10 Standout NFL Draft Prospects from Smaller Programs

I’ve watched tape on a lot of players this season, but I only recently got to dive into the film on Youngstown State edge rusher Derek Rivers. He may be coming from an FCS program, but this guy is the real deal.

Rivers was an offensive tackle’s worst nightmare throughout his college career, coming away with 37.5 career sacks, including 14 in 2016. I spent Sunday night watching some tape on Rivers, and there were plenty of plays that stood out, including the one below (click on the tweet to see the entire thread of plays from Rivers).

The Youngstown State prospect is built like an NFL edge rusher at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. He has an explosive first step and does a great job of staying low to bend the edge. He has a powerful upper body and violent hands to bull rush or disengage, making him a difficult edge rusher to plan against.

While Rivers is relatively untested against elite competition and unproven in aspects like pass coverage, his tape really stands out. A solid Senior Bowl definitely helped his draft stock, and some impressive numbers at the Combine could be enough to push him into the fringe-Round 1 category.