Twenty years ago, just for fun, I started picking four to five "sleepers" in the NFL draft. I'd look for players who were considered either too small or too slow, or maybe they came from a tiny school, but they were players I felt had a chance to make it in pro football.

Every time I watched an All-Star game, I'd look for that guy from, say, Mt. Union or Liberty and jot down his name. That's how Cecil Shorts (Mt. Union, 2011) and Rashad Jennings (Liberty, 2008) wound up on my list of sleepers. One of my first sleepers was Akron's Jason Taylor who was considered too skinny (6-6, 235) to make it as a defensive lineman in the NFL. He was just voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Other sleepers who made it in the NFL include: Dexter Coakley, linebacker from Appalachian State; Pat Tillman, safety from Arizona State; Tim Dwight, kick returner from Iowa; Patrick Crayton, receiver from Northwestern Oklahoma and Brandon Williams, defensive tackle from Missouri Southern. Two others play for the Eagles: running back Darren Sproles who fell to the fourth round of the 2005 draft because of his size and tackle Jason Peters, who went undrafted after playing tight end at Arkansas.

It is a mixed bag: a lot of small college guys but also players from bigger schools who aren't as well known. I look for hidden gems but the pro scouts find them, too. For example, I thought Lofa Tatupu, the linebacker from Southern Cal, was a sleeper in 2005, but Seattle drafted him in the second round and he became a Pro Bowler. Same thing with Jordy Nelson, a wide receiver from Kansas State. I thought he would be a late third- or-fourth-round pick. Instead, Green Bay selected him in the second round and he is Aaron Rodgers' favorite target.

Of course, for every Darren Sproles or Brandon Williams, there is a Jacob Ford (defensive end, Central Arkansas) or a Terdell Sands (defensive tackle, Tennessee-Chattanooga) who vanish without a trace, so this is very much a hit or miss exercise. Still, it is fun to throw these darts every year and see if any of them stick. Here (in alphabetical order) are my five sleepers for the 2017 draft:

Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio, 6-3/269

Small-college edge rusher with speed. He has experience playing in a two-point stance and also with his hand on the ground. Very quick off the ball. He dominated in the MAC, but the question is how will he handle the jump to the NFL? In the last two seasons, he had 17 sacks and 26 tackles for losses. Stays low, gets off blocks. He would probably be a better fit in a 3-4 defense.

Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama, 6-3/239

Climbing draft boards in what most scouts agree is a strong tight end draft. Shows quick feet going in and out of his breaks. Uses his body well getting position on defenders in tight quarters. Ran faster than expected (4.6 in the 40) at the combine. Always gets yards after the catch. Impressed in the 2016 opener against Mississippi State when he caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic, 6-4/266

Viewed by some as a tweener, but I think he can play either end in a 4-3 or linebacker in a 3-4. Very impressive at the East-West Shrine game, where he was voted outstanding defensive player. Plays the run pretty well, but he will be drafted as a pass rusher. Uses his hands well to defeat blockers. Excellent speed for his size (4.6 in the 40). Had 23 sacks the last two seasons.

Lorenzo Jerome, S, St. Francis (Pa.), 5-10/204

Comes from a tiny school in Western Pennsylvania, but he will hear his name called on draft weekend. It probably will be on Day 3, which means he won't get a hug from Roger Goodell, but he will be drafted by a team looking for help in the secondary. You can scoff at his 18 career interceptions -- it's St. Francis, I get it -- but Jerome had two picks and a forced fumble in the Senior Bowl playing against the Division I studs. The kid can play.

Joe Williams, RB, Utah, 5-11/210

A fascinating case because he quit football two weeks into the 2016 season, disappeared for a month then came back to play in the final seven games where he rushed for 1,332 yards and 10 touchdowns. Runs with speed (4.41) and power. At the combine, he told the NFL execs he walked away from football because he was dealing with the death of his younger sister. How the teams factor that into their evaluation of Williams is hard to say but what he put on tape in those last seven games is very impressive.