Less than two weeks from the draft, here’s a thread of some of the best/my favorite small school prospects. Ranging from guys who received combine invites and are highly talked about to some deep UDFA sleepers.

Southern Illinois S/LB Jeremy Chinn. Chinn is my favorite FCS prospect in the entire draft. A hybrid safety/LB, the athletic freak played like an FCS version of Derwin James. A potential first round pick, it wouldn’t shock me if he’s the first safety off the board.

Dayton TE Adam Trautman. In a wide open TE class, it’s understandable why many like the high upside Trautman. He broke records at Dayton and caught 14 TDs as a senior. He will be the first Flyer drafted since 1977. Kittle comps are a reach, but I see the style similarities.

Saint Johns OT Ben Bartch. The D3 tackle prospect really made a name for himself at the Senior Bowl. Despite only playing OL for two seasons, Bartch dominated at the D3 level and didn’t look out of place when put up against the best in Mobile. Fun Day 2 tackle project.

Lenoir-Rhyne S Kyle Dugger. Another freakish Senior Bowl standout, Dugger often gets compared to Chinn. I like Chinn a lot more, but Dugger still has some solid potential as a safety (not sure if he can be an LB). Dugger also offers great return ability.

North Dakota State DE Derrek Tuszka is a really fun Day 3 end. Explosive first step, high motor, smart all around player. Tuszka led the Bison with 19TFL and 13.5 sacks. He also had 5 PBUs. 29.5 career sacks to his resume, he had a good Shrine week and tested well at the combine

Illinois State RB James Robinson was a workhorse in college. Finishing with over 4400 career rushing yards and 44 rushing TDs, Robinson was the focal point of Redbirds offense. He’s a bowling ball with great patience and projects as a decent rotational back at the next level

Montana LB Dante Olson was a productive tackler in his time with the Grizzlies. He had 151 tackles his senior season, as well as 2INTS. Not a superb athlete, but Olson makes up with it with his motor and awareness. Potential late rounder with ST upside to make a roster.

Portland State TE Charlie Taumoepeau. They didn’t throw to him nearly enough, but when they did he proved to be difficult to take down. He projects more as a traditional H-Back in the NFL.

Princeton’s Kevin Davidson was the only FCS QB to receive a combine invite. Only a one year starter, Davidson completed 67% of his passes for 2,569 yards with 20TDs to 6INTs. At 6-4, 225 he has the size teams like as a late round/UFA project.

Rhode Island OL Kyle Murphy started at tackle but projects as a guard. He’s raw, but he’s shown flashes of viciousness in his game and will likely be a Day 3 selection. He offers good athleticism and positional versatility which teams will covet

Rhode Island’s WRs Aaron Parker and Isaiah Coulter. Parker finished his career with 3460 yards and 30 TDs. His drops are frustrating, but his jump ball ability is great.

Coulter declared early after a really good year and is a speedy slot WR who played well against VaTech.

South Carolina State tackle Alex Taylor is one of my favorite projects in the draft. 6-8 former basketball player, he offers similar traits to Mekhi Becton but is just way behind in development. Raw athlete, but if you can coach him up he could be a fun player.

Those were all of the guys who got combine invites. Now, here are some of my favorite sleepers that didn’t. Not a lot of film available so I had to dig somewhat deep.

Tarleton State WR Zimari Manning is a D2 sleeper who put up ridiculous numbers. He finished his senior year with 1462 yards and 22 TDs. He has made a number of highlight reel plays over the last two seasons.

Without film, I had to rely on highlight film

Towson QB Tom Flacco is someone who will definitely get a camp invite based on name alone, but he’s got enough skill to push for a QB3 spot. Good scrambler and improviser, Flacco has been a reliable QB for Towson over the last two years.

UT-Chattanooga QB Nick Tiano. Tiano’s numbers weren’t that impressive (53% completion, 2242 yards, 14TD/10INT) but teams will love his arm, which he showcased in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl where he earned the game’s MVP honors.

UC Davis QB Jake Maier first caught my eye when watching former Aggies WR Keelan Doss last season. Maier has an unorthodox throwing motion but that didn’t stop him from finishing his career with over 11k yards and 88 TDs. He should get a shot in camp.

One of my favorite FCS QBs is Northern Arizona’s Case Cookus. The name itself is amazing, but the 6-4 QB had an incredibly productive college career. The Jacks QB threw for over 12k yards and had 105 TDs to 21 INTs and also showed off some decent mobility. Another camp invite guy

Duquesne RB AJ Hines ran for at least 1000 yards every season up until an injury riddled senior year. Still, the 225lb wrecking ball Hines finished his career with over 4600 yards and 44 TDs, including a few “beast mode” style runs. Fun UDFA sleeper.

Over the last two seasons, Michael Bandy has been one of the best WRs. FCS. The San Diego WR had over 2800 yards the last two seasons with 26 TDs between his junior and senior year. Despite not being the fastest guy, Bandy showed great vision after the catch and could be a ST guy

Every year there seems to be a James Madison prospect that catches my eye. This year is edge rusher RonDell Carter. His tape against West Virginia was great, showing excellent explosiveness and a variety of pass rush moves. Finished his senior year with 27 TFl and 12 sacks.

Southern Illinois TE Nigel Kilby is interesting. He’s 6-8 and tested really well at his pro day (before corona so teams had scouts there). Salukis rarely used him, but his pure size and athleticism is intriguing from a developmental standpoint.

South Dakota State LB Christian Rozeboom first caught my eye when Minnesota played them. A four year starter and leader of the Jackrabbits defense, Rozeboom recorded triple digit tackle totals every year. He forced 8 fumbles and recorded 8 INTs in his career. Solid player.

Wagner Edge/LB Cam Gill was a productive player on that Wagner defense, with 34 career sacks. He’s a raw athlete, but there are some tools to work with if given the chance to develop. He didn’t get a combine invite, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s a late draft pick still

James Madison has seen a couple DBs make something of themselves at the next level the last few years (Raven Greene, Jimmy Moreland). Rashad Robinson could be the next. In 2017, Robinson had 7 INTs but then in 2018 a season ending injury derailed him. He rebounded nicely in 2019.

Dartmouth CB Isiah Swann finished his career with 17 INTs and 4 pick sixes. Swann was a Shrine Game invite who is always around the football and was arguably the best defender in the Ivy League