LB – Odell Thurman; Georgia – Thurman has come into this draft in the shadow of his teammate, but appears to be the real deal. Thurman may not have the ideal height that you would want in a linebacker, but he is a tough nosed player who knows how to find the ball once it’s been hiked. Originally projected by many as a 3rd rounder, his stock has risen in recent weeks and now he is considered a 1st to 2nd round pick. While you likely won’t hear him mentioned in the same breath as a Derrick Johnson, Thurman could be a stick of dynamite for the right team.

MLB – Lionel Turner; LSU – Turner is another LSU kid who should draw interest in this year’s draft. A likely second day selection, Turner has experience in a pro style defense and will likely be the perfect fit for the middle linebacker position in any 3-4 defense. He could possibly play well in a 4-3 also if he isn’t asked to drop into coverage much

DT – Mike Patterson; USC – Yes, it pains me to put a USC Trojan on my Sleeper Pick list, especially considering all the complaining that was done by them a few years ago during the National Championship run; however, Patterson has far too much talent to pass on. He reminds me a lot of Chad Lavalais from LSU. Last year teams spent so much time looking at what Lavalais couldn’t do that they ignored what he could do. Chad then was selected by Atlanta and had a very solid first year where he was one of the reasons the Falcon defense turned things around. Patterson is a lot like that, although undersized, his production and drive on the field can’t be overlooked. Adding him to pair with Bryan Young would give the Saints two very tough defensive tackles that don’t know the definition of the word quit