Offensive Skill Position Sleepers
Kene Nwangwu – RB – Iowa State
Kene Nwangwu is an impressive size/speed running back and return man with very limited offensive touches in college. While he’s third all-time in kick return yards in the Big 12, last season he had just 61 carries and 3 receptions and those were both career highs. He isn’t a very patient runner, but what he does have is explosive straight line speed.
At an even 6′, 210 pounds, Nwangwu ran a 4.31 second time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. He also put up a 38 inch vertical and 22 bench press reps. He hasn’t had many pass catching opportunities, but he looks great any time he gets the ball in space.
I don’t know if Nwangwu will ever be an every-down running back, but his kick return abilities alone make him worth a late round pick. In an offense where Andy Reid likes to spread a defense out sideline to sideline, Nwangwu might be able to find enough space to break some big plays on offense as well.
While he has even less experience on offense, there are some similarities to Antonio Gibson who was a part-time player and big-play threat for Memphis in college who had a fantastic rookie year for Washington last season. The Chiefs will likely only target a running back late in this draft, and Nwangwu would be a great pick if they do.
Jalen Camp – WR – Georgia Tech
To call Jalen Camp a raw receiving talent is an understatement, since Camp had just 48 career receptions in college. Playing for Georgia Tech, there simply weren’t many opportunities to put up big receiving numbers. In fact, his 29 receptions for 439 yards and 4 touchdowns last season were all enough to lead the team. The lack of emphasis on the passing game shows on Camp’s routes, too. They are very rounded and he is in desperate need of some good NFL caliber coaching.
However, you simply don’t find Camp’s natural tools every day. Camp is 6-2 and 226 pounds, ran a 4.45 second time in the 40, had a 39.5 inch vertical leap, and put up 30 bench press reps (which is absurd for a wide receiver). We’ve seen physical freaks fail to catch on as great wide receivers plenty of times in the NFL. I just think it’s unfair to write Camp off as one of those when he really hasn’t been given a great opportunity to shine yet.
His little bit of tape shows a guy that tracks the ball pretty well and can go up and snag it with his hands. He’s certainly not a sure thing, but if the Chiefs wanted to take a chance on a 6th round receiver, I’m not sure there is one with more upside than Camp and his physical profile is exactly what they need opposite Tyreek Hill.
Matt Bushman – TE – BYU
I profiled Matt Bushman a little in my Multiple Choice Mock Draft last week. Bushman’s age (25) and the fact that he is coming off a ruptured Achilles from last August will keep him from going early in the draft, but he proved himself to be a reliable target during his career at BYU.
Bushman put up three consecutive seasons of over 500 yards receiving and has fantastic hands (no registered drops in 2019). He doesn’t create much separation, but is great with contested catches. While he isn’t fast, he runs hard and makes the most of it when he gets the ball in space, averaging over 15 yards per catch over his last two seasons. He is comfortable lining up inline and blocking, but at 245 pounds he isn’t a mauler by any means. Still, a reliable pass catcher who can at least line up inline and block competently would be a nice fit for KC’s #2 tight end spot.
Now let’s look at some late round offensive line sleeper prospects.