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As long as you’re not a Oakland Raiders fan, your favorite team likely drafted names you definitely heard of on the first day of the NFL Draft. As we move into the middle and late rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft, it’s imperative (especially for IDP Dynasty owners) to target some players that could make an impact down the road. Let’s take a look at a few linebackers, defensive linemen and defensive backs that are considered “second day sleepers”. Last year, Houston LB Xavier Adibi was selected in the fourth round. Linebacker Stewart Bradley was a third-rounder in 2007. The Colts’ Freddie Keiaho was selected in the third round in 2006. Pro-Bowl CB Cortland Finnegan was a seventh-round pick in that same draft. The gems are out there, it just takes a little digging to find them. So, without further ado, some names that could jump out of the second day of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Linebackers
Gerald McRath (TEN; Round 4, #130 overall): With the 134th overall pick in last season’s draft, the Titans drafted Stanford Keglar, who at the time looked like a decent candidate to man the middle of the linebacking corps. They actually moved him outside, and is now a solid sleeper due to the fact that he could eventually replace Keith Bulluck. Fast forward to this draft, pick #130, and the Titans take another linebacker with plenty of upside. McRath played for Southern Miss University, and led a pretty decent defense. He, like Keglar, could move outside too. So, given the dearth of real (young) talent at LB for the Titans, put McRath on your radar if you’re looking for a LB with upside later in your rookie draft.
Scott McKillop (SF; Round 4, #146 overall): Don’t get me wrong, when you play alongside Patrick Willis, there won’t be a great number of tackles to go around. But McKillop was a tackling machine at Pitt, where he was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He’s not the most athletic guy and has somewhat limited upside, but you can’t teach “football IQ”, and he has the proverbial “high motor”. When you’re rounding out your rookie LBs, feel free to grab this guy and stash him on your DTS, as he could easily replace the aging Takeo Spikes as a starter on the inside, or as a part-time/situational ILB replacing the aging Jeff Ulbrich. With Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson manning the edges, there could be enough action for both Willis and McKillop in the middle in a year or two.
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