D4H's 2017 NFL Draft Preview

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Here is what you guys have been waiting for. My final thoughts on this year's NFL Draft prospects. I have divided the prospects into 3 groups (the ELITE, the BUSTS, and the SLEEPERS). The ELITE are prospects I believe will develop into stars at the next level. They should be among the best players at their position in the NFL. The BUSTS are prospects expected to go high in the 1st round that I feel will not live up to their draft ranking. This doesn't necessarily mean they can't play. They could turn out to be 10 year NFL veterans like Reggie Bush but based on where they are picked, they will be considered colossal disappointments because their production will not match the position in the draft from which they are selected. And finally, the SLEEPERS are prospects that will be picked in Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft that I don't necessarily think will develop into stars but will nonetheless outperform their draft slot dramatically. They should at the very least be productive starters. At the very best they might become pro-bowlers.

And without further ado here we go:

THE ELITE (potential Pro-Bowl and All-Pro caliber players)

Quarterbacks

• Joshua Dobbs (Tennessee) – NFL Comp ► Randall Cunningham

• Brad Kaaya (Miami) – NFL Comp ► Matt Ryan

• Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech)

Running Backs

• Alvin Kamara (Tennessee) – NFL Comp ► Marshall Faulk

• James Conner (Pittsburgh) – NFL Comp ► Franco Harris

• Joe Mixon (Oklahoma) – NFL Comp ► Fred Taylor

• Christian McCaffrey (Stanford)

Wide Receivers

• Corey Davis (Western Michigan) – NFL Comp ► Jerry Rice

• JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC) – NFL Comp ► Dez Bryant

• Amara Darboh (Michigan) – NFL Comp ► Reggie Wayne

• Zay Jones (East Carolina) – NFL Comp ► Jarvis Landry

Tight Ends

• Evan Engram (Ole Miss) – NFL Comp ► Shannon Sharpe

• David Njoku (Miami)

Edge Rushers

• Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) – NFL Comp ► Bruce Smith

• Charles Harris (Missouri) – NFL Comp ► Dwight Freeney

• Derek Rivers (Youngstown St.) – NFL Comp ► Shawne Merriman

• Tarell Basham (Ohio) – NFL Comp ► Whitney Mercilus

• Tyus Bowser (Houston)

Defensive Lineman

• Solomon Thomas (Stanford) – NFL Comp ► JJ Watt/Aaron Donald

Linebackers

• Jarrad Davis (Florida) – NFL Comp ► Patrick Willis

• Haason Reddick (Temple)

Cornerbacks

• Cameron Sutton (Tennessee) – NFL Comp ► Darrelle Revis

• Marlon Humphrey (Alabama)

• Ahkello Witherspoon (Colorado)

• Teez Tabor (Florida)

• Jourdan Lewis (Michigan)

• Chidobe Awuzie (Colorado)

Safeties

• Marcus Maye (Florida) – NFL Comp ► Brian Dawkins

• Jamal Adams (LSU) – NFL Comp ► Lawyer Milloy

• Malik Hooker (Ohio State) – NFL Comp ► Ed Reed

• Marcus Williams (Utah)

• John Johnson (Boston College)

• Budda Baker (Washington)

• Justin Evans (Texas A&M)

THE BUSTS (players who will be drafted high that will fail to live up to expectations)

Quarterbacks

• Deshaun Watson (Clemson) – NFL Comp ► Teddy Bridgewater (INJURY RISK)

• Mitch Trubisky (North Carolina) – NFL Comp ► Andy Dalton

• DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame) – NFL Comp ► Josh Freeman

Running Backs

• Leonard Fournette (LSU) – NFL Comp ► Marcus Dupree

• Dalvin Cook (Florida State) – NFL Comp ► Reggie Bush

Wide Receivers

• Mike Williams (Clemson) – speed and separation issues

• John Ross (Washington) – durability and injury risk

Tight Ends

• OJ Howard (Alabama) – NFL Comp ► Rickey Dudley

Edge Rushers

• Taco Charlton (Michigan)

• Tim Williams (Alabama)

Defensive Lineman

• Jonathan Allen (Alabama) – NFL Comp ► Marcus Spears

• Malik McDowell (Michigan State) – NFL Comp ► Jason Jones

Linebackers

• Reuben Foster (Alabama) – NFL Comp ► Ernie Sims III

Cornerbacks

• Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State) – durability and injury issues

• Gareon Conley (Ohio State) – average player who will be over drafted

• Tre'Davious White (LSU) – NFL Comp ► Leodis McKelvin

Safeties

• Jabrill Peppers (Michigan) – lack of instincts and ball production

• Obi Melifonwu (UConn) – more athlete than football player

THE SLEEPERS (players who will vastly outperform their draft position)

Quarterbacks

• Trevor Knight (Texas A&M) – NFL Comp ► Jeff Garcia

Running Backs

• Matt Dayes (NC State) – NFL Comp ► Kevin Faulk

• Matt Breida (Georgia Southern) – NFL Comp ► Cadillac Williams

• Tarik Cohen (North Carolina A&T) – NFL Comp ► Darren Sproles

• Elijah Hood (North Carolina)

Wide Receivers

• Robert Davis (Georgia State)– NFL Comp ► Darren Sproles

• Isaiah McKenzie (Georgia) – NFL Comp ► Tyler Lockett

• Fred Ross (Miss. St.)

• Josh Reynolds (Texas A&M)

Tight Ends

• Jonnu Smith (FIU)– NFL Comp ► Delanie Walker

• Cole Hikutini (Louisville)

• Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas)

Edge Rushers

• Jordan Willis (Kansas State)

• Keionta Davis (UT-Chattanooga)

Defensive Lineman

• Larry Ogunjobi (Charlotte)

• Eddie Vanderdoes (UCLA)

• Joey Ivey (Florida)

Linebackers

• Dylan Cole (Missouri State) – NFL Comp ► Zach Thomas

• Alex Anzalone (Florida)

Cornerbacks

• Sojourn Shelton (Wisconsin) – NFL Comp ► Brandon Flowers

• Damontae Kazee (San Diego State) – NFL Comp ► Asante Samuel

Safeties

• Xavier Woods (La Tech) – NFL Comp ► Karl Joseph

• Eddie Jackson (Alabama)

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

opcorn:

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

As you can tell by my rankings this is a very talented and deep draft class. The most talented position groups in this draft are safety, edge rusher, cornerback, tight end, and running back. The least talented position groups are offensive line and interior defensive line. I consider the quarterback class and the wide receiver class to be average. While the linebacker class is above average.

All in all, the 2017 NFL Draft should ultimately go down as one of the best drafts in NFL History. It is absolutely loaded with franchise changing talent.

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

I see we're getting the next Randall Cunningham, Marshall Faulk, Jerry Rice, Reggie Wayne, Shannon Sharp, Brian Dawkins, Lawyer Milloy, and Ed Reed all in the same class.


Some of your NFL comps just seem totally random.

 

[bamawriter]

Some of your NFL comps just seem totally random.

Seem?

 

[bamawriter]

I would absolutely love to see the rationale behind this comparison:

Leonard Fournette (LSU) – NFL Comp ► Marcus Dupree

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

I see we're getting the next Randall Cunningham, Marshall Faulk, Jerry Rice, Reggie Wayne, Shannon Sharp, Brian Dawkins, Lawyer Milloy, and Ed Reed all in the same class.


Some of your NFL comps just seem totally random.

This is a very talented draft class.

And just because I compare Evan Engram to Shannon Sharpe for example doesn't mean I'm predicting Evan Engram will be in the hall of fame. I'm simply saying that is who his playing style reminds me of.

With that said, this class should ultimately produce 5-6 Hall of Famers.

 

[TUSKtimes]

This is a very talented draft class.

And just because I compare Evan Engram to Shannon Sharpe for example doesn't mean I'm predicting Evan Engram will be in the hall of fame. I'm simply saying that is who his playing style reminds me of.

With that said, this class should ultimately produce 5-6 Hall of Famers.

No meds today?

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

So Cam Sutton is Darrell Reevis but Derek Barnett doesn't even make a list?

Not sure if you're aware but he's the only 1st rounder we have in this thing.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

So Cam Sutton is Darrell Reevis but Derek Barnett doesn't even make a list?

Not sure if you're aware but he's the only 1st rounder we have in this thing.

Derek Barnett will be a decent player in the NFL but he will not be a star.

For the record, not every first round pick becomes a star so I don't get the point of your argument. So what if he's our only projected first rounder? That doesn't mean he will ultimately become a star in the NFL. And just because Cam Sutton won't be a 1st rounder doesn't mean he won't be a star.

I'm projecting NFL impact here not draft position.

 

[volfanbill]

Andy Dalton may not be elite, but he's not a bust by even the furthest stretches of imagination

One serious injury makes Bridgewater a bust? Trolls be trolling

 

[Burger]

It's not only that your comparisons are fall off, but we have a lot of HOF in this class. Something tells me you only started watching football a few years ago.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

 

[hndog609]

You can have all the love in the world for Kamara but he's much too slow in comparison to Marshall Faulk. You just can't take a an observation seriously when comparing a 4.56 guy to a sub-4.4/track sprinter. That's a major contextual discrepancy and not some nuance of opinion. Kamara can be a very productive back but he will be run down NFL DB's. That just really didn't happen with Marshall. (unless maybe by Darrel Green or somebody in that speed class)

Kamara is a lot of things. Quick? Sure. Explosive? Ok. Dynamic? Certainly. Fast? No. Marshall very much was.

We'll see about the rest but that is one failure we can empirically and demonstrably point out right now.

 

[Knox-a-rue]

No love for Barnett? Come on, D4H.

I hope you are right about Josh Dobbs. I love the guy. I think he has a lot of growing to do before he's considered elite. But again I hope you are right, and I appreciate your continued support for him.

Regarding Leonard Fornette (who's name's exact spelling I cannot be bothered to look up): I think he's going to be solid. Your definition of a bust wouldn't quite equal mine so maybe thats the difference here. But I think he'll be a solid pro RB for a good 10 years as long as he avoids injuries, which is tough esp at his position.

 

[v011s]

I hope you meet Josh Dobbs one day and he files a restraining order.

 

[hndog609]

I would absolutely love to see the rationale behind this comparison:

Leonard Fournette (LSU) – NFL Comp ► Marcus Dupree

Considering there's pretty much nothing about their career arcs that's particularly comparable (other than being highly regarded coming out of HS) it's tough to see where D4H is going here. (a common theme as that is)

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

Derek Barnett will be a decent player in the NFL but he will not be a star.

For the record, not every first round pick becomes a star so I don't get the point of your argument. So what if he's our only projected first rounder? That doesn't mean he will ultimately become a star in the NFL. And just because Cam Sutton won't be a 1st rounder doesn't mean he won't be a star.

I'm projecting NFL impact here not draft position.

His full body of work against proven competition are why he's a first rounder. He's got a "motor", good hand and footwork.

Sure, totally right. Cam can be a star at whatever round he goes and so can anybody. But a first rounder as high as DB has a shot out of the gate to start and make plays instead of having to backup or scrap for a spot. I'll take those odds.

You probably have a reasonable list there with players from other schools, but DB and AK are the only names we're going to hear make any real noise in the league next year.

 

[bamawriter]

It's not only that your comparisons are fall off, but we have a lot of HOF in this class. Something tells me you only started watching football a few years ago.

He's admitted that before. Several of the players that to whom he is drawing comparisons played before D4H actually started watching football.

 

[Burger]

He's admitted that before. Several of the players that to whom he is drawing comparisons played before D4H actually started watching football.

And he's never played a down at any level.

 

[BearCat204]

Steelers gauging interest in Kizer from other teams.............

 

[m1al]

And he's never played a down at any level.

He read about it...... In a book..

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Andy Dalton may not be elite, but he's not a bust by even the furthest stretches of imagination

One serious injury makes Bridgewater a bust? Trolls be trolling

If Andy Dalton were selected in the top 5 of the draft he would be a bust.

Draft position matters. Mitch Trubisky is a second round caliber player. In the second round he's proper value. In the top 5 he's a bust.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

You can have all the love in the world for Kamara but he's much too slow in comparison to Marshall Faulk. You just can't take a an observation seriously when comparing a 4.56 guy to a sub-4.4/track sprinter. That's a major contextual discrepancy and not some nuance of opinion. Kamara can be a very productive back but he will be run down NFL DB's. That just really didn't happen with Marshall. (unless maybe by Darrel Green or somebody in that speed class)

Kamara is a lot of things. Quick? Sure. Explosive? Ok. Dynamic? Certainly. Fast? No. Marshall very much was.

We'll see about the rest but that is one failure we can empirically and demonstrably point out right now.

Would it make you happy if I said Kamara is Marshall Faulk without breakaway speed?

Once again these comparisons aren't meant to say that is exactly who the player is in every way. Its just the closest player their playing style is similar to.

Alvin Kamara is similar to Marshall Faulk in many ways.

 

[bamawriter]

Would it make you happy if I said Kamara is Marshall Faulk without breakaway speed?

That's like saying Kamara is Serena Williams without boobs.