Many believe that NFL general managers earn their paychecks based on their level of success in the later rounds of the draft by uncovering those hidden gems that can push a team over the top. With the NFL’s scouting process now concluded, many names have been brought to the forefront that weren’t exactly on the tip of anyone’s tongues when the collegiate season started. This segment called Under the Radar will continue to explore just what scouts find attractive about certain prospects that may be available beyond the glamour rounds of the draft and why you’re team may be interested in landing one of these sleepers in the upcoming draft.

From Terrell Davis in the 6th round to Ryan Grant undrafted, running backs are almost always available in the latter stages of the draft and beyond. This year is just history repeating with one of the fast risers on many teams’ boards in Southern Illinois tailback Deji Karim. At 5’9” 210lbs. Karim is built low to the ground like nearly every good running back in the league and has a great initial burst through the line of scrimmage. His athletic talents were clearly evident at the school’s pro day where he showed some great explosion with a 43-inch vertical leap and had some top end speed as well running the 40 yard dash in just 4.37 seconds. Throughout his career at Southern Illinois, Karim was remarkably productive, but 2009 produced his finest season of all where he racked up 1,694 yards and 18 touchdowns with a staggering 7.1 yards per carry average. Even at his smallish stature, Karim has no difficulty picking his way through a crowd running inside the tackles and manages to keep his pad level low to initiate contact rather than absorbing it.

Speaking of receiving, one glaring weakness in his game is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. In the offense that he operated under in college he wasn’t asked to be a receiver often, but looked unnatural in situations where he was and definitely needs some more experience in that area. His change of direction could be improved as well with most of his damage being done on straight line runs which will real accumulate punishment on his petite frame. Picking up the blitz is an area where many collegiate backs struggle making the transition and his size doesn’t help in this area either when he is taking on defenders outweighing him by substantial margins. Some teams are really high on this kid heading into the draft and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him snagged by a franchise at some point in the 4th round.

A number of names will be called during the upcoming NFL Draft that seem to be from out of left field, but don’t let Deji Karim be one of them. Keep looking out for more Under the Radar players shooting up draft boards or quietly lurking in this incredibly deep 2010 class with the potential to make a huge impact over the coming years on Sundays.

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