Ivy League Prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft

The 2014 NFL Draft is just over three months away and the Ivy League has a few potential football players that just might make it in the National Football League.

Four of the eight schools in the Ivy League (Columbia, UPenn, Dartmouth and Yale) have no seniors ranked on the CBSSports NFL Draft Prospects List which includes 1,001 players.

Harvard leads the remaining Ivy League schools with three names on the draft board. Princeton, Brown and Cornell have one name each but Princeton's Caraun Reid is the only player likely to be drafted. This article also assumes the six potential players are intent on a professional football career.

Cornell

• QB Jeff Mathews, 6-4, 225 lbs, Projection: 7th Rd-UFA
  
  Mathews entered the 2013 season with possible expectations of becoming the next Joe Flacco, a first round pick from a small FCS school. An up-and-down senior year and a disappointing 3-7 season for Cornell derailed those hopes. Although he still tossed 22 touchdowns and became Cornell's leader in most passing categories, underwhelming performances against defenses like Dartmouth's exposed flaws such as indecisiveness and holding the ball too long only to check down.
  
  Mathews did earn an invite to the East-West Shrine Game and raised his stock a little with a solid week of practice. He didn't receive much playing time though, completing 4-of-5 for 37 yards and a pick as Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo played lights out and considerably raised his own draft prospects.
  
  Mathews does have some scrambling ability, finishing second on the team in rushing with 264 yards and four scores. However, Princeton's leading rusher had just 391 yards and the team finished with a miserable 888 combined yards on the ground.
  
  Mathews will likely be undrafted and signed to a team's practice squad as a developmental prospect. But if he is in fact drafted, it will be by a team with its own starter and a solid back-up. Green Bay would be a likely candidate as Mike McCarthy searches for a third-stringer after players like Graham Harrell, Vince Young, Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien didn't pan out as expected. 

Princeton

• DT Caraun Reid, 6-2, 301 lbs, Projection: 4th Rd
  
  Reid turned several GMs' heads with an impressive performance in the Senior Bowl when he sacked the quarterback on two consecutive plays. CBS has Reid ranked as the 13th best defensive tackle in the draft and considering how many teams need interior help on the line, Reid will likely hear his name called on Day Two. He won't warrant a first-round selection but with a spectacular pro workout, he could 

Harvard

• LS Tyler Ott, 6-3, 252 lbs, Projection: N/A
  
  Unfortunately, there's not much to say about long snappers. Every team in the NFL has one but there's about as much changeover regarding long snappers as there is with kickers and punters. Unless Ott proves to be exceptionally good and a team's long snapper has a down year, he won't have much of a future in the NFL. Becoming a Special Teams or position coach is a more likely possibility.

• TE Cameron Brate, 6-4, 245 lbs, Projection: N/A
  
  Brate has the ideal size for a tight end and considering the recent craze over having multi-purpose tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, Brate could have a future has a bargain pick-up. In eight games, Brate caught 25 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns. Over the course of three years, he has 91 receptions for 1,381 yards and 18 touchdowns.
  
  Brate, if he chooses to stay with football, will likely need to spend a couple years with another football league and try to get on a team's radar and potentially be picked up on a team's practice squad. Right now, he's hovering around No. 33 on the list of tight end prospects.

• CB Brian Owusu, 5-10 lbs, 185, Projection: N/A
  
  Owusu's a cornerback but he plays like a safety that can make solo open-field tackles. He's forced fumbles and even earned a half-sack. He was named to the All-Ivy first team and the FCS-All New England team.
  
  He also demonstrated a full recovery from a knee injury that erased his sophomore season. He is an intriguing rookie free agent bargain for teams looking for safety help. The switch to safety would probably be required unless he demonstrates the speed to match up against premier receivers. 

Brown

• RB John Spooney, 5-11, 185 lbs, Projection: N/A
  
  Spooney's greatest strength is his speed. He's considered on of the fastest, if not the fastest, Ivy League athletes after becoming a three-time Heptagonal Champion in the 100-meter dash and two-time champion in the 200-meter dash. And after an amazing senior season where he ripped off numerous touchdowns over 70 yards, it's surprising he hasn't generated much interest.
  
  His greatest weakness? He would be considered too slim for most coaches. Even speed backs like Darren Sproles and Giovani Bernard who are very short (5-6 and 5-8, respectively) have a more concentrated mass. Instead, Spooney would be better served as a slot receiver except he doesn't have a proven history as a pass catcher. Teams would essentially be taking a gamble by drafting him with their valuable, limited draft picks.
  
  Look for him to potentially be signed as a practice squad member or he could shift over to the Arena League where his speed could light up the stadium.