Two years ago I upset a few people when I declared no Pitt players would be drafted. It was difficult to admit that Ray Graham’s knee severely hindered his draft prospects but it was reality. Graham went undrafted and has struggled to stick in the NFL. This year that won’t be an issue thanks to TJ Clemmings. The question is whether or not a second player will be drafted. 

Let me state this first: it is often better to go undrafted than it is to be drafted in the seventh round. Why? Options. When a player is drafted in the seventh round, he’s stuck with that team for a few years unless they cut or trade him. If undrafted, the player now has the ability to choose between several suitors. The small $45-$50k signing bonus a player drafted in the seventh round receives is only a fraction of the $420k minimum salary. By forgoing that bonus, the option to pick the best fit will give the player a chance to earn a lot more money.

K’Waun Williams is the perfect example. Had he been drafted, he couldn’t have gone to the best situation for him, which was Cleveland. Williams is never going to be a high end NFL starter. He needs the right situation to stick on an NFL roster and thankfully he found that.  K’Waun made $420,000 last year and is set to make $510,000 if he makes the roster again, which he has a good chance at achieving. So if the players below don’t get drafted in the sixth or seventh round, don’t fret. Their situation may be better by going undrafted.

Matt Rotheram:

According to NFL.com’s Bryan Fischer, Rotheram impressed at Pitt’s pro day.

Clemmings was the star of the show and “did nothing but help himself,” scouts told NFL Media reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala. He stood on his test results from the combine and went through an extended workout at right tackle. Steelers and Eagles OL coaches really put him and Rotheram through their paces, and each apparently did well.

Rotheram has visited the Steelers and Packers. In addition to that, I was able to confirm Rotheram had workouts with the Vikings, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Buccaneers, and Panthers. All of that attention leads me to believe Matt has a good shot at being drafted on the third day.

What helps Rotheram: Matt is a very experienced player with 40+ collegiate appearances. He moves well for a guy his size and teams like guards with the athleticism to pull. His height and weight (6’5, 330 lbs) combined with that gives him scheme versatility. Had he performed at the combine, his 4.53 second short shuttle and 7.63 second three cone drill would’ve been fourth and eighth best at the combine respectively. That’s impressive agility and short burst for a man that size. Matt has played in a variety of schemes and positions thanks to coaching turnover and his football IQ shows up on tape. Against Iowa’s Carl Davis, a surefire NFL draft pick, CBS Sports’ Rob Rang noted this:

Rotheram frustrated Davis, allowing him to occasionally slip inside only to seal him from the action. One of the few opponents actually bigger than the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Davis, Rotheram also did a nice job of simply bulldozing the Iowa defensive tackle off the line of scrimmage. Rotheram showed good agility and balance in pass protection against Davis, as well.

One thing NFL scouts want to see is how a player performs against other NFL level talent and it’s a test Matt passed. Rotheram and Clemmings combined to form one of the best OG/OT duos in college football last year and the stats back it up. He has a good chance at sticking on an NFL roster, especially if he goes to a team with poor depth at guard. I like Rotheram as a prospect better than Lucas Nix, who played on the Raiders for two years, including a few starts.

Ray Vinopal:

Big Play Ray was the star of Pitt’s pro day and with good cause:

Ray Vinopal, a 5-foot-10, 197-pound safety, ran the fastest, jumped the highest and bench-pressed the most of all seven Pitt seniors who took part in the pro day at the UPMC facility on the South Side.

Vinopal was timed between 4.49 and 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He recorded a 35-inch vertical jump and bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times. Only one defensive back who participated in the NFL Scouting Combine last month did 26 reps on the bench.

Only three safeties had a better 40 yard dash than Ray and his intelligence, while never a question, was proven with a 37 wonderlic.

What helps Vinopal: Big Play Ray has speed, strength, experience, intelligence, and character. Multi-year starters that are team leaders and have 4.5 speed don’t grow on trees. Bare minimum, Ray can be a great special teams player, especially on the kick-off team. There’s no doubt Ray will impress in interviews (I couldn’t find any visits during research unfortunately) and he will be the type of player that coaches will want to bring in. If Ray were 6’1 I doubt we’d be discussing him as a late round/undrafted type player. He’s not a first round talent, but he is the kind of guy who just sticks in the NFL as a backup/special teams player and if he can improve his recognition skills, a starting role isn’t out of the question.

Unfortunately, Rotheram and Vinopal are the only two players with a chance at being drafted along with Clemmings. But, a few other players have a chance at a camp invite/tryout.

Manasseh Garner: Garner’s size is intriguing and a position switch to FB or H-Back could give him a chance if he shows potential there.

Todd Thomas: Thomas is a bit small (6’1 233) and slow (4.69 40) for an NFL LB but he has the talent to overcome that. Less athletic players have made it onto an NFL roster.

Anthony Gonzalez: Gonzalez is about the same size as Thomas but the 4.83 40 at only 233 pounds puts him slower than most NFL TEs.  A tryout is possible.

Overall, not the best draft class for Pitt and unfortunately next year could be worse with only seven scholarship seniors returning.