With the Senior Bowl officially over and the next pre-draft event being the NFL Combine, a number of defensive prospects are flying under the radar. In today’s NFL, where the salary cap restricts teams from becoming powerhouses, drafting correctly and finding the right talent is the way to succeed. These five defensive prospects are not household names, but they all could make a difference for your favorite NFL franchise.

5. Stephone Anthony, Inside Linebacker, Clemson

The inside linebacker position is becoming less sought after in the NFL Draft. Simply put, you can find quality inside linebackers in later rounds. At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Stephone Anthony is one of those guys who can make an impact for an NFL defense. Anthony looks the part with his build and he is a vicious hitter in the middle of the field.

Anthony is still a little raw. The main problem with Anthony is how he overruns plays. Anthony isn’t the best tackler, but the best thing with him is his versatility. Anthony shows the ability to be a good strongside linebacker in the NFL. He was a four-year contributor at Clemson and his ability to make an impact against the run will intrigue many NFL teams.

4. Durrell Eskridge, Free Safety, Syracuse

One trait NFL teams love is the center fielder trait. Charles Woodson shows range and excellent ball skills, and those are two skills Durrell Eskridge has. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Eskridge has excellent build and he shows enough fluidity to turn his hips in coverage. Eskridge has long arms and he has been an extremely productive player for Syracuse in his collegiate career.

The main knocks on Eskridge will be his ability to come up against the run and make plays. Eskridge doesn’t make the best decisions in terms of his angles, but he shows decent range and with some added weight, Eskridge will be a nice safety one day in the NFL. Eskridge also shows the ability to play special teams as well.

3. Christian Covington, Defensive Tackle, Rice

Perhaps the best trait for a defensive tackle is versatility and that is something Christian Covington has. At 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, Covington doesn’t have the best size, but he has an excellent first step off the football. Covington has strong legs and he has long arms. To go with those two things, Covington also uses his hands extremely well. He is quick enough to play as a 3-technique defensive tackle in the 4-3 or be a five-technique in a 3-4 defensive scheme.

Covington faced a ton of double teams in 2014. The prep product from Canada lacks elite size for the defensive tackle position in the NFL. Covington will make his money at the next level with his athleticism, but if a team uses him correctly and a coach develops him the right way, Covington could become a really nice player player in the NFL.

2. Eric Rowe, Cornerback, Utah

Cornerbacks are getting bigger and stronger in the NFL. In last year’s draft, one of the more intriguing cornerbacks was Keith McGill. Selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round, McGill, out of Utah, was a freak of nature with his combination of size and speed. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, with a 4.42 40-yard dash, McGill intrigued many NFL scouts.

In this year’s draft season, it’s a different player from Utah that is making noise for his combination of size and speed. Eric Rowe has long arms and he shows the kind of physicality that NFL scouts are looking for in a cornerback. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Rowe will need to put on weight, but he has excellent ball skills and he is a good tackler in the open field. Rowe will likely be a day-two selection, but he could see a Jimmie Ward-type draft lift around the combine.

1. Lorenzo Mauldin, Defensive End, Louisville

Out of Louisville, Lorenzo Mauldin is by no means a rare athlete off the edge, but shows excellent explosiveness off the snap as well as a ton of athleticism. We’ve seen that 3-4 outside linebackers are always at a premium in the NFL and Mauldin will surely find his way onto an NFL defense for that reason alone. Regardless, Mauldin is relentless and he has an excellent motor.

At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, Mauldin needs to put on weight to make an impact in the NFL, but he uses his arms exceptionally well and he has excellent hand usage. Mauldin is athletic and he is quick enough to get through the line of scrimmage off the ball when offenses are trying to run outside. Mauldin can jump gaps and he can even put his hand in the dirt at the next level. The NFL team that drafts Mauldin will be working with a tweener, but there are more good things than bad things with Mauldin, and his athleticism could be put to good use in an NFL defense.