The NFL draft is pretty different from the NBA's in that you can find good players pretty far down. That doesn't happen as often in the NBA; later first round picks may or may not stick and second rounders are a total crap shoot.
So for Duke's Connor Vernon, being projected as a mid-to-late round pick isn't that much of a concern. What matters more are his workouts and his recent references from Peyton and Eli Manning, who both said he has significant potential on the next level.