NFL Mock Draft 2017: Projections for Most Underrated 1st-Round Prospects

Even with the 2017 NFL draft right around the corner, we still don't have an exact idea of which players are going to be taken in the first round. We know the big names at the top—Myles Garrett, Jamal Adams, Malik Hooker, Leonard Fournette—but the bottom half of Round 1 is still a pretty big mystery.

Much will obviously depend on what happens at the top of the round. However, a lot is also going to depend on which currently underrated prospects see their stock suddenly rise just before the draft.

Here, we're going to examine some of these underrated first-round prospects. We'll be looking at players who either haven't been in the first-round conversation as much as they should be or who simply aren't getting the attention they deserve. We'll also run down the latest draft order and mock picks for each team based on factors like player potential, prospect stock, team needs and team fit.

2017 NFL Mock Draft

Pick	NFL Team	Proj. Selection
1	Cleveland Browns	Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2	San Francisco 49ers	Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford
3	Chicago Bears	Jamal Adams, S, LSU
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
5	Tennessee Titans (from LAR)	Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
6	New York Jets	Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
7	Los Angeles Chargers	Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
8	Carolina Panthers	Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
10	Buffalo Bills	Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
11	New Orleans Saints	Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
12	Cleveland Browns (from PHI)	Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina
13	Arizona Cardinals	Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
14	Philadelphia Eagles (from MIN)	Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
15	Indianapolis Colts	Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
16	Baltimore Ravens	O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
17	Washington Redskins	Chris Wormley, DL, Michigan
18	Tennessee Titans	Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
20	Denver Broncos	Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky
21	Detroit Lions	Takkarist McKinley, LB, UCLA
22	Miami Dolphins	Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
23	New York Giants	David Njoku, TE, Miami
24	Oakland Raiders	Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut
25	Houston Texans	Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
26	Seattle Seahawks	Garett Bolles, OT, Utah
27	Kansas City Chiefs	John Ross, WR, Washington
28	Dallas Cowboys	Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29	Green Bay Packers	Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
30	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
31	Atlanta Falcons	Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State
32	New Orleans Saints (from NE)	Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

Underrated Prospects to Watch

Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes are likely sending two of the draft's top defenders to the top of Round 1. Safety Malik Hooker and cornerback Marshon Lattimore are near certain to be two of the first defensive backs off the board.

However, fellow Ohio State product Gareon Conley should also be a first-round pick, and he hasn't been getting nearly enough attention.

"He's not as good as the other cornerback (Marshon Lattimore), but he's a good corner. If he measures over 6-foot and runs in the low 4.4s he will come off the board on Thursday night," one NFL scout told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein before the scouting combine.

Conley did indeed run a 4.44-second 40 at the combine, and he's continued to check the boxes through the draft process.

Whichever team drafts Conley will be getting a physical 6'0", 195-pound corner with ball skills. Last season, he picked off four passes and defended an additional eight. Pro Football Focus (PFF College) rated him 28th overall among all corners for the year.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, many scouts believe Conley is only a slight notch below Lattimore:

However, we just haven't heard as much about Conley during the draft process. Expect that to change down the home stretch. He ultimately could end up as the second cornerback off the board.

Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

Michigan product Taco Charlton hasn't been getting nearly enough attention as a possible first-round pick. Yes, he had consistency issues in college, but he is still a physical 6'6", 227-pound defender with athleticism.

Last season at Michigan, Charlton amassed 42 tackles, 10.0 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss.

While Charlton ran a disappointing 4.92-second 40 at the combine, he did manage to improve his time at Michigan's pro day.

“4.7 range, 4.80, 4.7 range, that was something that I definitely improved on and definitely wanted to do," Charlton said, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.

In a draft with less depth and top-end talent on defense, Charlton might be considered a top-10 pick. However, pass-rushers like Garrett, Takkarist McKinley and Jonathan Allen seem to have pushed Charlton into an area of relative obscurity.

Whichever team lands Charlton will be getting a guy whose track speed doesn't accurately reflect his playing speed. According to Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus, Charlton had the highest pass-rush productivity on pressures that made it to the quarterback in less than 2.5 seconds.

This means that not only can Charlton get to the quarterback quickly, he can be efficient when he does so. You'd think this would make Charlton a popular prospect leading up to the draft, but he's somehow been just one of those "other guys" in the first-round conversation. He ends up being drafted before the end of Day 1.

Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC

Former USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson is beginning to pick up steam as a possible first-round pick. However, he is a prospect who should have been there all along. He's a bit undersized at 5'10" and 186 pounds, but he really is a quality cover corner.

Last season, Jackson picked off five passes and defended another 11. Pro Football Focus rated him 25th overall among all college cornerbacks for the season.

Size is likely why Jackson hasn't been getting a ton of buzz as a possible first-rounder until now, but that doesn't quite make sense. Jackson can do a lot more than just defend the pass. He's one of the top return specialists in this draft.

In 2016, Jackson averaged 29.5 yards per kickoff return, while scoring twice. He also averaged 15.75 yards per punt return, scoring twice there as well.

Yet, as a return man, Jackson has largely been overshadowed by Michigan's Jabrill Peppers. Now, at 5'11" and 13 pounds, Peppers isn't exactly undersized to play safety, but some teams view him as an undersized linebacker. Even if you don't view Peppers as a linebacker and as more of a hybrid defender, it's hard to argue that he had one standout position in college. Jackson definitely did.

Whichever team lands Jackson will be getting a starting-caliber cornerback (and who doesn't want one of those) and potentially a Pro Bowl return man as well. My prediction is that he slips into the bottom of Round 1 before the opening night of the draft is over.