NFL Draft 2017: 10 sleepers to watch
Here’s a look at 10 players who are better than the internet thinks they are in the lead-up to the NFL Draft.
With and endless stream of mock drafts, rumored interest, and daily analysis, it’s hard to know who’s overrated, who’s underrated, and who’s just plain regular heading into the NFL draft.
Here are 10 players that are better than conventional wisdom says they are. They might be called reaches on draft night, but it won’t be long before they’re considered steals.
1. Dalvin Cook, Florida State
It’s hard to imagine one of the most talked-about players in the draft is underrated. But he is. After three remarkably productive seasons at FSU, Cook was considered a contender for the title of best back in the draft.
That’s where he belongs.
A surprisingly average combine performance soured people on Cook. In addition, there are a trio of shoulder surgeries and 10 fumbles while at Florida State. To put that into perspective, it’s fewer fumbles per touch than super-rookie Ezekiel Elliott had last year for the Cowboys, though.
The only real concerns about Cook should be off the field. He’s has been arrested several times but never found guilty of any crimes. Teams will have to do their homework and decide if they are okay with the kind of person they’ll get on Cook.
On the field? He’s a devastating playmaker. He changes your football team from day one. He can be a lead back in today’s NFL and can help you between the tackles, on the edge, and as a receiver.
Whispers are that he might slip to the end of the first round or perhaps into the second. That’s absurdly underrating a talent like Cook.
2. James Conner, Pittsburgh
Conner attracted the attention of the NFL as a sophomore in 2014 when he racked up over 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. But his entire life changed in 2015. Conner injured his MCL in the first game of his junior year and, while rehabbing, got news that he had lymphoma.
He beat cancer and returned to the field in 2016 to take another crack at his junior season. The 6-foot-1, 233-pound bruiser gained almost 1,400 all purpose yards and scored 20 times.
He’s considered to be a fourth-round pick by most draft experts. Conner deserves to be considered the moment the big three (Fournette, Cook, and McCaffrey) come off the board.
His combination of size, power, quickness, and fluidity make him a dangerous lead back in the style of Jeremy Hill. He could be a red zone/short-yardage specialist from day one in the NFL and has the work ethic, passion, and intelligence to carve out a bigger role for himself in the right system.
Conner may not come off the board until more than a handful of backs have been taken, but he’ll wind up being one of the backs we remember from the 2017 class.