Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Billie Weiss
NFL Draft 2019: The Diamond In The Rough
March 29, 2019 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Connor Strachan is the type of player every team looks for in its value picks
Every NFL franchise is always hunting for the next best complementary piece for its roster. A successful team often has its share of superstars, but deep playoff runs are often defined by the players who do the little things on the gridiron. Those teams become great because they identify the right person who can play the right style for them, and the easiest way to find those players is through the Draft process.
To those teams, the most valuable draft picks aren't the ones taken in the first or second round. Those players are necessary, but the ability to acquire and develop talent happens because those franchises identify the right players in the deeper rounds. That's where players reside when evaluators deem them too slow or not strong enough.
Those players then have to stand out with football intelligence. They compensate by being smarter and understanding how to work within their perceived physical limitations. They are, in other words, the prototypical Boston College pro prospect.
"(The NFL evaluation) is a big deal for BC, for us as players," tight end Tommy Sweeney said. "Guys that come here are two-star and three-star (recruits) that weren't given a chance, but we're beating the teams that overlooked us."
This year features upwards of 10 Eagles who could hear their names called during April's NFL Draft in Nashville, making it one of the deepest classes in program history. There is top-flight talent likely to receive word in the first or second round, but the true value of the class comes further into the later rounds where the Eagles are becoming more and more prevalent during the Steve Addazio era.
BC has had 14 draft picks since 2014, and 10 have come in the fourth round or later. Over half remain on NFL rosters in some capacity, with a number both on active rosters and in starting lineups. It includes players like Matt Milano, who was a little undersized at only six feet, and Brian Mihalik, who transitioned from a college defensive end to an offensive tackle once he was drafted. Both became NFL starters, with Milano earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for Buffalo before his 2018 season ended on injured reserve.
"BC always has guys that you don't hear about (that) can get to the NFL," linebacker Connor Strachan said. "It has always had those sleeper guys that can play special teams (or on) different sides of the ball."
Strachan is one of the foremost candidates for that flexible, deep, valued draft pick in 2019. As a college linebacker, he started over 40 games at BC, earning All-ACC Third Team honors last season. He had 15 tackles against Wake Forest, including 13 solos, and had 10 assists as part of a 12-tackle performance against NC State. He finished his career with 267 takedowns, including 34 tackles for loss.
His measurables lined up against some of the best players at his position. His 25 reps in the bench press would have tied for fourth at the Combine, and his 36-inch vertical jump would have placed ninth. His three-cone time would have spotted him alongside only seven other players to crack the seven-second plateau. Of the four players timed in the 60-yard shuttle at the Combine, Strachan's 11.26 would have beaten them all by at least 0.2 seconds.
Yet Strachan won't find his name atop any of the NFL Draft expert boards because of perception bias. He was the No. 2-rated recruit in Massachusetts, but the state lacks the true depth of some of the southern football hotbeds. He was incredibly durable and reliable through his first three years, but his first senior year derailed thanks to a knee injury and season-ending surgery. He returned to The Heights thanks to a medical redshirt, but that also makes him older than some of the other, underclass prospects at his position.
His size rates him smaller than players like Luke Kuechly (who was a first-round pick), but someone like Strachan will find a home because he checks off an extraordinary number of boxes. His physical skills are just as good as anyone in the Draft, and his reputation as a smart football player is enhanced because of his alma mater.
"Playing here requires you to be an intelligent football player," he said. "You have to be an intelligent person as it is because BC is not an easy school (academically). But what they teach you (in football), the guys who come out of BC can talk football because they are smart guys. They teach you how to be that way (here). Both sides of the ball, it's because they teach you at BC.
With that intelligence, he brings an openness to versatility. Late-round picks are usually tasked with early-career development through special teams, and they can vacillate between positions. Mark Herzlich infamously came out of college as a linebacker but latched on with the Giants as a special teams player before starting at defense. Later in his career, Herzlich switched to a hybrid fullback or tight end position.
"Teams have been working me out at fullback, and I've been working inside backer, outside backer," he said. "I just want to show what I can do. The NFL is a passing league, and everyone knows it. Linebackers have to be able to cover, so that's what I've been working on all offseason. I want to be able to move quickly and move with slot guys and tight ends. You'll see a lot of smaller linebackers paired with quicker guys because that's what the NFL needs. I'm blessed to be able to be a hard-hitting run player, and I can defend the pass, so that gives me a chance to play with these guys."
It's a time-tested attitude with proven results. Mihalik was a defensive end at BC that many believed would be undrafted in 2015. His versatility and openness combined with his physical skills to create an appeal that led to a seventh round selection by Philadelphia. He eventually found himself converting to offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a later backup spot with Detroit and the New York Giants.
"Any way I can make a team, I'm ready and willing," Strachan said. "Brian Mihalik played (defensive end) here, and I remember watching his pro day. He wound up (playing) for the Lions. So I'm taking that approach. It's like guys like Zak DeOssie (an Ivy League linebacker that became a Pro Bowl long snapper). It's whatever you have to do."
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To those teams, the most valuable draft picks aren't the ones taken in the first or second round. Those players are necessary, but the ability to acquire and develop talent happens because those franchises identify the right players in the deeper rounds. That's where players reside when evaluators deem them too slow or not strong enough.
Those players then have to stand out with football intelligence. They compensate by being smarter and understanding how to work within their perceived physical limitations. They are, in other words, the prototypical Boston College pro prospect.
"(The NFL evaluation) is a big deal for BC, for us as players," tight end Tommy Sweeney said. "Guys that come here are two-star and three-star (recruits) that weren't given a chance, but we're beating the teams that overlooked us."
This year features upwards of 10 Eagles who could hear their names called during April's NFL Draft in Nashville, making it one of the deepest classes in program history. There is top-flight talent likely to receive word in the first or second round, but the true value of the class comes further into the later rounds where the Eagles are becoming more and more prevalent during the Steve Addazio era.
BC has had 14 draft picks since 2014, and 10 have come in the fourth round or later. Over half remain on NFL rosters in some capacity, with a number both on active rosters and in starting lineups. It includes players like Matt Milano, who was a little undersized at only six feet, and Brian Mihalik, who transitioned from a college defensive end to an offensive tackle once he was drafted. Both became NFL starters, with Milano earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for Buffalo before his 2018 season ended on injured reserve.
"BC always has guys that you don't hear about (that) can get to the NFL," linebacker Connor Strachan said. "It has always had those sleeper guys that can play special teams (or on) different sides of the ball."
Strachan is one of the foremost candidates for that flexible, deep, valued draft pick in 2019. As a college linebacker, he started over 40 games at BC, earning All-ACC Third Team honors last season. He had 15 tackles against Wake Forest, including 13 solos, and had 10 assists as part of a 12-tackle performance against NC State. He finished his career with 267 takedowns, including 34 tackles for loss.
His measurables lined up against some of the best players at his position. His 25 reps in the bench press would have tied for fourth at the Combine, and his 36-inch vertical jump would have placed ninth. His three-cone time would have spotted him alongside only seven other players to crack the seven-second plateau. Of the four players timed in the 60-yard shuttle at the Combine, Strachan's 11.26 would have beaten them all by at least 0.2 seconds.
Yet Strachan won't find his name atop any of the NFL Draft expert boards because of perception bias. He was the No. 2-rated recruit in Massachusetts, but the state lacks the true depth of some of the southern football hotbeds. He was incredibly durable and reliable through his first three years, but his first senior year derailed thanks to a knee injury and season-ending surgery. He returned to The Heights thanks to a medical redshirt, but that also makes him older than some of the other, underclass prospects at his position.
His size rates him smaller than players like Luke Kuechly (who was a first-round pick), but someone like Strachan will find a home because he checks off an extraordinary number of boxes. His physical skills are just as good as anyone in the Draft, and his reputation as a smart football player is enhanced because of his alma mater.
"Playing here requires you to be an intelligent football player," he said. "You have to be an intelligent person as it is because BC is not an easy school (academically). But what they teach you (in football), the guys who come out of BC can talk football because they are smart guys. They teach you how to be that way (here). Both sides of the ball, it's because they teach you at BC.
With that intelligence, he brings an openness to versatility. Late-round picks are usually tasked with early-career development through special teams, and they can vacillate between positions. Mark Herzlich infamously came out of college as a linebacker but latched on with the Giants as a special teams player before starting at defense. Later in his career, Herzlich switched to a hybrid fullback or tight end position.
"Teams have been working me out at fullback, and I've been working inside backer, outside backer," he said. "I just want to show what I can do. The NFL is a passing league, and everyone knows it. Linebackers have to be able to cover, so that's what I've been working on all offseason. I want to be able to move quickly and move with slot guys and tight ends. You'll see a lot of smaller linebackers paired with quicker guys because that's what the NFL needs. I'm blessed to be able to be a hard-hitting run player, and I can defend the pass, so that gives me a chance to play with these guys."
It's a time-tested attitude with proven results. Mihalik was a defensive end at BC that many believed would be undrafted in 2015. His versatility and openness combined with his physical skills to create an appeal that led to a seventh round selection by Philadelphia. He eventually found himself converting to offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a later backup spot with Detroit and the New York Giants.
"Any way I can make a team, I'm ready and willing," Strachan said. "Brian Mihalik played (defensive end) here, and I remember watching his pro day. He wound up (playing) for the Lions. So I'm taking that approach. It's like guys like Zak DeOssie (an Ivy League linebacker that became a Pro Bowl long snapper). It's whatever you have to do."
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