2018 NFL Draft: 15 FCS defensive prospects to watch

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina – With about 150 former FCS players on NFL rosters annually, teams are looking closer than ever at the quality across the subdivision.

And they’re liking what they see.

The FCS has averaged about 18 selections per draft over the last decade, with dozens more signing as undrafted free agents. South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard leads the way among the defensive prospects this year.

Darius Leonard, OLB, South Carolina State, 6-2, 234 (third-fourth)

Leonard’s instinctive feel for the game reflects in his school-record 394 tackles, including a career-high 19 in a 2016 game against Clemson, the eventual FBS champ. … The two-time MEAC defensive player of the year didn’t stop there as he racked up a game-high 14 tackles at the Senior Bowl in January. … Has an NFL frame with athletic range. Noted for workmanlike characteristics. … Named to the 2017 STATS FCS All-America first team, up from the second team as a junior.

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