I hadn't heard or seen anything about this guy until a few weeks ago, as he's a 1-AA player from Southern Illinois. His workout numbers at his pro day were fantastic, with a 4.37 40, a 6.67 three cone, a 43" vertical, and a 10' 3" broad jump. All that is well and good, but when you watch him play, you see how those numbers translate to field, and what you see is a guy that is a natural runner. Balance, vision, patience, cutback ability and a natural feel for how to elude defenders. As a 5th round or later pick, he will be an absolute steal. He has the work ethic, and seemingly the desire, to succeed. And before you dismiss him as a small school prospect, keep in mind Brandon Jacobs was also a Southern Illinois Saluki. Here are a couple videos to watch on him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8pypXXA7k

He's #31 in the red and white. He displays kick return skills (averaging over 35 yards a return this past season), running and receiving prowess and even some blocking ability. Watch the play at 3:04, where he takes a screen pass and works about 5 defenders in short space before exploding up the field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n407REOHqmo

Interview with Karim, has some nice highlights. Between the two videos, you can see he possesses one of my favorite skills in a running back, the ability to set up behind his blockers and use them to shield defenders until he's ready to make his move. Considering how much the Patriots like to run screens, he'd be an excellent fit in the passing offense

Stole this from the Pats site but this kid looks like diamond in the rough.....

Very nice post. Deji Karim is a spark plug at 5'9 210 and he has 4.4 speed. I would compare him to a Jones-Drew type back.

interesting later round pick, if he is still on the board.

I was going to compare him to Jones-Drew as well too. Looks like an interesting prospect.

Looks like they're playing high school ball in those vids...