The 2017 NFL Draft class runs deep with talent at many key positions, so it’s only natural some of the best players aren’t getting enough positive press.
Among them is a quarterback from Cal who is rarely mentioned among the top in this year’s draft class — shades of the 2005 draft class maybe? — and the younger brother of an NFL star.
We’ve already covered a group of prospects getting more hype than they deserve. These upcoming players deserve more respect than they are currently getting. They’ll end up making a big difference for the team’s that draft them, despite not being as hyped as some of their peers.
1. Davis Webb, quarterback, Cal
Let’s just start by saying we’re not in any way suggesting Webb is going to be as good as Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is in a class all by himself these days as the best the NFL has to offer. That out of the way, we will say Webb is being overlooked in much the same way Rodgers was when he came out of Cal Berkley before the 2005 NFL Draft.
While the likes of Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes are getting all the publicity, Webb remains very underappreciated on a national level. And he’ll likely watch most of them get selected before him on draft day, much like Rodgers, who watched Alex Smith get selected before him in 2005.
It’s understandable, to a degree. He only started one season for the Bears, which utilized a somewhat gimmicky offense. Before that, he had some huge games at Texas Tech his first two seasons as a collegiate athlete but didn’t play an entire campaign in either of them.
Last year, Webb threw for 4,295 yards with 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He is built like an NFL passer (6-foot-5, 229 pounds) and has some serious confidence to back up an NFL-caliber arm. He recently said teams have been telling him he’s a first-round prospect, but we’ll have to wait and see if that does come true.