Prisco's 2017 NFL Draft Better-Than Team: 20 guys I like more than the scouts do

Prisco's 2017 NFL Draft Better-Than Team: 20 guys I like more than the scouts do

Texas A&M's 'other' DE headlines a list of guys who have draft steal written all over them

By Pete Prisco

Scouts kept telling me about the "other" end at Texas A&M, the guy not named Myles Garrett, the guy who won't go in the first round.

"He isn't Garrett, but he's a damn good player," one NFC personnel man said.

So I took a look -- a long, hard look at Daeshon Hall, the Aggies' other end.

What I saw was a raw prospect, one who didn't play football until his junior year of high school because he was a basketball player. Hall is a player who has the tools to be a starting end in the NFL and one who can slide inside on passing downs.

He doesn't have Garrett's athletic ability, but who does? Yet he's more than capable of pushing the pocket. At nearly 6-foot-6 and 266 pounds, he has the frame to add more weight and become an even better player against the run. He has also played standing up, which might be attractive to to 3-4 teams.

When you put in his tape, you see a player who can make plays. He had 13 tackles for a loss last season to go with his 4.5 sacks. Some will say that production isn't good enough playing opposite Garrett, who got a lot of attention, but it's no different than saying Garrett's 8.5 sacks aren't good enough either.

Hall needs seasoning -- and he will get it on the next level -- but the clay is there to mold him into a 10-sack guy and certainly a rotation player early in his career. When a kid succeeds after moving from the basketball to football late in high school, that says a lot about his athletic ability.

He has added 65 pounds the past few seasons, which can be a challenge, but one Hall has met.


All of this is why he's the captain of my annual Better-Than Team, a 20-man team of players I think scouts are under-valuing. Some will still be first-round picks, but most will go on the second or third day.

As captain, Hall joins a group from my past teams who have had big-time professional success, including Jason Pierre-Paul, Bennie Logan, Lavonte David, Grady Jarrett, Sean Davis and Dak Prescott -- six quality NFL starters. Here's my 2016 team , in case you want to see what I got right and wrong.
Hall has a lot to live up to with that group. Now for the rest of the team.

Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
At 5-9, 175 pounds, he doesn't have great size to be a 25-carry player. But he can be an outstanding back in the passing game and can handle 10-12 carries as a change-of-pace guy. He broke a lot of Marshall Faulk's records at San Diego State and is the all-time leading rusher in FBS history. Don't get caught up in his size. He will be a nice NFL player.

Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama
Playing on a talented defense, which included Jonathan Allen playing opposite him, Tomlinson was sometimes overlooked. He is a power player at 6-3, 310 pounds who has a good feel in the run game but needs work with his pass rush. He isn't Allen, but he will be a good, solid NFL player.

Kevin King, CB, Washington
Long before it became chic to mention King as a possible first-round pick, I loved his game. He is long, athletic and physical. He doesn't back down. He isn't great in short areas all the time, but I think that will improve as he gets coached up better. He would be perfect for a team like Seattle.

Curtis Samuel, RB-WR, Ohio State
He was a running back last season, but I see him more as a receiving weapon on the next level. He caught 74 passes in 2016 as a back. He will be able to play in the slot in the NFL, but he can also be a runner. His versatility will make him attractive, and he can fly with a 40 time of 4.31. At 5-10, 196 pounds, he will be a game changer on the next level.

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