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5 Safe Draft Picks (With Upside) That May Surprise You

5 Safe Draft Picks (With Upside) That May Surprise You

A handful of surprising locks to achieve success in the NFL relative to or greater than their draft position.

Mar 8, 2018 by Kolby Paxton
Courtland Sutton: Leadership Exemplified

Drafting college prospects is anything but an exact science, but some players are a surer bet than others — and it doesn’t take drafting Saquon Barkley to find one of them.

The following five guys are virtual locks to achieve success in the NFL relative to or greater than their draft position — and some of them may surprise you.

Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State

Gesicki isn’t going to line up and bang as a blocker in the running game the way you might like, but that’s a small price to pay in exchange for the best pass catcher at the position.

The Penn State product had an outstanding combine — a 4.54-second 40-yard dash, 41.5-inch vertical leap, and 22 reps on the bench for a player who was said to lack a little upper-body strength — and is an absolute matchup nightmare.

He’s Evan Engram on a bad day.

Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida

Hughes’ stock will take a hit purely as a result of a lack of tape. He transferred after playing sparingly during his freshman year at North Carolina, then shined for much of his lone season at UCF. But that’s all you get for evaluation. One season.

So how’s that safe?

By virtually all accounts, Hughes is a first-round talent by every other quantitative measurable. He’s a little on the small side, but 20 reps on the bench registered near the top of his position group and serve as a nice complement to his outstanding speed and athleticism.

Absolute worst-case scenario, Hughes is a pain-in-the-ass nickelback and an elite return man at the next level.

Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State

Vander Esch reminds me of Brian Urlacher and I don’t care who knows it.

The 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year has a long frame that he continues to fill out coupled with outstanding athleticism for the position. He’s a killer both in the box and in space with sideline-to-sideline range and good-to-great closing speed.

He actually tested a little slower than expected at 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, but his 4.15 20-yard shuttle more than made up for it.

Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

Maybe it’s a cop-out to include the dude who should be the first wideout off the board, but it just kind of feels like Sutton may be sliding behind guys like Calvin Ridley, DJ Moore, and even DJ Chark in terms of hype and perception.

That would be a mistake — and not because Ridley or Moore or Chark can’t be good pros, but because Sutton is going to be a soul-crushing miss.

His 4.54 40-yard dash was an excellent moment for a guy some thought would test slow. But his 6.57 three-cone drill showed an explosiveness while changing direction that you just don’t see from a guy his size.

Sutton has phenomenal hands with a little Michael Irvin to him in the way that he uses his big frame as an asset on contested balls. He’s also a natural leader whose college production — while solid — was suppressed by a below average quarterback.

Godwin Igwebuike, S, Northwestern

Igwebuike won’t be coming off the board in round one… or two… or maybe even three.

But he should be.

The Northwestern product crushed the NFL Combine — including a 10.81 60-yard shuttle that nearly broke the position record — and has the tape to back it up. At 5-foot-11, 213 pounds, he could also translate as a freakishly athletic 3-4 outside linebacker.

Igwebuike clocked a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash, but his college reputation was that of a heat-seeking missile who displayed absolutely no fear in attacking downhill against the run. Give me Igwebuike and case of Serious Mass and let’s go to work.