Each year, a few players from small schools catapult themselves up the draft board with impressive combine showings (Chris Johnson and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie last year, for instance). SI has assembled a short list of small school players to watch out for as we approach the combine.
If you've managed to go the entire college football season without hearing the name Ramses Barden, get ready to hear it a lot in the upcoming weeks.
Ramses Barden/WR/Cal-Poly: Barden is an imposing 6-foot-6, 227-pound pass catcher with reliable hands. He presents himself as a terrific red zone threat who out-muscles defenders for the reception. The faster Barden runs at the combine, the earlier he'll be drafted.
While several of these players may be quite tempting, let's review Tim Ruskell's draft history (from 2005 on) by school, starting with the most recent draft.
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Notre Dame |
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Georgia Tech |
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Virginia Tech |
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USC |
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USC |
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Clemson |
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USC |
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Clemson |
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I apologize for the length of the list, but I've left it without player name, position, or pick number for a reason. Buzz through it and you'll be astonished to find only one small school on the list: San Diego State (Tyler Shmitt, long snapper). It's pretty safe to say that none of these small school players will be drafted by Ruskell. The next Chris Johnson or DRC will end up somewhere else.