The prospects picked in the first round of the NFL draft are usually expected to make an immediate contribution for their team as a rookie. It’s why, out of all the players who enter the draft, they are the ones who hear their names called on the first night and are paid more money than everyone else.
But as we have seen in the past, sometimes it is those who go in the later rounds who make even more of a difference. Those hidden gems emerge from every draft, and whether it's Tom Brady, Brock Purdy or Puka Nacua, they earn their way into the starting lineup by showing what they are capable of during offseason workouts and fall camp.
ESPN’s Field Yates recently published his picks for the guys who were second or third-day picks who could see playing time early and often for their new team, and three of them are former Auburn players.
Jeremiah Wright, Keionte Scott and Bobby Jamison-Travis looked at as late gems
He starts with Jeremiah Wright, the longtime starter on the Tigers’ offensive line, who was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 132nd overall pick in the fourth round. Yates points out Wright’s physicality with his 6-foot-5, 331-pound frame, and he is especially effective in the running game.
Keionte Scott, who found new life with the Miami Hurricanes this past season and helped lead them to the national championship game, went in the fourth round with the 116th pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Yates and many thought Scott would go earlier, the former Auburn nickleback has proven how explosive he can be, picking off Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and returning it for a touchdown in the Hurricanes’ upset victory over the Buckeyes in the playoffs. Yates expects Scott to see immediate playing time.
The last is Bobby Jamison-Travis, who didn’t put up major numbers in his senior season on the Plains (36 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two passes broken up and one quarterback hurry), but Yates loves his length and size at 6-foot-4, 322 pounds, and his ability to stop the run to earn him playing time on early downs for the New York Giants.
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