NFL Draft 2019: What prospects could move into the first round?

JACKSONVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 31: Jace Sternberger #81 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs with the ball after catching a pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field on December 31, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. Texas A&M won 52-13. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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MOBILE, AL – JANUARY 26: Defensive back Nasir Adderley #23 from Delaware of the North Team during the 2019 Resse’s Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 26, 2019 in Mobile, Alabama. The North defeated the South 34 to 24. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

4) Nasir Adderley, Safety, Delaware

Long gone are there days where playing for a small school will impede a player’s ability to be drafted in the first round. Delaware’s Nasir Adderley figures to be the next in a long line of small-school athletes to prove their worth at the next level.

Adderley has the lineage (cousin of Pro Football Hall of Famer, Herb Adderley) and size (6-foot, 206 pounds) to match up with tight ends and slot receivers at the next level.

While Adderley did not test at the combine, he did impress scouts at his Pro Day prior to being injured with a hamstring pull, posting a 4.54 40-yard dash, a 10-foot-9 Broad Jump, and a 38-inch vertical. For the player who has been called the top small-school prospect in the draft, it appears there is significant interest in him at the bottom of the first round, as the Los Angeles Chargers, Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles are all said to have been impressed with game film and Pro Day workouts.

Even with the class being loaded up on the defensive side of the ball, Adderley should end up finding his way into the action on Thursday night.

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