The following prospects are my favorite “sleeper” prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft. Dan Lavoie posted his #DraftCrushes yesterday, which reminded me I had to get mine out.
Like Dan, I’ve listed a few players I think are overvalued.
Please draft...
Jalen Robinette | WR | Air Force
Ridiculously strong and effective high-pointer. Great size at 6’3” and 220 with muscular build. Nearly 11” hands. Decent downfield speed, and flashes of adequate YAC ability. Played in triple-option offense, but dominated in college. I don’t think he’s much different from Demaryius Thomas when he came out of Georgia Tech’s triple option.
Marlon Mack | RB | USF
If given space near the line of scrimmage, Mack can more easily showcase his scintillating blend of burst, agility, and long speed. He’s the ideal change-of-pace back in today’s NFL.
Daeshon Hall | DL | Texas A&M
Myles Garrett’s bookend defensive lineman in college... who looks like him on the field at 6’5” and 266 pounds. Long arms and Chandler Jones-like athleticism on the edge. He’s got a quality bull rush and will use some counter moves as well.
Antonio Garcia | OL | Troy
Slightly more slender than you’d want your offensive tackle, but his movement skills are top-notch. Quick feet and outstanding balance. Upper-body strength is there. With a little more bulk and anchoring power, he can be a superb offensive tackle.
Howard Wilson | CB | Houston
Plant-and-drive acceleration is among the best in the class at the cornerback spot. Rarely allows the easy completion because of his tenacity, length, and leaping ability. Super-twitchy.
Chad Hansen | WR | Cal
Demonstrated the ability to make multiple Odell Beckham Jr.-esque grabs away from his body. Natural runner on screens and underneath routes. Enough speed to threaten down the field. 6’2” with 10 1/8” hands.
Blair Brown | LB | Ohio
Eric Kendricks 2.0. Shorter at just under 6’0”, but he’s powerful at 238 pounds. Springy athlete who doesn’t waste a split second on the field. Dips under blockers or sheds them when need be. Talented blitzer. Long arms help him reel in the ball-carrier. Quick play-recognition skills. Tackling machine in college.
Robert Davis | WR | Georgia State
Freakazoid athlete — 6’3”, 219 with 4.40 speed, a 41” vertical, 11’4” broad, and 6.82 three cone.. and it shows on film. Runs away from most defensive backs down the field and after the catch. Proven high-pointer.
Rayshawn Jenkins | S | Miami
Late addition here — Jenkins is a strong safety all the way, who routinely shows burst to the football in run support. No-nonsense, always-aggressive player with great size and quick-twitch athleticism. Almost a hybrid weakside linebacker with decent ball skills.
Jerome Lane | WR | Akron
Former linebacker / safety morphed into a receiver. Plays the position with intense physicality. Uses his body as well as any wideout in this class when shielding defenders and when he gets inside leverage. Routinely made contested catches outside his frame. Not a speedster but deceptively elusive after the catch. Father is former NBA first-round pick Jerome Lane.
Ifeadi Odenigbo | EDGE | Northwestern
He’s an older prospect, but possesses a nice arsenal of pass-rushing moves and is a quality athlete at 6’3” and 258 pounds. At Northwestern, had decent production in all four seasons, culminated with a 10-sack campaign in 2016.
Marcus Williams | Safety | Utah
The guys has a 43.5” vertical and broad jumped 10’8” and had a 6.85 three-cone drill time. He’s not limited athletically whatsoever, and he also intercepted 10 passes in each of the last two seasons. His range from center field is second only to Malik Hooker in this class. He holds his own as a tackler too.
(#DraftCrushes of mine who’ll likely be picked in Round 1 - Obi Melifonwu, Evan Engram, Zach Cunningham, and Tre’Davious White)
Don’t draft...
Jamal Adams | S | LSU
Adam is a very good player... but he’s not worth a Top 5 or Top 10 pick. Always in the right position and is a plus athlete. Had one interception and four passes defended in final year at LSU. Quick to fill a running lane but not a block shedder as a box safety. Limited range deep.
Leonard Fournette | RB | LSU
No, I don’t have an out for LSU players — Tre’Davious White is my top cornerback in this class. Like Adams, I don’t think Fournette is terrible, it’s just that I believe he’ll be overdrafted. Similar to Todd Gurley — special size / speed specimen who lacks the ankle flexion and natural cutting ability to evade defenders at the next level. With a full head of steam, he’s an enormous HR hitter with tons of power. Blocking needs to be well above-average for him to thrive as a pro.
Patrick Mahomes | QB | Texas Tech
Mahomes is the “trendy” name to ultimately become the best quarterback from this class in a few years. I’m not a huge fan of thinking prospects — especially quarterbacks — will change much once they hit the professional ranks. Mahomes is a blast to watch but he reminds me too much of Johnny Manziel with Jay Cutler’s decision-making. In the third or fourth round? Sure. But not in Round 1.
JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | USC
A 6’1”, 20-year-old wideout with 10 1/2” hands. Sounds like my kind of receiver, right? In most cases, absolutely. I was just underwhelmed with his film, especially in those ever-important jump-ball situations. More often than not, he simply didn’t come down with the football. He does some good things, winning down the field and occasionally after the catch. I’d like him in the third or fourth round. But I think there’s too much projection for JuJu to get picked in Round 1 or Round 2.