2017 NFL Draft: This Year's Biggest Risers so Far

In what is the final few weeks of the college football season, there are NFL fan bases already directed toward the draft. Historically, a team needs double-digit wins to secure a spot in the league's playoff system, and there are already 12 teams with five losses entering Week 10.

With that in mind, we searched the college football world for some of the biggest risers in the sport. For NFL fans, these are players who built their draft stock up tremendously while you were spending your weekends watching professional football.

Some of them weren't even on the radar as top-100 picks last season, but are now legitimate first-round contenders. Keep these names in mind and on your watch lists as we move forward to April's NFL draft.

5. Takkarist McKinley, EDGE, UCLA

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In two yeas prior to 2016, Takkarist McKinley notched seven sacks in his college career. This year, though, he already has nine sacks, including five over the last two games, because he's fully recovered from both groin and shoulder issues.

A former junior college transfer, McKinley had some preseason buzz heading into this season, but no one expected him to be considered a potential top-15 pick by November. According to NFL Draft Scout, McKinley is projected to run a 4.58-second 40-yard dash, which would put him in the range of the Von Millers, Khalil Macks and DeMarcus Wares among pass-rushers.

According to MMQB.com's Emily Kaplan, that Ware comparison is exactly the one bouncing around scouts' minds.

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Terrific speed off the edge. Perfect for a 3-4 linebacker in the NFL. Could be the next DeMarcus Ware. Freak athlete. Ran a 10.58 in the 100-meter.

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McKinley has some flaws, like the fact he at times plays with a pad level that keeps him out of competing for a sack or pressure, but the 21-year-old is young, athletic and is finally making a large impact in his first crack at a large volume of snaps.

Like Ziggy Ansah in 2012, an unknown pass-rusher from out west has the potential to land as a top-10 pick after just three months of consistent play. A lot of McKinley's stock will revolve around the combine, but all indications would suggest he's going to be a huge winner there.

4. John Ross, WR, Washington

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If you look at the offensive side of the ball in this coming draft, you're going to be hard-pressed to find talented players.

At quarterback, you have Deshone Kizer of Notre Dame and Deshaun Watson of Clemson, who have been trending downward in terms of stock recently, while Mitch Trubisky of North Carolina is the riser. At running back, stars like Christian McCaffrey of Stanford have regressed, while Oregon's Royce Freeman was benched from his starting role last week.

Even Leonard Fournette, this year's gem skill player, gained 2.1 yards per carry against Alabama, just one year after he gained 1.6 yards per carry against the same Crimson Tide. On the offensive line, Cam Robinson, an Alabama bookend who had a run in with the law regarding gun charges, is the only premier player in the class at this point.

It's John Ross, a receiver from Washington, who is proving himself at this class' top riser as an offensive player. Ross is listed at 5'10" and change, 190 pounds and runs a 4.35-second 40-yard dash according to NFL Draft Scout. 

In a league dominated with man-to-man coverage and cornerbacks dropping vertical down the sideline in Cover 3, a player like Ross provides tremendous value to teams. Think of him like Will Fuller, Houston's first-round pick from last draft, with hands of a DeSean Jackson clone, a three-time Pro Bowler.

Ross is currently second in the FBS in touchdown receptions, despite his 5'10" height being a disadvantage in the red zone. His speed and route-running, which is only an amplified threat because of that same speed, is why he's so good in condensed space, and why he's ready-made for the NFL.

3. Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan

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Jabrill Peppers has been a known name since his recruiting days, but it wasn't until this year that he truly reached his full potential. According to Scout.com, Peppers was a 5-star recruit coming out of New Jersey, but as a cornerback, a position far from the safety and linebacker role he's played in recent years for the Wolverines.

He's a similar player to Myles Jack, who last year, despite questions regarding his knee injury, went off the board to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 36th overall pick. Peppers, just a 21-year-old, has recorded 16.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks, along with scoring as both a running back and a return man over the last two years.

If you discount the fact Peppers isn't forcing turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, he's exactly what you want from a hybrid linebacker in today's NFL. In terms of NFL transition, he's similar to Darron Lee, who despite playing in the slot instead of the box as a nickel defender, was drafted 20th overall by the New York Jets this past draft and has started three games as a rookie.

Many believe Peppers is going to go much higher than Lee did, though. Rob Rang of CBS Sports has him mocked as the fifth-overall pick, the same slot as Bleacher Report's own Ryan McCrystal, while CBS Sports' Dane Brugler has him slated as the eighth-overall pick.

A true off-the-ball linebacker hasn't been drafted in the top-10 since the Carolina Panthers selected Luke Kuechly in 2012. Peppers has a chance to reverse that trend. 

2. Mitch Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

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Three months ago, we had no idea what North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky was capable of. The redshirt junior came into the 2016 season throwing just 125 career passes over three years in Chapel Hill, which didn't give us much of a sample size outside of garbage time.

Trubisky was Marquise Williams' backup, who eventually earned the head job as soon as Williams graduated out of the program. For reference, Williams was a three-year starter who signed with both the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers this offseason as an undrafted free agent. He wasn't able to make it through final cuts in Green Bay.

In North Carolina's spread system, Trubisky has been able to post a 70.3 percent completion percentage, throw for 19 touchdowns and be intercepted just twice over nine games. The Tar Heels are 7-2, an amazing start for a program that hasn't had less than three losses in a season since 1997, when Mack Brown was the team's head coach.

Trubisky has a strong arm, a prototypical frame and is mobile, with NFL Draft Scout projecting him to run a 4.74-second 40-yard dash. In a lot of ways, he's like Ryan Tannehill, who wasn't named a starting quarterback at Texas A&M until later in his career, but showed promise, despite some deep ball accuracy questions.

With Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Miami's Brad Kaaya falling below the bar we set for them heading into 2016, and Notre Dame's Deshone Kizer leading the Irish to a 3-6 record and a second-half slump to the season, Trubisky has a shot to become the first quarterback off of the board in April. Bleacher Report's own Ryan McCrystal even projected the quarterback as the second overall player in his most recent mock, a giant rise from his off-the-radar status this offseason.

1. Jonathan Allen, DL/EDGE, Alabama

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Had Jonathan Allen declared for the NFL draft last season, there was a chance he would have been a first-round pick. According to Chris Low of ESPN.com, though, Allen received just a second-ground grade from the NFL's advisory board, which led to him returning to Alabama for another season.

The hybrid edge defender and interior defensive lineman plays different roles depending if the team is in a 4-3, 3-4 or nickel front. In some ways, he's similar to a player like the Seattle Seahawks' Michael Bennett in terms of his ability to play outside in on the defensive line.

After registering a career-high 38 tackles, seven sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss, Allen is on pace for a potential All-American season. He also continues to be face of the No. 1 Crimson Tide's defense, along with being consistently graded as the top senior prospect in the country.

Rob Rang of CBS Sports even mocked Allen to the Cleveland Browns as the first overall pick. That may be a little high, but Allen is a lock to come off the board in the first half of the first round in 2017, after being considered a Day 2 selection just a year ago.

According to NFL Draft Scout, Allen is going to measure in between 6'2" and 6'3" as a 291-pounder. While you may correlate that with a 5-technique or 3-technique lineman, there's a very good chance that in a 4-3 defense he plays base end and kicks inside to defensive tackle in nickel pass-rushing situations.

If you're looking at players in the NFL right now who compare favorably to what the 21-year-old's skill sets already are, look no further than the Detroit Lions' Kerry Hyder and the Atlanta Falcons' Adrian Clayborn.