NFL Draft 2017: 1st-Round Order and Projections for Underrated Prospects

Underrated prospects always make or break a team's draft class.

Lesser-known players make up the majority of draft classes, hence fans' frequent head-scratching during the draft—and even in the first round. But these players always make up the majority of teams and can often become starters if picked near the first round.

This time of year, the underrated prospects still have plenty of time to grab national attention and higher stock. For now, they rest behind others at their positions and lower on boards than they should for various reasons. 

After a look at an updated mock, let's examine a few key underrated prospects to watch as the draft process begins. 

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	Team	Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE,Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
3	Chicago Bears	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
5	Tennessee Titans (from LA)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Jabrill Peppers, LB/S, Michigan
7	San Diego Chargers	Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
8	Carolina Panthers	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
10	Buffalo Bills	Tim Williams, LB/DE, Alabama
11	New Orleans Saints	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
13	Arizona Cardinals	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
14	Indianapolis Colts	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
15	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	John Ross, WR, Washington
16	Baltimore Ravens	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
17	Washington Redskins	Malik Hooker , S, Ohio State
18	Tennessee Titans	Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Marlon Humphrey, CB , Alabama
20	Denver Broncos	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
21	Detroit Lions	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
22	Miami Dolphins	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
23	New York Giants	Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford
24	Oakland Raiders	Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
25	Houston Texans	Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
26	Green Bay Packers	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
27	Seattle Seahawks	Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
28	Pittsburgh Steelers	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
29	Atlanta Falcons	Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
30	Kansas City Chiefs	Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
31	Dallas Cowboys	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
32	New England Patriots	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Philadelphia and Indianapolis will flip a coin for No. 14 and No. 15 at the NFL combine.

Projections for Underrated Prospects

12. Cleveland Browns (from PHI): Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya has already fallen behind names such as North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky.

So it goes, really—quarterbacks seem to toss the top slot around like a hot potato these days until the draft itself.

The draft process will do Kaaya well. He has ideal size at 6'4" and 215 pounds and had a stellar junior season, completing 62 percent of his passes for 3,532 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Now a three-year starter as he heads to the NFL, Kaaya seems to rank all over the place. On CBSSports.com's big board, he's the fourth-rated quarterback and 68th player overall.

Decision-making comes up often as a problem for the junior, yet Hurricanes coach Mark Richt made an important point recently, as captured by the team's official Twitter account:

In other words, Kaaya has an otherwise NFL-ready skill set. Pro coaches can work on any hesitation he might have, so he has a high ceiling.

For a team like the Cleveland Browns, a quarterback with all the necessary pro traits and only in need of some guidance is a wonder—and head coach Hue Jackson is just the guy for the job after squeezing the most out of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in recent years.

24. Oakland Raiders: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

John Raoux/Associated Press

Quincy Wilson is another player not getting enough respect, hence his coming in as the ninth corner on the big board.

Wilson is everything the NFL wants physically in a defensive back at 6'1" and 213 pounds. In 2016 he tallied three interceptions and defended six passes in the SEC.

During the season, some weren't shy about labeling Wilson as one of the best defenders in the nation, as captured by Bleacher Report CFB:

As noted, though, this is a ridiculously deep class for defensive backs, and Wilson has since taken a bit of a dip on the radar. But so it goes in a class with major names at defensive back such as Marlon Humphrey, Teez Tabor and Jamal Adams, among others.

A team like the Oakland Raiders certainly won't mind Wilson falling a bit on the board. The Raiders finished the regular season ranked 24th against the pass, allowing an average of 257.5 yards through the air per game.

A Wilson fall would be a case of the rich getting richer, as he would join a developing secondary featuring names such as Karl Joseph. Odds seem strong that Wilson will boom his stock back up the board in workouts, but he slots nicely here for now.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

This happens every year—a top-tier tight end sort of hangs around the first-round conversation but simply isn't as flashy as wideouts and hard-hitting defenders.

Alabama's O.J. Howard is this year's guy.

Howard is a huge target at 6'6" and 251 pounds but doesn't have too much hype around his game right now, because Alabama simply doesn't involve the tight end much in the offense. Fans shouldn't need much of an explanation as to how much damage a 6'6" tight end can do, though.

The lack of hype around Howard's game seems obvious enough based on the big board, which has him as the top tight end but ranks him 34th.

The NFL will see this differently, as a note by CollegeFootball 24/7 illustrated:

Howard is simply a matchup nightmare who will wreak havoc on defenses if coaches utilize him well.

Fans who have watched Heath Miller and others with the Pittsburgh Steelers over the years understand that the team knows a thing or two about using tight ends in the offense.

Pair Howard with Ben Roethlisberger, and the AFC might have another top-tier tight end to worry about each week. While he's not as flashy as some of the wideouts, fans can expect Howard to work his way well into the first-round conversation as the march to the draft continues.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.