20 NFL Draft prospects who deserve more respect

Readers can find Dillard on just about every first-round mock draft, but he should be ranked in the T\top 10. He's largely regarded as the best pass-blocking tackle in this class and may turn into the best offensive linemen from this draft as well.

The Irish defensive lineman has seen his draft stock rise in recent weeks, but it still isn't where it could be. Tillery should be mentioned among the elite defensive tackles in the class. NFL.com projects him to be an immediate starter in the NFL.

Part of the disrespect for Jacobs is the position he plays. Plus, since he isn't on the same level as Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott, so many have written him off as not a great back. But NFL.com ranks him as the 14th-best player in the draft. Someone with that type of talent should be a first-round pick.

At wide receiver, D.K. Metcalf and Parris Campbell have stolen many of the headlines because of their NFL combine performances. But Brown belongs in the top tier of wideouts for this class too. He averaged 18.3 yards per catch at Oklahoma, and his speed gives him a shot to be the most impactful receiver from this draft.

Similar to Jacobs, Abram received a first-round grade, but because of the nature of his position, he might not hear his name called in the first round. Abram is best at run defending, but he's the best safety in this class.

Risner isn't considered a great athlete, so other less accomplished offensive tackles are ranked ahead of him in mock drafts. But at NFL.com, he is ranked third among tackles just behind Andre Dillard. Risner will be a steal if he slips to the second round.

The fact Winovich is already 24 is why he's probably slipping into the third round in most mock drafts. But Winovich is an elite athlete, and he produced 13.5 sacks with 34.5 tackles for loss during his last two years at Michigan.

Ya-Sin appears to have the skills to be a "disruptive press-man cornerback" in the NFL, but he seems to be ranked lower on draft boards because he only played one year of FBS football. NFL.com ranks Ya-Sin as the fourth-best cornerback in the draft.

Samuel has probably been rightfully slotted as a second-round selection, but there isn't much of a drop-off between the top-ranked receivers (Metcalf and Campbell) and him. Samuel posted 62 catches for 882 receiving yards last year.

Walker is a little undersized for an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he's quick and was highly productive at Georgia. Walker will be a high-quality pick for a team in the second round, and there's a good chance he has a better career than some of the edge rushers who go ahead of him.

Finley doesn't have the look of a franchise quarterback, but he still has a chance to put together a long NFL career. He is probably the most intelligent signal-caller in this class, and he displayed strong accuracy in college. Finley will be a quality NFL backup and put his team in position to win when he plays.

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein compared Montgomery to Kareem Hunt. While I'm not one to buy a whole lot into pre-draft player comparisons, that should say a lot. If Montgomery can do even half of the things Hunt did while in Kansas City, Montgomery will be a great value pickup on Day 2 of the draft.

Similar to Dillard and Risner, McGary is not getting his due among the other tackles. Many consider Jawaan Taylor and Greg Little to be the top tackles in this draft, but the rankings at NFL.com have Dillard, Risner and McGary all ahead of Little. McGary will be a high-quality late-first or second-round pick.

Collier doesn't wow scouts like the other elite pass rushers in this class, but Collier has the qualities to become an NFL starting 4-3 defensive end. His size and strength will make him a value second-round selection.

Following the top five receivers in this class, the next tier has a lot of wideouts who are mostly interchangeable. Consider Arcega-Whiteside, who led college football with the highest Pro Football Focus receiver grade, near the top of that next crop.

Devin White and Devin Bush have garnered so much attention as the top two linebackers in this class, Wilson hasn't received much love. But Wilson is the next best inside linebacker in this draft, and he's hardly a consolation prize. There probably isn't as much of a drop-off between Wilson and the two Devins as originally advertised.

It's weird to see three Alabama players on a list essentially for underrated players. But the same as Wilson, Smith is widely ranked third at a position where the draft experts have determined the top two players are better than everyone else — T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. But actually at NFL.com, Smith is considered the second-best tight end of this class.

After Abram, there are about five other players who could be the next safety off the draft board this year. Savage should be the leading candidate for the next safety taken, though, as he has some of the best coverage skills and closing speed at the position in this class.

Ozigbo may be the only player on our list who won't even be drafted by the end of Day 2. He's already the only guy who wasn't invited to the NFL combine, but teams who pass on him may regret it. Ozigbo was highly productive in college, and he could become one of the biggest sleepers of this draft.

Pro Football Focus gave Jenkins a first-round grade, but the earliest he's going in any mock draft from NFL.com is 31st overall. Jenkins is equally strong in run blocking and pass protection, making him one of the best options at center in this class.