For a long time, Oakland Raiders OLB Khalil Mack was underrated.
It all started when he was not-so heavily recruited out of high school. Then once he went to the University of Buffalo, his rating for EA Sports’ NCAA Football 11 was 46 out of 99. Mack would choose to wear the uniform number 46 as a motivational reminder in college.
After dominating college football to become a top NFL prospect, he was still underrated. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock is one of the few that saw that Mack as the best prospect in 2014. Most of the media found a seat on the Jadeveon Clowney hype train.
The Houston Texans, who picked No. 1 overall in 2014, were also on the hype train, and picked him. But once Mack started playing in the NFL, he would no longer be underrated. His rookie season, He was looked at as a future dominant player despite the fact he had only four sacks.
He was recognized for being among the leagues leaders in quarterback pressures and a dominant run defender. Then in Year 2, he made the big jump with 15 sacks and was an All-Pro at defensive end and outside linebacker. Now, there’s a lot of debate over whether or not Mack could get to 20 sacks.
Turn the page to see why I believe he will.
Next: Another Year Under His Belt