There will be 259 prospects who will hear their name called at the 2023 NFL draft. There will be hundreds more that sign as undrafted free agents in the days after.
There are bound to be some prospects who are overlooked.
The NFL draft is one of the most interesting processes in sports. Teams will spend resources the entire calendar year to scout out players, identify team fits and narrow down their list. Despite all that work, there are surprise free agents every year.
Looking at this year's draft class there are already prospects that just don't seem to be getting enough respect.
The following prospects stand out as the most overlooked player at their respective position based on where they rank on the B/R big board as well as general placement in mock drafts.
Quarterback: QB Tanner McKee, Stanford
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 78
The top four quarterbacks in the draft are well-documented at this point. It's some order of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis.
It's the fifth quarterback who can generate plenty of controversy. For the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, it's Hendon Hooker. For the B/R Scouting Department, it's Stanford's Tanner McKee.
Hooker had a great seniors season at Tennessee, but he's already 25 years old and will be 26 before his rookie season is over. It's unclear how much more development there is for him and even if he pans out, he'll be 30 by the time his rookie contract is over.
McKee will turn 23 years old on Day 1 of the draft. He only had two seasons of starting experience at Stanford so there's more potential for development as he gets to the next level.
The 6'6", 231-pound quarterback isn't the kind of player that's built to generate buzz in the pre-draft process. His heavy feet and lack of mobility aren't going to wow anyone and he doesn't have a supercharged arm.
What he does have is a knack for making the right reads, processing both pre- and post-snap and throwing the ball accurately with anticipation.
Those aren't the kind of traits that generate clicks or sell tickets. They are the kind that you can win with, though.
He would be a great fit for a team that is going to run a throwback passing game with plenty of play-action and a good offensive line.
Running Back: Roschon Johnson, Texas
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 74
What if I told you that Bijan Robinson isn't the only NFL-caliber back from the Texas backfield?
Robinson has obviously captivated the attention of NFL teams and media alike. He's the top back in the class and has somewhat overshadowed a deep class of backs that should carve out roles in the NFL.
Essentially, the rest of the class is starting to understand the world of Roschon Johnson. The 6'0", 219-pound back was the second option to Keontay Ingram when he started his career at Texas and played second fiddle to Robinson in the latter half of his career.
He still managed to rack up 2,190 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground while showing some receiving skills with 56 catches and 420 yards through the air.
Johnson shows off toughness and physicality when running the ball. He ranked in the 100th percentile in missed tackles forced per attempt and the 92nd percentile in yards after contact grade, per Marcus Mosher of PFF.
As a prospect, Johnson is reminiscent of Tyler Allgeier. The BYU product was a big, bruising back that didn't go until the fifth round. He ended up being a 1,000-yard rusher in his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Johnson is the top candidate to do the same thing in 2023.
Wide Receiver: Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
B/R Big Board Rank: N/A
Going with a deep cut here. Somehow, a 6'2", 220-pound receiver with decent production in the SEC and elite athleticism has gone relatively unnoticed in this class.
Jonathan Mingo is one of just 12 prospects in this year's class to have a 9.9 or higher relative athletic score based on Kent Lee Platte's formula.
Mingo ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, has plenty of good blocking reps on his film and showed off some sudden burst in his route-running at the Senior Bowl.
The production wasn't great for Mingo at Ole Miss. He was second on the team in receiving with 51 receptions and 861 yards and five touchdowns, but Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was only a sophomore and is still refining his game.
Mingo is a player whose best days could happen in the league. At Ole Miss, he lined up in the slot and on the outside. There aren't many receivers who can be had on Day 3 of the draft with that kind of positional versatility.
Early on, Mingo's speed, willingness to block and size are going to make him a special teams contributor. However, he has a high ceiling and if he can get into the right system he is going to be a bully in the slot who can flex out wide when the situation calls for it.
Tight End: Sam LaPorta, Iowa
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 71
The tight end class is pretty strong this season. Michael Mayer is the crown jewel, but Dalton Kincaid and Darnell Washington could both crack the first round too.
That leaves Sam LaPorta lurking behind in the shadows of those three. He's actually the sixth tight end on Bleacher Report's big board, although his grade is just a tick below Oregon State's Luke Musgrave and South Dakota State's Tucker Kraft.
LaPorta likely gets overlooked because he doesn't have the traditional size of an in-line tight end. His 6'3", 245-pound frame combined with 18 bench press reps could have some writing him off as nothing more than an "F" move tight end.
However, as Derrik Klassen noted in his scouting report, LaPorta has room on his frame to add 5-10 pounds. He's also an above-average blocker who can operate in space or complete his assignment out of a three-point stance.
LaPorta's real potential is as a pass-catcher, though. He is a real threat after the catch with enough speed and power to turn short completions into big gains.
He might not have the prototypical size or the ability to attack as a slot receiver that some of his contemporaries do, but LaPorta is a good prospect with a high floor and ceiling.
Offensive Line: OT Blake Freeland, BYU
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 160
Finding functional offensive tackles in the league is not an easy task. The kind of athletes with the length and athleticism to fend off the quality of edge rushers in the league are not available just anywhere.
So when there's a 6'8", 302-pound tackle prospect who ran a sub 5.0 40-yard dash and set the record for vertical by an offensive lineman at 37", people should take notice.
Blake Freeland is not a mauler. If a team wants an earth-moving tackle who is going to bully people in the run game, then Freeland is not the guy. But Freeland can be a passable run blocker in a zone scheme and has serious potential at either tackle spot as a pass protector.
Freeland played 1,129 pass-blocking snaps through three years at BYU including one year as a right tackle and two years on the left. He gave up one sack, per PFF.
There are several tackles getting first and second-round buzz in this class. Paris Johnson Jr., Darnell Wright and Broderick Jones all have the potential to become Pro Bowl caliber players.
If Freeland catches on somewhere that's going to run a zone-heavy scheme and give him quality technical instruction to fix some of his technical flaws, he has the athleticism to be special.
Interior Defensive Line: Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 70
To carve out a role on the interior of the defensive line, a player must be at least average at stopping the run. If they want to become a Pro Bowl caliber player, they have to offer real pass-rush production.
Wisconsin's Keeanu Benton is good enough against the run to be considered a high-floor player. The 6'4", 309-pound tackle has the base and strength to be a run-stuffer who can play multiple alignments.
Benton's snaps along the Badgers line were just about evenly distributed between the A gap and B gap. He has the flexibility to be a one-gap nose tackle or a more traditional 3-technique.
The ceiling for Benton lies with his ability to become a good pass-rusher, though. At the Senior Bowl, Benton made an impression with an arsenal of pass rush moves that don't often show up on his Wisconsin film.
If he continues to develop those, Benton could wind up being one of the best defensive tackles in the draft. If he doesn't, he still projects as a consistent part of a good defensive tackle rotation.
His ability to play multiple alignments is going to make it highly unlikely that he becomes a bust. There's a lot of value in that as a defensive tackle.
Edge-Rusher: BJ Ojulari, LSU
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 20
BJ Ojulari hasn't gone overlooked by the B/R scouting department. They have him ranked as the 20th overall prospect based on Matt Holder's scouting report which compares him to the Miami Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips.
But that isn't a widely-held view. The LSU pass-rusher is 45th on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, which factors in 121 big boards across the industry.
What stands out about Ojulari is how polished he is despite being just 21 years old. He can rush the passer from multiple alignments and wins with speed and athleticism, but can also stunt inside and uses his hands well to create separation with blockers.
At least one scout has been effusive in his praise for Ojulari, per Jordan Schultz of The Score.
"It's all there. His bend and quickness. I think he's gonna be a star. He created havoc against quality SEC tackles. Quarterbacks feel his presence," the scout told Schultz.
Ojulari doesn't have eye-popping box score stats. He had just 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss last season. But George Karlaftis has the third-most sacks of any rookie last season and he only notched 4.5 sacks in his final season at Purdue.
Expect Ojulari's to be a better pro than his stats at LSU would indicate.
Off-Ball Linebacker: Daiyan Henley, Washington State
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 98
Daiyan Henley's collegiate career started at Nevada where he saw the field as a freshman playing wide receiver and returning kicks for the Wolfpack. He caught three touchdowns.
After two years he transitioned to the defensive side of the ball and found a home at linebacker by his fourth season. So while Henley is on the older side as a 23-year-old prospect, there's an argument to be made that he's still learning the linebacker position.
That's impressive because he already plays it pretty well. Henley became more productive every season, eventually finishing up at Washington State where he had over 100 tackles with four sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
In space, Henley still looks like a wide receiver at times. He is strong in man coverage and shouldn't have a problem manning up opposing tight ends.
Henley is small for the position. At 225 pounds, it's easy to see why Nevada tried him at defensive back before moving him up to linebacker, but he only had five missed tackles last season, per PFF.
His ability to play as a Sam or Will linebacker in base 4-3 sets with the ability to cover man-to-man or be utilized as a blitzer makes him a candidate to be drafted much higher than people think.
He's a useful tool in a modern defense, even if he isn't your traditional thumper against the run.
Cornerback: CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 55
Emmanuel Forbes is a playmaker. Plain and simple.
Many will get caught up in the fact that Forbes weighed in at the combine at just 166 pounds. He was the lightest non-specialist in Indianapolis. But "14" is a much more important number when it comes to Forbes.
That's how many interceptions he had over three years at Mississippi State. He returned six of those for touchdowns.
Forbes is a skinny corner, but he also comes with the blazing speed and athleticism you'd like to see in a smaller player. He posted a 4.35 40-yard dash and a 37.5" vertical.
He also doesn't let his stature keep him from playing aggressively against the run.
His greatest strength might be his instincts. He does a great job of making pre-snap reads and getting early breaks on the ball, helping him rack up all those interceptions and touchdown returns.
The odds of a smart, athletic player like him becoming a steal are a lot higher than the odds he becomes a bust because he doesn't have the prototypical bulk for a corner.
Safety: Jammie Robinson, Florida State
B/R Big Board Rank: 91
This isn't a safety group that's generated a lot of buzz in general. There are only three who are even in the Top 75 of Bleacher Report's big board.
Once you get out of that range there's another tier that includes Jammie Robinson, who deserves a little more hype than he's getting.
At 5'11", 191 pounds, Robinson is on the smaller side for a traditional box safety, but he brings that kind of physicality to the table. He showed the versatility to play in several alignments at Florida State.
He was primarily a slot defender at the beginning of his career. He spent two seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Florida State, but he transitioned into more of a safety role as his career went on. Last season, he played 352 alignments deep, per PFF.
He was good in that role, giving up just one touchdown on the season.
This class has a lot of box safeties who aren't good enough in man coverage to play a slot role or fast enough to play deep. Robinson has the skill set to do all three. He might not be a game-changer in any one of those roles, but the ability to do all three is the kind of flexibility and versatility that is going to make him a quality starter for a long time.
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