The NFL Draft is now under three weeks away as of this posting, and prospects are doing their best to show one last time to many teams that they are worthy of either a draft pick or serious consideration as an undrafted free agent.
When it comes to D2 Football prospects, the story is no different and even raised to another level as some of the unknown players in the process look to make their talents a known commodity with just weeks to go until the event in Dallas.
So which of these players from D2 have had the best buzz to raise their draft stock as of late? Take a look below to find out.
Make sure you study these names carefully, because your favorite team may just pick them late in the draft when depth choices are made, or sign them to a UDFA contract with a spot in training camp.
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D2 Pro Day Reports: Joe Kupcikevicius | Marcus Martin | Luis Perez | Nathan Shepherd
Related: Pro Comparisons For Top D2 Prospects
NFL Mock Draft: D2 Prospect Edition
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Luis Perez, QB — Texas A&M-Commerce
As we saw in our pro day report linked above, Perez is becoming the rare quarterback from D2 who has serious hopes of making it in the NFL.
The former Texas A&M-Commerce superstar has the size (6-foot-2, 219 pounds) and accuracy (70.6 completion percentage, 2017) to catch the eye of scouts and that is exactly what he did at the Lone Star pro day and Texas A&M event as well.
The Vikings have been the one team linked to Perez at this point, but a team with no need for a third string right now and able to stash the Harlon Hill winner on the practice squad should jump at the chance to take a flyer on one of the best quarterback prospects from D2 in quite some time.
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Ty McCulley, OL — CSU-Pueblo
McCulley has been generating some buzz since participating in the CSU-P pro day just over a week ago. Benching 23 times and running a 5.6, he has shown the strength of a potential NFL lineman, even though the athleticism may not be there.
A likely move to guard will occur for the former Thudnerwolves star, and there have been plenty of teams interested in the prospect without knowing specifics of just who they are.
We probably won't hear his name called in Dallas, but expect to see this hulking lineman in an NFL camp this coming summer.
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Osband Thompson, LB — Tuskegee
Thompson was the national leader in tackles across D2 in 2017 and is starting to make his rounds through teams trying to sell his collegiate career as a potential NFL one.
There has been some rumblings of a move to safety for the Golden Tiger alum and that makes a lot of sense given his size at 6-foot, 205 pounds.
Invited to the local pro day by the Miami Dolphins because he is from Miami, Thompson is at least gaining some eyes on his talents and should be a player who at the least gains a tryout during rookie mini camps after the draft.
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Nick Keizer, TE — Grand Valley State
Keizer could be the next prospect to add to the great legacy of GVSU alum to make it in the NFL over the last decade-plus, with linebacker Matt Judon the most recent draft pick by the Ravens in 2016.
With the tight end class not providing much depth for the 2018 Draft, there is a decent chance the former Laker could be picked in the seventh round as a flyer looking to add depth to the position for a team.
A strong blocker who added in career highs with 29 receptions and 504 yards, making it onto an NFL roster should not be out of the realm of possibility for this D2 All-American.
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Travon Blanchard, DB — Texas A&M-Commerce
A former Baylor product who was dismissed from the team, Blanchard was able to walk on at Commerce and was even talked about as a potential third-round pick before the 2017 season began.
While the talk died off quickly for the defensive back, he impressed enough at the TAMUC pro day to get scouts talking about inviting him in to exclusive workouts for teams.
But that all relies on his health as the safety strained his hamstring during his first run in the forty. He timed 4.65 in the event and finished out position drills around 60 percent where reports have him as being extremely impressive.
A draft pick may not be in the cards as of this moment, but expect Blanchard to join fellow Lion Luis Perez as a priority free agent following the Draft.
