Diamonds in the rough: These players shouldn't be overlooked

Great NFL scouting departments are separated from the merely good ones in their ability to avoid high-priced busts in the first round and consistently put together deep draft classes that contribute throughout the roster. The latter part requires the ability to sift through the overlooked prospects and unearth a few hidden gems.

David Bruton might be a quality safety on the radar. (Getty Images)

Below is a list of players who haven't received the attention their skill set warrants. Some played for smaller schools or ended their career injured. Others broke out as seniors after being forced to wait for playing time. Still others enjoyed a great deal of collegiate success, but are incorrectly characterized as not having the prerequisite skills for the NFL. All are viewed as potential selections by NFL teams, though most are unknown to the average fan.

Quality prospects like Joe Flacco (first round), Leodis McKelvin (first), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (first), Jeff Otah (first), Chris Johnson (first), Jerome Simpson (second) and Tracy Porter (second) were among the players listed in my initial Diamonds in the Rough for the 2008 Draft.

Several middle- and late-round prospects were also recognized, including seventh-round safety Chris Horton, who came out of UCLA to start for the Redskins as one of the biggest surprises out of last year's rookie class.

Over the past three years, 86 of the 120 players listed in my August editions were drafted the following April. The vast majority of the players not drafted were signed by NFL teams within one week following the draft.

Among those listed last fall include future Senior Bowl standouts quarterback Nathan Brown (Central Arkansas), wide receiver Ramses Barden (Cal-Poly) and defensive end Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. (Richmond).

With the draft less than two months away, here are a host of players likely to be second-day picks who I feel will ultimately prove to be steals. Among each position is at least one player not invited to the Combine.

(Denoted with an asterisk*)

Players are listed alphabetically.

Quarterback: 1. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State, 6-4, 244, 4.86* 2. Tom Brandstater, Fresno State, 6-5, 220, 4.95 3. Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas, 6-1, 219, 4.87 4. Stephen McGee, Texas A&M, 6-3, 225, 4.66 5. Mike Reilly, Central Washington, 6-3, 214, 4.92

Running Back: 1. Mike Goodson, Texas A&M, 5-11, 208, 4.54 2. Rashad Jennings, Liberty, 6-1, 231, 4.56 3. Gartrell Johnson, Colorado State, 5-10, 219, 4.69 4. Devin Moore, Wyoming, 5-10, 190, 4.41* 5. Kory Sheets, Purdue, 5-11, 208, 4.47

Tight End: 1. Jared Bronson, Central Washington, 6-4, 253, 4.76 2. James Casey, Rice, 6-3, 246, 4.68 3. Branden Ledbetter, Western Michigan, 6-5, 236, 4.76* 4. Bear Pascoe, Fresno State, 6-5, 251, 4.86 5. Kory Sperry, Colorado State, 6-5, 238, 4.77

Wide Receiver: 1. Ramses Barden, Cal Poly, 6-6, 229, 4.59 2. Quan Cosby, Texas, 5-09, 196, 4.49 3. Jamarko Simmons, Western Michigan, 6-2, 241, 4.63* 4. Mike Thomas, Arizona, 5-08, 195, 4.40 5. Mike Wallace, Mississippi, 6-1, 199, 4.33

Offensive Line: 1. Alex Fletcher, Stanford, 6-2, 297, 5.30 (C, OG) 2. Darryl Harris, Mississippi, 6-3, 300, 5.25 (OG)* 3. Cornelius Lewis, Tennessee State, 6-4, 332, 5.23 (OG, OT) 4. Cecil Newton, Tennessee State, 6-2, 294, 5.19 (C) 5. Augustus Parrish, Kent State, 6-4, 302, 5.17 (OG, OT)

Defensive Tackle: 1. Nader Abdallah, Ohio State, 6-4, 295, 5.12* 2. John Faletoese, Cal-Davis, 6-2, 285, 4.98* 3. Mitch King, Iowa, 6-2, 280, 4.78 4. Alex Magee, Purdue, 6-3, 298, 5.03 5. Roy Miller, Texas, 6-1, 310, 5.06

Defensive End: 1. Pannel Egboh, Stanford, 6-6, 276, 4.84 2. Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State, 6-5, 288, 4.87 3. Nick Reed, Oregon, 6-2, 247, 4.96* 4. Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., Richmond, 6-3, 266, 4.64 5. David Veikune, Hawaii, 6-3, 257, 4.87

Linebacker: 1. Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic, 6-1, 242, 4.83 2. Gerald McRath, Southern Mississippi, 6-3, 231, 4.61 3. Jason Williams, Western Illinois, 6-1, 241, 4.59 4. Willie Williams, Union (Kentucky), 6-3, 228, 4.52* 5. Worrell Williams, California, 5-11, 240, 4.78

Cornerback: 1. Coye Francies, San Jose State, 6-1, 185, 4.54 2. Jacob Lacey, Oklahoma State, 5-10, 180, 4.50* 3. Cary Harris, USC, 6-0, 187, 4.54 4. Brandon Hughes, Oregon State, 5-11, 182, 4.49 5. Christopher Owens, San Jose State, 5-10, 181, 4.51

Safety: 1. David Bruton, Notre Dame, 6-2, 219, 4.46 2. Reshard Langford, Wake Forest, 6-1, 213, 4.58* 3. Troy Nolan, Arizona State, 6-1, 206, 4.62 4. Curtis Taylor, LSU, 6-2, 209, 4.56 5. Otis Wiley, Michigan State, 6-2, 213, 4.56

Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.