The NFL Draft is covered by hundreds of scouts, coaches, and executives to an extent where it would probably make a normal person's head spin, but, that doesn't prevent talented prospects from falling through the cracks.

Count Elon University's Cole Coleman as one of those talented prospects. The five-year starter wasn't on many radars when the draft process started a couple of months ago, but Coleman changed all that with a strong Pro Day on the campus of North Carolina State University.

"I think that he caught people by surprise at the Pro Day," Coleman's agent, Christian Addsion, recently told A to Z Sports. "When he ran his 40, people immediately asked, 'Wait, who is that kid?' And the feedback that I received was scouts saying, 'He just forced us all to go back and rewatch every single bit of tape on him.'"

Instead of holding the Pro Day at Elon, Coleman attended his hometown's workout in Raleigh, North Carolina, which also happened to be his dad's alma mater. His father, Chris Coleman, played for the Tennessee Titans during the 2000-2001 seasons. 

Cole took made the most of his opportunity. He officially ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, but several scouts recorded a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. Coleman also registered a 39" vertical, and showed off his explosiveness with a 10'6" broad jump. All three of those marks place him in the 75th percentile or better, which ultimately reflects some of the traits required to play safety in the NFL. 

And that's exactly what he intends to do at the next level.

"One of the biggest things I want to work on is being able to play more snaps at that nickel/safety spot," Coleman recently told A to Z Sports. "I played a ton of snaps at both high safeties and I played a good amount of snaps at the nickel spot, but I've never faced any tight ends like Travis Kelce in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), although we've had some great guys come through there."

Coleman has plenty of experience playing nickel and safety. Per Pro Football Focus, he played over 600 snaps in the box, 500+ at nickel, and close to 500 at safety while attending Elon. He even lined up on the defensive line as a blitzer and on the perimeter, at times. 

In other words: Coleman is a very versatile defender and it's allowed him to really standout among his peers. His sure-tackling, instincts, aggressiveness, and speed all show up in-between the hashes and those traits will come in handy in the NFL.

Elon's defensive scheme is also a major plus. Elon's secondary was rooted in Cover 4/man-match philosophy while Coleman was there. That scheme ultimately requires an excellent processor and route recognition skills that a lot players don't have coming out of college. Coleman's versatility is also a great asset for that type of defense, as defenders often have to "pass up" receivers and can quickly find themselves with a new post-snap assignment.

Coleman flourished in the scheme. He recorded 281 total tackles that included 156 solo tackles, three interceptions, nine pass deflections, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries over the course of 42 games. He even blocked a kick, which isn't a product of the defensive scheme, but still a good example of his versatility and how he can make plays anywhere on the field.

It also requires high football IQ to play man-match and Coleman exudes that in just about every way one can think of.

"I think the man-match scheme has gone a long way in just teaching me the ins-and-outs of football," said Coleman. "But I think at a certain point in my career, I kind of realized that defense in and of itself is just a puzzle and I'm going to be one piece of that puzzle every given play.

"…I've also played four different spots on defense. I played all over the place and I know every spot on defense; I know what the linebackers know, what the d-linemen do, I know what the safeties do, the corners do and, you know, with that being said, the cerebral part of the game, a lot of is just being able to see what's happening in front of you and having that that strategic mindset to be able to put yourself as a piece of the puzzle and fit wherever the offense is attacking you."

An evaluator's biggest concern would be Coleman's size. At 5-foot-9, 191-pounds, Coleman doesn't fit the traditional safety mold. However, when looking at former/current Pro Bowl safeties like Earl Thomas, Budda Baker, and Antoine Winfield Jr., it's clear that size isn't the end-all-be-all.

Whatever Coleman currently lacks, he's going to work his tail off to not only improve, but to become the best at whatever it is.

"There's gonna be guys that have just God-given talent, but there's also people that work for it," said Coleman. "I've never been the fastest person on my team until very recently. So I think putting in that work has kind of gotten me over the hump of, from good athlete to great athlete, from great athlete to elite athlete.

"… But I think you know, the hard work and the dedication is what separates the good athletes from the great athletes and the good athletes from the elite athletes."

It's easy to see why Coleman is drawing more and more attention as we get closer and closer to the draft. He as all the makings of a diamond in the rough – he just needs that one opportunity to shine. 

And it feels like said opportunity is going to come a lot sooner than later.