Prospects lost in the hype

Simply put, draft season is a roller coaster. A roller coaster of film study, mock drafts, rankings, and testing. These elements join forces to create what is known as hype season.

Hype season takes place from February (specifically the start of the NFL Scouting Combine), up until the start of the draft. It allows for many prospects to skyrocket up draft boards with strong testing. Players like John Ross can go from a fringe first-round selection to a top 10 pick with a record-breaking 40-time.

While hype season can really benefit prospects, others that may have started high on rankings can get lost in the fold if they don't do eye-popping things in shorts throughout the winter.

Here are a few prospects you may need a refresher about that got lost in the fold.

Iowa State RB David Montgomery

Montgomery was the consensus RB2 only behind Alabama RB Josh Jacobs early on in the draft process.

His well-rounded game and proven production at Iowa State made him a likely late first or early second round selection but throughout hype season he has taken a step back on rankings. That is largely thanks to the rising stock of Penn State RB Miles Sanders and Memphis RB Darrell Henderson.

While the hype in Sanders and Henderson is easily justified, Montgomery still belongs in that tier.

He was virtually impossible to take down in 2018. Montgomery led all FBS running backs in forced missed tackles with 99 forced missed tackles.

The former Cyclone is also a dependable receiver, averaging over 7 yards per reception every year including 9.9 and 8.2 YPR his first two seasons.

NC State WR Kelvin Harmon

Receiver prospects are the biggest beneficiary of hype season. Especially fast ones. One prospect that had to take a back seat to other rising stars was NC State WR Kelvin Harmon.

Parris Campbell and Mecole Hardman ran a blazing 40-time. Calvin Johnson compared Hakeem Butler to himself. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside developed a cult following around the draft universe. D.K. Metcalf tested like a cyborg.

All of these prospects created buzz around them throughout the testing period, overshadowing Harmon.

Regardless, whoever selects Harmon is getting a reliable, big target down the field. The NC State product gets a lot of comparisons to Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery with his ability to go up and make plays with a big catch radius.

Harmon made 17 contested catches in his final collegiate season. Quarterbacks have a 118.4 QBR when targeting him and he had more 1st down conversions and touchdowns than any ACC receiver.

Delaware S Nasir Adderley 

Nasir Adderley was part of the early draft hype with a strong showing on Senior Bowl weekend in Mobile but since the likes of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Darnell Savage, and Juan Thornhill have gotten the publicity at safety.

Adderley should still be an early pick this weekend. He had the highest coverage grade from Pro Football Focus of any safety prospect.

With the ability to cover any position and apply punishing blows as a hitter, someone could get a steal early in the second round if Gardner-Johnson and Savage rise up the board.

These players were ranked high early on for a reason. Early rankings are based on film alone.

Testing should compliment the film, perhaps forcing scouts to go back and re-evaluate a prospect's film based on strong testing. But the film should be what dictates a players stock and for these three players, the film should not be forgotten.

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