College Career: Snowden wrapped a tremendous Cavalier career in the fall and now turns his attention to his pro future. During four years at Virginia, he went from a skinny role player to one of the ACC’s best defenders.

His junior season started the NFL buzz around the Maryland native, when he recorded five sacks and 11 tackles for loss while helping lead UVa to an Orange Bowl berth. As a senior, Snowden got off to a slow start but turned it on in the middle of the season, with a 3.5 tackle-for-loss performance against Miami before a four-sack game against North Carolina the following week. Snowden finished the season with a team-high 10 TFLs and six sacks in just eight games, with 44 total tackles and a forced fumble.

For his career, Snowden finished with 30.5 tackles for loss, 190 tackles, 15 sacks, two interceptions, two blocks on special teams and 16 pass break-ups. It’s also worth noting that Snowden was a team captain and appears to have impeccable character that probably impressed teams during the draft process.

NFL Projection: Snowden should be used in the NFL much the same way that he was in college, as a 3-4 outside linebacker, or edge rusher. There really isn’t another fit for him at the pro level, as he’s too slender to play as a down lineman in a 4-3 and isn’t smooth enough to play in space as an inside linebacker.

Snowden can drop into coverage when necessary but the strength of his game is getting after the quarterback. He did a tremendous job working on his body during his time in Charlottesville, which is the reason that he’s even in the conversation to be drafted. Still, Snowden has the athleticism to get after the quarterback and the size to get in passing lanes to bat down balls but he probably needs to work on adding even more strength to overpower more impressive offensive tackles at the pro level.

The fact that Snowden played special teams is another mark in his favor, as that may be where he can make an impact right away with his NFL team.

Draft Outlook: The later we go in the draft, the harder it is to project exactly where a player will land. Most draft analysts had Bryce Hall going on Day 2 last year and he ultimately fell pretty far into Day 3 and was even picked after teammate Joe Reed.

Unfortunately, Snowden’s situation is similar to Hall’s in the fact that they both had injuries that cut their senior seasons short, therefore impacting their draft prep. Snowden’s ankle injury required surgery, which meant that he wasn’t able to play in the Senior Bowl and scouts will have to rely on his tape and interviews to decide where they want to slot him on their boards.

Like many linebackers, Snowden is pigeon-holed into a 3-4 scheme, which means that a bunch of potential NFL homes are off the board for him even before the draft began. There will be a team that values Snowden’s strength and smarts, though, and he looks likely to slot in as a Day 3 pick, probably in the 5th round or later. He could go earlier than expected, as any prospect only needs one team to fall in love with them.

Regardless of where he ends up, it’s tough to bet against a guy that came to UVa with just one football offer and worked himself into a top-end defender.

College Career: Poljan only played one year at Virginia, but he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt his NFL hopes during his time in Charlottesville. He was already on the NFL Draft radar before coming to UVa simply because of his athletic profile as he transitioned from quarterback to tight end at Central Michigan.

In his one year on Grounds, Poljan instantly became the best tight end that Cavalier fans have seen in quite some time. The former Chippewa caught 38 passes for 411 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games played for UVa, and was a reliable red zone target for Brennan Armstrong. He had a catch in every game and his biggest efforts were a five-catch, 77-yard performance against Abilene Christian and a five-catch 66 yard effort at Virginia Tech, as he found the end zone in both games. Poljan also made an impact as a blocker, where he posted a solid 69.4 run blocking grade per PFF College.

NFL Projection: Obviously, Poljan projects as a tight end in the NFL. He has done a nice job reinventing himself after starting his career at quarterback, and Poljan was able to earn a Senior Bowl invite off of his one year in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, Poljan wasn’t able to travel to Mobile and participate, which probably hurts his draft stock a bit.

Poljan is a big, athletic tight end at 6-foot-7, 251 pounds, but is likely an in-line tight end first and foremost, not a “slot” tight end like Travis Kelce that can be used like a receiver. Poljan has good size and did a good job at Virginia working in the middle of the field, finding space and beating linebackers. He may be able to do that in the NFL but we didn’t see any breakaway speed that would allow him to climb up draft boards and be considered a potential starter at tight end. He could develop into a useful player, especially if he can block well, and if he continues to master the position that he hasn’t been playing for long.

Draft Outlook: Poljan projects as a Day 3 pick, and assuming he gets selected it will likely be in the 6th or 7th round. One thing that is helping him is the relative lack of depth in the tight end draft class. Kyle Pitts is already off the board and after him there is a pretty big drop off to the next group. Then, Poljan and many others are in the next group. The size and athletic profile will likely be intriguing enough for a team to get Poljan drafted and the early outlook for his pro career may be determined by the situation he ends up in.

If he goes to a team that needs a second or third tight end that can block and potentially make an impact in short-yardage or red-zone situations, then he could make the team and play right away. If he is drafted by a team that sees him as a late-round flyer or developmental player, then he could find himself on the roster cut-line in the fall. Teams usually carry three tight ends with two or three active on game days, but if nothing else Poljan has the resume and athletic profile to make a practice squad if nothing else.

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