Five Favorite FCS Skill Position Prospects in 2022 Draft Class
The prospect pool for the NFL Draft may be deeper than ever in terms of player declarations, but increased competition is not enough to drown out this year's small-school hopefuls.
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision has plenty of talent for the taking.
The FCS has been home to a number of prime NFL prospects over the years, having produced current high-profile players such as Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp, Indianapolis Colts All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard and San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
As someone who was an official Stats Perform FCS Awards voter for the past decade, I selected my five personal favorite FCS skill position players in the 2022 draft class.
RB Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart
Chestnut built a collegiate career on production and sprinkled in plenty of jaw-dropping plays along the way during his Sacred Heart tenure. He has good burst and ability to accelerate. Chestnut can also run with power and made a habit of breaking tackles in college. Scouts had questions about Chestnut's speed, but he was flying at the UConn Pro Day. NFL Draft Bible’s Ric Serritella reported Chestnut clocking in at 4.47 and 4.49 for the 40-yard dash.
The two-time Stats Perform FCS All-American worked his way into the lineup as a freshman, rushing for 6.1 yards per carry and seven touchdowns in 2018. After finishing second among national FCS rushing yards leaders as a sophomore (1,495 yards) in 2019, Chestnut accounted for one of the most-productive five-game stretches ever during Sacred Heart's COVID-shortened spring season. He gained 1,026 yards from scrimmage and scored 12 touchdowns while finishing third overall in the Walter Payton Award voting; the highest finish ever by a Northeast Conference athlete. Chestnut also showed up against No. 5 Delaware in the FCS playoffs, accounting for 138 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The former Archbishop Spaulding High School star was set to become Sacred Heart's all-time leading rusher until a Week 1 injury cost him 7.5 games during the 2021 campaign.
Sacred Heart head coach Mark Nofri has raved about Chestnut's character and repeatedly referred to him as "the best player in the FCS." The NFLPA Bowl participant should get a chance to play on Sundays.
NFL Draft Bible Big Board Grade: Priority Free Agent
WR Dai'Jean Dixon, Nicholls State
Nicholls State's all-time leading receiver could be a great find for a NFL club looking to bolster its pass-catching depth. Dixon didn't run a blazing fast time (4.62s) at the NFL Combine, but he has shown above-average route-running ability for quite some time. He also tracks the deep ball well and can make the contested catch. The Stats Perform FCS All-American stands over 6-foot-2 and possesses a large catch radius. He can make plays on the boundary or down middle of the field.
Dixon performed well in higher-profile settings over the past year. He was sensational in Nicholl State’s battle with eventual Sun Belt champion Louisiana, hauling in 14 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The Walter Payton Award candidate was the leading receiver while making eye-popping catches in the 2022 NFLPA Bowl. Dixon had six receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown during his Rose Bowl debut. He finished his NSU career ranking among the top four all-time leaders in Southland Conference history for receptions (236), receiving yards (3,802) and touchdown receptions (35).
NFL Draft Bible Big Board Grade: Sixth Round
WR/RS Jequez Ezzard, Sam Houston State
Ezzard was arguably one of the top snubs by the NFL Scouting Combine, especially after a great week at the NFLPA Bowl in Pasadena subsequently earned him an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl. At 5-foot-9, the Stats Perform FCS All-American projects as a slot receiver in the professional ranks and he brings dynamic punt/kickoff return ability with him.
Ezzard, who was a high-level performer for Howard before transferring to Sam Houston State, possesses great elusiveness and routinely makes defenders miss in the open field. Ezzard was sensational down the stretch during Sam Houston's magical spring season. During a COVID-shortened regular-season schedule, he was one of only six FCS players to gain 1,000 all-purpose yards. He averaged 22.7 yards per reception as the Bearkats went 10-0 en-route to winning the NCAA championship. Ezzard single-handedly sparked Sam Houston's comeback against James Madison in the 2020-21 FCS semifinal. Helping erase a 24-3 halftime deficit, Ezzard went 69 yards for a score on a catch-and-run and proceeded to take a punt 80 yards to the house. The two touchdowns happened 1:40 apart.
His initial ticket into the NFL could be as a returner. I can see a Miles Austin type scenario playing out with Ezzard. To refresh your memory, New Jersey native Austin was an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth, which was a NEC member at the time. He broke onto the Dallas Cowboys’ roster as a kick returner, but eventually impressed enough in practice to earn game reps at receiver. For a time, Austin was Tony Romo’s most reliable target and he earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010.
NFL Draft Bible Big Board Grade: Seventh Round
QB Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M
Glass has intrigued me since I first watched him during the 2018 season when he was a second-year starter for Alabama A&M. His size and arm strength are immediately noticeable. Pushing 6-foot-4, the two-time SWAC Offensive Player of the Year has a rifle for a right arm. He threw for over 12,000 yards in college and hit the books hard, too. Glass was an Honor Roll student who completed his degree in civil engineers before taking graduate courses in systems and material engineering.
The physical ability is there. The character and smarts are there. The college production is there. Sure, he won't be given as much credit for his past on-field production due to the small-school competition, but it shouldn't deter any scout from giving Glass a long look. Talent evaluators have also raised questions about his accuracy, but he seemed fine in that area during the NFLPA Bowl. He went 9-of-11 passing for 141 yards, including an 11-yard laser to Dai'Jean Dixon for a second-quarter touchdown. Averaging 12.8 yards per attempt in the all-star game, Glass also connected on a beautiful 47-yard deep ball to Dixon to set up a first-and-goal in the third quarter.
NFL Draft Bible Big Board Grade: Seventh Round
WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State
A number of reputable draft publications have a third-round grade on Watson, but I wouldn't fault any team who went after him during the back half of Round 1. The biggest knock on Watson's NFL prospects is the level of competition he faced in the FCS. Mind you, these are same type of folks who dogged Josh Allen for playing at Wyoming or Cooper Kupp for going to Eastern Washington. A closer look will reveal an impressive level of dominance during Watson's time in Fargo as well as physical ability that should translate well at the next level.
Critics can complain that Watson never had a "1,000-yard receiving season" at NDSU, but a quick analysis of his stats makes that claim irrelevant. The Associated Press All-American second-team receiver had 43 receptions for 801 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. That's 18.6 yards per catch. Not to mention, the NDSU Bison averaged 6.2 yards per rush attempt as a team, so it's understandable why Watson did not see a higher volume of targets. For example, the native Floridian made four catches for 61 yards in the NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game this past January, but NDSU attempted only 13 passes in the 38-10 victory and gained 380 yards on the ground.
Watson only helped his Draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran 4.36 in the 40-yard dash (sixth-fastest amongst WR) and topped the field with an 11’ 4” broad jump.
NFL Draft Bible Big Board Grade: Third Round
Ralph’s Other Must-Know FCS Skill Position Prospects
Seventh-round Grade or Better: RB Pierre Strong (South Dakota State), QB Cole Kelley (Southeastern Louisiana), WR Isaiah Weston (Northern Iowa), QB E.J. Perry (Brown)
Priority Free-Agent Grade: WR Tyshaun James (Central Connecticut), WR Lance McCutcheon (Montana State), QB Westin Elliott (Merrimack)
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