2020 NFL Draft: 5 best small school prospects who could be hidden gems

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 25: Safety Jeremy Chinn #22 from Southern Illinois of the North Team before the start of the 2020 Resse's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Mobile, Alabama. The Noth Team defeated the South Team 34 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. Kyle Dugger, Safety, Lenoir-Rhyne

Another safety makes his way on to the list. Lenoir-Rhyne isn’t a school that many people know about, but Kyle Dugger has put it on the map and will even more when he’s selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. Dugger’s play in 2019 earned a Senior Bowl invite, personally delivered by director Jim Nagy himself.

At the Senior Bowl, Dugger proved that he belongs with the top prospects in the draft class. He looked the part as soon as he ran out to the field. Dugger did a lot of work as a deep safety and even worked some as a punt returner, an area where he thrived in college.

Like Chinn, Dugger dominated at the scouting combine. At 217 pounds, Dugger ran a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash, jumped 42 inches in the vertical and then jumped 11 feet in the broad jump. His numbers were good enough for an elite relative athletic score.

When it comes to the field, Dugger brings versatility, but it’s likely his NFL role will be in the box, as he often flew downhill to make plays from deep on tape. He finishes well as a tackler and could work in as a weakside linebacker with his range. He’s another prospect who will go on day two.

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