ran a 4.7 40 at his pro day, so his speed is only average, but his elite instincts allow him to play a tenth or two faster on the field. If Borland can get there, he’s going to make the tackle. He’s a big hitter with 14 forced fumbles in his college career, has a knack for making big plays when needed, he is solid in zone coverage and is a leader on and off the field.
95.) Broncos: ILB Christian Jones, Florida St (6’3, 240) – Great athlete with good size and speed. Jones has been moving up draft boards quickly and this may be too low of a spot for him. Either way, the Broncos need help at ILB. Jones can play inside or out and would provide good depth at any LB spot. He’s still rough around the edges technique-wise, but has ideal size, athleticism and potential.
96.) Vikings: G Dakota Dozier, Furman (6’4, 313) – The Vikings got a (-5.4) grade out of their starting left guard, Charlie Johnson, which was the only weak spot on an otherwise impressive offensive line. With a little seasoning, Dozier could take over that spot. He is an impressive athlete for his size and surprisingly light on his feet. Dozier dominated as a left tackle at Furman, but the obvious lack of competition is a concern as is no experience at the guard position. Dozier will need some coaching but his size and elite athleticism gives him more potential than almost any guard in the draft.
Compensatory Picks
97.) Steelers: CB Louchiez Purifoy, Florida (6’0, 190) – After losing starting corner Nolan Carroll in free agency, the Dolphins could use an upgrade across from Brent Grimes. They signed Cortland Finnegan but at this stage of his career, he is better suited as a backup. Purifoy has the athleticism to be great, but didn’t make as many plays as he should have with his skill set. He plays very physical and with so much swagger it’s like he’s already thinks he’s great even though he’s not there yet. He only had 2 interceptions in 3 years, so clearly ball skills aren’t a strength. Despite some flaws the potential is there for Purifoy to be a starting CB in the league. He needs some refinement, but Purifoy has more upside than most corners in the draft.
98.) Packers: QB Aaron Murray, Georgia (6’1, 207) – When Aaron Rodgers got hurt last year the Packers offense fell apart with three different backups under center. I think they realize they need some talent behind Rodgers and Murray should be an upgrade over re-signed backup Matt Flynn. If Murray was a few inches taller, I think he could be a late first / early second round pick. Murray’s game tape is as good or better than anyone in this class, but he’s barely 6’1 and has injury concerns. He has all the intangibles you look for in a QB, a strong-arm, elite intelligence, and good athleticism. I am higher on Murray than most and think he could end up being a poor man’s Drew Brees.
99.) Ravens: DT Justin Ellis, Louisiana Tech (6’1, 334) – Haloti Ngata is 30 years old and nearing the downside of his career, so it makes sense for the Ravens to start grooming a successor. Ellis was a good run-stuffer as a NT in college and flashed some pass rush skill at the Shrine game and again at the Senior Bowl, but hasn’t done it consistently enough to be a sure thing. Ellis has plenty of talent though and is moving up most draft boards. He could provide depth at NT initially and eventually move into the starting role as his technique improves.
100.) 49ers: Brent Urban, Virginia Tech (6’7, 295): Long-armed end with good strength and decent quickness off the edge. He is a perfect fit as a 3-4 DE and could be an eventual replacement for DE Justin Smith who is getting up there in age. Urban is also strong enough to slide inside on passing downs and should develop into a quality defensive lineman.
Twitter: @MikeFlannery_