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 Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

4. Ben Bartch, Offensive tackle, St. John’s

St. John’s joined the fold in the offseason, sending 2020 NFL Draft prospect Ben Bartch to (you guessed it) the Senior Bowl. Getting the chance to do that was huge, as teams wanted to see how Bartch would do against top competition.

They got their wish, and Bartch proved his abilities down in Mobile. His pass sets were crisp and deliberate, and he didn’t over set in one-on-ones. Bartch showed great balance and hung with some of the top pass rushers in the 2020 class. Teams left Alabama feeling much more comfortable about his projection moving forward.

While Bartch didn’t test at the combine, he did show NFL Network what smoothie he made to gain 50 pounds to switch to offensive tackle in college, a smoothie that wouldn’t taste good at all.

Even in a deep tackle class, Bartch offers plenty of upside. We’ve talked about how comfortable he looks in pass protection, and he keeps himself balance and is deliberate and technical with his hand placement. He needs to work on dropping his anchor a bit more and it’s likely he’s a project. Bartch may need to sit a season or so before becoming a starter but he’s well worth it as a mid-round selection in the draft.

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