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5 Underrated NFL Prospects to Watch

Kyron SamuelsBy Updated:No Comments8 Mins Read
5 Underrated NFL Prospects
Tucker Kraft TE 85 SDSU Athletics

5 Underrated Prospects To Watch

Bryce Young, Jalen Carter, CJ Stroud, and Will Anderson- we all know these names and how great they are. Surefire prospects that have more than earned their reputations. I want to give some love to the guys that have been playing at a very good to elite level and aren’t getting nearly the love they deserve. From P5’s to FCS, there are a lot of gems that we all may have missed. As draft evals get underway and we begin to dive deeper into prospects, bowl season will prove to be pivotal for those players that may have gone a bit under the radar. On the other hand, there will be a huge crop of guys that choose to opt out of bowl season altogether. Risk versus reward will always factor in here. My personal belief? Have a great team around you and make the best choice for yourself. Ultimately, the guys that opt out will begin getting their evals and draft grades back soon. Here are some of my favorite prospects that you may not know much about yet.

Nick Herbig 6’2 230 EDGE (Wisconsin): 

Admittedly, Herbig is a bit of a tweener size wise. He doesn’t have the greatest measurables, and it remains to be seen just how well he will test. His athleticism & explosiveness jump off the screen on tape, but you never truly know how a prospect will perform in a combine/pro day kind of setting. The good thing is, the tape is so good it shouldn’t matter. What he does well has and always will be a commodity at the next level. In my opinion, he’s easily a top three pass rusher in this draft. Again, other guys have better frames, but his understanding of the game, natural ability, and array of tools set him apart from most of the pass rushers in this class. The on field production was outstanding to say the least. Herbig registered 108 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, and 20 sacks in the last two seasons. His 11 sacks this past season was the second most in all of college football. While getting after the quarterback is definitely his strong suit, he is more than capable as run defender. Will that translate to the league? Who knows. I believe when a team takes him, it’ll be to go get the quarterback on 3rd downs. Most people will just focus on the size concerns and he may fall a bit for it, but the team that takes him won’t be disappointed.

Jonathan Mingo 6’2 225 WR (Ole Miss):

Mingo is mainly going under the radar due to injury in previous years. Injury concerns are fair here, but he’s coming off a full season in 2022 and you saw the raw ability flash in a major way. The other concern personnel departments may have is with his speed. Look, he’s not a burner by any means, but how many guys are at 6’2 225? He’ll have as much to gain as any prospect in this draft if he can pull a 4.4 40 out in pre draft testing. While he may not show crazy speed on tape, he shows PLENTY of athleticism- almost freakish at times. For a college guy, you can tell he really focuses on perfecting his craft. For his size, he’s a very fluid and detailed route runner. Another thing I love about him as a prospect is how physical he is and how easily he makes contested catches. That’s a trait that has more times than not translated to the next level. The production, on paper, may leave a little to be desired. However, that is mainly due to being out of games than the production in the games where he’s on the field. He finished the 2022 campaign with 48 receptions, 808 yards, and 6 total TD’s. A damn good year in an offense that ran for over 3100 yards. He’ll make a team very happy day 2.

Tucker Kraft 6’5 255 TE (South Dakota State):

Kraft is projected as a top 50-75 player in most football circles. That still feels to undervalue him a bit to me. If he was at a P5 school, he’d be a first round lock. Not too much to say evaluation wise to be quite honest. Kraft is a prototype tight end body and the tape matches the measurables. He is nasty at the point of attack as a blocker. He’s big and strong enough to get dirty and be a puller on down lineman. He’s also nimble and athletic enough to be a dominant blocker on the outside against DB’s. Over the last two seasons, he’s accumulated 90 catches, over a thousand yards, 9 TD’s, and 12.2 yards per reception. The floor is incredibly high and the upside is ridiculously high as well. I’m not one to make crazy pro comps, so I won’t, but he’s the most exciting tight end prospect for me in a while. Instant impact for a team in need.

Colby Wooden 6’5 285 IDL (Auburn):
5 underrated NFL prospects
Colby Wooden IDL 25 Sports Illustrated
Wooden is a guy that has gone greatly under the radar for some odd reason. This is probably due to Auburn’s lack of team success in recent years, which leads to less eyes on the product. It’s still almost laughable that a guy with his frame, ability, & production isn’t more heralded as a prospect. At 6’5 284 pounds, he’s built in the same mold as a Chris Jones/Deforest Buckner. Not saying he’s either one of those guys, but just painting the picture of what guys in that frame are doing at the next level. His last two seasons? 106 tackles, 11 sacks, 5 PBU’s, 3 FF’s, & 2 FR’s. That level of production as a 3 tech in the SEC usually gets you in the 1st round. As for his ability, he has great initial burst & GREAT hands. Those two gifts can carry an interior DL a very long way, Who knows how high he can rise during the pre-draft process, but for now, he’s as underrated of a prospect as there is in this class.
Braeden Daniels 6’4 300 OL (Utah):
Daniels is one of my favorite prospects in this years draft. Prototype size. Solid technician. More importantly, he’s just a physical football player. There’s nothing fancy here. There’s no freak athletic ability (although he is a good one). There’s not necessarily dominant power on display when you watch the tape. What’s clear is an incredible & consistent level of effort that not many other players, regardless of position, can say they play the game with. Multiple publications consistently graded him out as one of the best lineman in the PAC12. He’s also incredibly versatile. Over those course of his career as a Ute, he’s started games at both tackle spots as well as right guard. That adaptability will one hundred percent aid in his rise a prospect. He’s a guy that I believe can make drastic leaps in the public eye at the Senior Bowl in Mobile come February. Regardless of where he ends up playing at the next level, you’re getting a very good one.

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Former All-OVC Guard of THE Jacksonville State Gamecocks & Former All-Arena C/G of the Baltimore Brigade & Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League.

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