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Here's our full criteria:
Drafted in the third round or later, or signed as an undrafted free agent.
Entered the NFL between 2017 and 2019.
Fewer than 500 career offensive or defensive snaps (except running backs, who are allowed just 300 offensive snaps).
Have not signed a contract extension (players who have bounced around the league looking for the right spot, however, still qualify for the list).
Age 26 or younger in 2020.
5. Chase Winovich, EDGE, New England Patriots
Age: 25 | Draft: Pick 77 in 2019 | Career snaps: 291
Winovich told Patriots.com during the 2020 offseason that he saw last season as "challenging," which is an interesting way to describe a year when he had 5.5 sacks off the bench in a part-time role. Winovich is a big winner in New England's tumultuous offseason that saw Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy flee to former Patriots coaches in big-money deals. New England hit the pass-rush hard in the draft with Josh Uche in the second round and Anfernee Jennings in the third round, but Winovich is the only upside player the team has in the way of real experience.
Winovich was an effort rusher at Michigan, finishing with 18.5 sacks in his last three seasons and 43 tackles for loss. None of his combine results really stood out except for an impressive 6.94-second 3-cone drill. His SackSEER was low (36.7%) in part due to a lack of passes defensed in college.
The Patriots figure to break in the rookies slowly in a COVID-19 year as long as they have other options, and with the depth chart populated by the likes of John Simon and Shilique Calhoun, they don't really have any impactful pass-rushers with any experience outside of Winovich. He figures to be involved early and often.
16. David Long, CB, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 22 | Draft: Pick 79 in 2019 | Career snaps: 109
This is mostly a pick about pedigree, because Long didn't log many snaps last year for a Rams team that primarily used Jalen Ramsey (Marcus Peters before the trade), Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman at cornerback. Robey-Coleman departed for free agency, leaving only Darious Williams as a real challenger for Long as the third corner.
At Michigan, Long was a true outside corner who bullied receivers without much in the way of repercussions and piled up impressive coverage numbers like a few other Wolverines in the past couple of draft classes. He plays stronger than his 5-11½, 196-pound frame would lead you to believe, which means he can handle some of the tougher matchups outside that the NFL can sometimes present. His horizontal movement is top-notch, which he demonstrated with an absurd 6.45-second 3-cone drill time at the combine.
Long's only real taste of major NFL action was in Week 17's finale against the Cardinals, when he played 76% of the snaps. We have him allowing three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown on five targets -- not bad, but not great either. We believe Williams will probably get the first look at snaps, but there's not much track record of NFL success there, and Long's pedigree will probably get him on the field in some way this year between Williams' past, Hill playing on a one-year deal, and Ramsey's contract status being hung up in long negotiations. Long is the best long-term bet of the group, and we expect him to start making that clear this year.
Here's our full criteria:
Drafted in the third round or later, or signed as an undrafted free agent.
Entered the NFL between 2017 and 2019.
Fewer than 500 career offensive or defensive snaps (except running backs, who are allowed just 300 offensive snaps).
Have not signed a contract extension (players who have bounced around the league looking for the right spot, however, still qualify for the list).
Age 26 or younger in 2020.
5. Chase Winovich, EDGE, New England Patriots
Age: 25 | Draft: Pick 77 in 2019 | Career snaps: 291
Winovich told Patriots.com during the 2020 offseason that he saw last season as "challenging," which is an interesting way to describe a year when he had 5.5 sacks off the bench in a part-time role. Winovich is a big winner in New England's tumultuous offseason that saw Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy flee to former Patriots coaches in big-money deals. New England hit the pass-rush hard in the draft with Josh Uche in the second round and Anfernee Jennings in the third round, but Winovich is the only upside player the team has in the way of real experience.
Winovich was an effort rusher at Michigan, finishing with 18.5 sacks in his last three seasons and 43 tackles for loss. None of his combine results really stood out except for an impressive 6.94-second 3-cone drill. His SackSEER was low (36.7%) in part due to a lack of passes defensed in college.
The Patriots figure to break in the rookies slowly in a COVID-19 year as long as they have other options, and with the depth chart populated by the likes of John Simon and Shilique Calhoun, they don't really have any impactful pass-rushers with any experience outside of Winovich. He figures to be involved early and often.
16. David Long, CB, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 22 | Draft: Pick 79 in 2019 | Career snaps: 109
This is mostly a pick about pedigree, because Long didn't log many snaps last year for a Rams team that primarily used Jalen Ramsey (Marcus Peters before the trade), Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman at cornerback. Robey-Coleman departed for free agency, leaving only Darious Williams as a real challenger for Long as the third corner.
At Michigan, Long was a true outside corner who bullied receivers without much in the way of repercussions and piled up impressive coverage numbers like a few other Wolverines in the past couple of draft classes. He plays stronger than his 5-11½, 196-pound frame would lead you to believe, which means he can handle some of the tougher matchups outside that the NFL can sometimes present. His horizontal movement is top-notch, which he demonstrated with an absurd 6.45-second 3-cone drill time at the combine.
Long's only real taste of major NFL action was in Week 17's finale against the Cardinals, when he played 76% of the snaps. We have him allowing three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown on five targets -- not bad, but not great either. We believe Williams will probably get the first look at snaps, but there's not much track record of NFL success there, and Long's pedigree will probably get him on the field in some way this year between Williams' past, Hill playing on a one-year deal, and Ramsey's contract status being hung up in long negotiations. Long is the best long-term bet of the group, and we expect him to start making that clear this year.
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