Those diamonds in the rough selected in the late rounds of NFL drafts or signed as undrafted free agents are more like hidden gems this year.
Fewer schools outside the Football Bowl Subdivision hosted pro days this year, meaning college players from smaller schools with NFL hopes didn't get the same exposure they would have otherwise from campus workouts in front of scouts.
Only three Football Championship Subdivision schools and one in Division III had pro days scheduled compared with 48 in the FCS and nine in Division II in 2019, the last year with a draft leadup unaffected by COVID-19. “Every year we’ve had a guy shock us in the 40, a guy shock us in the 225 bench press, shock us in the broad jump.