This draft is loaded with sleeper picks that could turn out to be franchise type players. With everything from players with a questionable past to players who shined at Small Schools; this is a complete list of players to watch for the upcoming NFL season. These guys will not be drafted before the 3rd round but they could end up affecting your team just as a 1st rounder would.

AJ McCarron - QB - Alabama
McCarron is a household name by now; winning two national championships and nearly missing a third one will garner that type of attention. Why in the world is McCarron going to get drafted outside the first two rounds? Mainly because a lot of NFL personnel seem to think McCarron is more a beneficiary of some great Alabama football teams rather than the fact that he is actually a really good QB. I don’t think he possesses the star type qualities of a Manziel or a Bortles but he will win games with the best of them. He is poised and reads through his progressions very well. If your team grabs him in the later rounds be patient with him because he is more than likely not going to see a snap until at least 2015.

Lache Seastrunk - RB - Baylor
Seastrunk started off his college career at Oregon but it was not until he transferred to Baylor where he really made a name for himself. Seastrunk is on the smaller side for RBs so he is more of a scat back type of RB. He can catch of the backfield and he has the potential to beat you on big runs if he can break it to the outside. Seastrunk will not only help in the return game but he is a nice asset to have on offense. I can see him playing a Danny Woodhead type of role for his next team.

Jake Murphy - TE - Utah
Murphy really didn’t become a legitimate red zone threat until the end of the season. That could be because the Utes played three different QBs, or because everything finally clicked for Murphy towards the end of the season. Murphy is 6’4 and weighs 252 lbs. he can run block, pass block, and catch nearly anything thrown to him. He is nowhere near as elite as a Jimmy Graham but I can see some strong Zach Miller similarities. He is going to be a big dependable guy who may take a year or two to season him up but once that happens Murphy will be a legit red zone threat week in and week out.

DAT Thomas – RB/WR/Return Man - Oregon
Everyone knows Thomas by name, as he was one of the most electrifying college football players over the last two seasons. Thomas is going to have his games in the NFL where he just completely takes over, but I also think there are good defensive teams that will take him right out of the game plan. Good defenses such as the 49ers and the Seahawks will just game plan for Thomas so he can’t beat them to the outside. Those are the type of defenses that have sideline-to-sideline playmaking LBs to take these little scat back speedsters out of the game. I think Thomas is going to be utilized far more in the passing game then the running game. I don’t see him quite making the impact of someone like Darren Sproles, but I can see him being very comparable to Devin Hester as in the type of production expected from him in the return game.

Stephen Morris - QB - Miami
Morris led Miami to a 9-3 record and threw for over 2,800 yards. Morris played in a pretty competitive ACC (far more competitive then I can ever remember) and nearly had one of the best seasons Miami has had in the past five years. Morris did it with pretty much nothing talent wise on offense. He didn’t have a big play RB, TE, or WR and he still managed to complete 58% of his passes. Morris will need some seasoning and he may not ever become a starter for the NFL. But given the right coaching and strength conditioning I think Morris has an outside chance of being the dark horse of this QB class.