There are always players who fly under the radar nationally and seemingly burst onto the scene during draft season. Once again, that is the case in 2016 as UMass Amherst wide receiver Tajae Sharpe put on a great display at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. Sharpe had already been on the rise prior to the strong workout, and he should be considered a potential second-round pick heading into the draft.

Sharpe has been a force for UMass during his entire college career, and over the past couple of years he has been a reception machine. Sharpe led the FBS in catches this past season, and he catches pretty much everything that gets thrown his way. Because he played at UMass, Sharpe went under the radar and not many knew much about him prior to draft season.

Then, he performed well in the East-West Shrine game and practiced well at the Senior Bowl to earn a mid-late round grade from draft pundits. Now, he has improved his stock yet again after being a standout at the Combine.

Of the second group of receivers, Sharpe was one of the more consistently impressive. He didn’t do anything special in the 40, running a 4.56, but he was not expected to be more than average. What he did do was excel in the field drills. Sharpe didn’t drop a single pass that came his way, he made a couple of terrific catches on the day.

The best catch came on a pass from Carson Wentz. It was a designed over the shoulder throw and Sharpe stretched out to make a fingertip catch on the well-thrown ball. He controlled it through the ground and somersaulted over himself to control it. He made another somersault catch near the sidelines later in the workouts and seemed determine not to let any balls hit the ground.

Sharpe still has some work to do at his pro day, but I firmly believe he has a chance to be a second-round pick. This is not a particularly strong class of receivers, and Sharpe has a lot of potential. He is a proven producer and has all the measurables teams look for when evaluating prospects. He is an ideal candidate to be a No. 2 receiver at the next level and may end up being even better than that.