NFL Draft Recap (Day 3)

5th Round
Marvin Jones (166th Overall) - Cincinnati Bengals

You know this to me might have been the surprise of the draft among the Golden Bears selected. Oh wait, nevermind, the Jaguars selected a punter in the third round.

Then this has to be the second biggest surprise. Even heading into the combine, I was sure that that Jones was likely a 2nd or 3rd round selection, and that was before Jones posted a surprising and very good 40 yard dash time of 4.46. I thought at worst, Jones could do no worse than the fourth round.

Yet, NFL teams saw something I didn't see, and Jones fell to the Bengals who selected him in the fifth round. A whopping 21 receivers were selected before Jones. That is a bit stunning to me, really. I though Jones had done enough in his four years with the Bears to establish himself a solid route runner, with the ability to make tough catches, and be dependable enough to be at a productive 2nd or 3rd receiving option for some teams.

That's exactly what the Bengals will get with Jones though, regardless of where he was selected, and they're in the fortunate position of getting what's widely regarded as one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Jones will have to battle out a crop of young receivers (AJ Green, Jordan Shipley, Mohammed Sanu, Brandon Tate, Ryan Whalen (remember him?)) all battling it out for starting, and even roster spots. But I feel good about Jones, and think he'll quietly emerge and make a name for himself, much like he did with the Bears.

7th Round
DJ Campbell (216th Overall) - Carolina Panthers

Once you get to the seventh round, you know some players are really beginning to sweat it out, or at least entertaining the free agent offers that are likely already trickling through.

Fortunately for two Bears however, the dream of being selected in the NFL Draft was realized.

DJ Campbell was on Carolina Head Coach Ron Rivera's radar through his Cal connections, and liked enough what he saw in Campbell to take a shot on him in the later rounds.

Campbell was a highly recruited prospect who really didn't start to fully develop until his last few years with the Bears. He grew into a solid conference safety who didn't necessarily excel in any particular area, but was athletic and knowledgeable enough in his assignments to be a versatile defensive weapon for the Bears.

Campbell had 72 tackles last season, matching Chris Conte's total from the year prior, after having taken over his starting spot. He also notched 2 interceptions.

The Cal safety will likely fight for a backup DB spot, as either a nickleback or one of the two safety positions, and can be a solid special teams contributor. The guys is very athletic for his size and can develop into a reliable NFL reserve if given the patience to develop.

Trevor Guyton (219th Overall) - Minnesota Vikings

Just three picks after Campbell, Trevor Guyton was selected with the Vikings' final pick in the draft. While it wasn't quite the plummet that Jones saw, the Vikings also got a really nice steal in the later rounds given that some scouts had graded Guyton as having 3rd or 4th round potential. He was widely given a Top 100 grade by those at ESPN include the fairly knowledgeable Mike Mayock.

Guyton didn't quite impress at the combine, nor did he post the types of numbers that scouts might lazily notice, but it was apparent in many games last year that Guyton was the best defensive lineman for either team.

I think Guyton makes the team because of his versatility. He can play defensive end, or put his hands down as a tackle in the three technique (which is where I think he ends up). He just provides another body to put in the defensive linemen rotation.