2017 NFL Draft: The 5 Most Likely Victims of Nitpicking

Nov 12, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2017 NFL draft preseason run is a very fluid time of year where it’s hard to predict how things are going to ultimately play out in the next couple months.

Then again it’s safe to say the same thing will happen this year as every year. Teams will get so caught up in measuring the talent of these athletes that they lose track of the guys who’ve already proven they’re really good football players. By rights they should be 1st round locks but inevitably teams will find reason, all of them shallow, to sink their draft stock. Thus costing them millions of dollars. Which prominent names face this very real danger in April?

Deshaun Watson (QB, Clemson)

What else does a guy have to do to prove he’s a great player? Watson achieved everything there was to achieve in college. He won the Heisman trophy. He lost just two games in his final two seasons and put up massive stats both running and pass. To top it off he actually became the first quarterback to ever beat a Nick Saban Alabama team in a national championship game. Yet people still question his ability as a quarterback. A little undersized. Not a gun for an arm and throws a few too many interceptions.

Christian McCaffrey (RB, Stanford)

Everything from the tape to the stats suggest that McCaffrey might be pretty good at football. He’s got the toughness to handle NFL workloads for a running back. Shows good burst and acceleration along with the vision to find lanes. To top it off he’s a quality receiver out of the backfield and a danger on kick returns. Some people though are getting hung up on the fact he’s not heavy enough or that he’s average in pass protection. Oh and don’t forget the fact he’s white. Like it or not, white running backs come with a certain stigma these days.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR, USC)

Unfortunately the draft preseason for wide receivers is almost always decided by a single word: speed. The ones who can showcase speed in 40-yard dashes rise and those that can’t inevitably fall, automatically indicated those players are somehow not any good. A foolish notion that is proven wrong time and time again but nobody heeds the lesson. JuJu Smith-Schuster could end up being the next to teach it. He’s not a burner by any means but he knows how to win contested situations and is a force when running after the catch. His next QB will learn to love him.

Derek Barnett (DE, Tennessee)

The guy played his entire college career in the SEC, the best football conference in the land, and produced 33 sacks. That put him over Tennessee legend Reggie White and in the same territory as Von Miller. The guy just knows how to get the quarterback. His hand use is violent and he shows the strength to shed blocks or set the edge against the run. Yet he’ll likely be killed in evaluations because he’s not a freak athlete or boasting an overly long frame. This despite plenty of proof that great pass rushers come in all shapes and sizes.

Jourdan Lewis (CB, Michigan)

The buzz words around him are fairly consistent. Very competitive and confident. Athletic and fast with great instincts and ball skills in coverage. Doesn’t give receivers a lot of room but avoids the flags too. Isn’t that what being a top NFL corner is all about? Shouldn’t that make him a surefire 1st round pick? Nope. Not happening because genetics made so he grew up to be just two inches short of preferred height at 5’10”. This despite the fact that three of the highest-rated corners in the NFL last season (Chris Harris Jr., Brent Grimes and Janoris Jenkins) are all the same height.

Home/NFL Draft