Many front offices did a very good job in the 2021 draft in a year of uncertainty with opt-outs and crazy schedules in college football. There are a ton of good picks I can talk about in every round but I’m going to narrow it down to one pick in every round. The chosen selections in this article are picks that have good value, fill a need, fit schemes, and have high upside.
1st Round: Justin Fields, CHI
I’m not the most experienced scout in the world, But in my 3 years or so of studying prospects, Fields was the second-best QB I’ve evaluated only behind Trevor Lawrence. Obviously not every team shares that opinion which is why he fell to 11 but reportedly a quarter of the league had Fields as their #1 QB. Getting this kind of talent at the Quarterback position this late is absolutely unheard of and I doubt this type of talent will ever make it this far again, which is why I think the Bears hit a home run with this pick. Fields has an amazing combination of size, arm strength, accuracy, and athleticism that comes with a very high upside. Fields has the opportunity to come in and start early for the Bears, and make a lot of front offices look bad for passing on him.
2nd Round: Asante Samuel Jr, LAR
Darious Williams was one of the league’s biggest breakout stars in 2020 for the Rams opposite of Jalen Ramsey and making a ton of big plays for Brandon Staley’s defense. Asante Samuel who is 5’10” is comparable to the 5’9″ Williams and will play a similar role in the same defense. Samuel is an even better athlete than Williams and has excellent quickness and ability to change the direction which will help him convert zone to man which is critical in this scheme. Many teams likely saw him as a slot corner due to his size and passed on him for it but Staley is clearly not bothered by it. The value here is excellent and I expect Samuel to dominate in this scheme.
3rd Round: Ben Cleveland, BAL
Ben Cleveland’s blue-collar makeup makes him an instant fit for the Ravens and is probably one of the reasons they liked him. The Ravens’ interior offensive line was a huge issue last season after Marshall Yanda retired and they waited until the 3rd round to address it and landed a 2nd round player doing so. Not only was Cleveland great value, but he also fits perfectly into the Ravens diverse run game that features a lot of power and gap runs, where Cleveland’s mauling ability and athleticism to pull can be on full display. He should also help the Ravens establish their zone running game more that was a huge part of their 2019 success. Cleveland has concerns in pass pro but has a great anchor which will be aided with the amount of play-action the Ravens run in their passing game. Bozeman was fine at left guard last year, but he will now likely kick inside, with Cleveland starting at left guard.
4th Round: Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET
Wide receiver was a glaring need for the Detroit Lions and many thought they would go with one of the top receivers with their first-round pick, but Penei Sewell fell into their lap, and they were still able to steal St. Brown early in the 4th. A common theme for the new regime in Detroit led by Dan Campbell in the draft was bringing in physical cultural building pieces, most of which on the line of scrimmage, but Amon-Ra fits the profile despite being a skill position. St. Brown is primarily a slot receiver who played both inside and outside for the Trojans that plays with a lot of physicality as a run blocker and after the catch. St Brown slipped through the cracks in a good receiver class but was a top 10 receiver in my opinion with a 2nd round grade. The receiver room in Detroit is far from great, but being able to add St. Brown after adding other great players is a home run.
5th Round: Darrick Forest, WFT
After finding a late-round gem in last year’s draft with Kam Curl, Washington potentially got another steal at safety with Cincinnati’s Darrick Forest. Safety was a bit of an underrated need for Washington although they have some pieces there outside of Curl and Landon Collins who could play more of a big nickel and dime linebacker role. Forrest will provide competition at the free safety spot with Bobby Mccain, Troy Apke, and others and, in my opinion, has a good shot of seeing a lot of playing time his rookie season. Forest was one of the rangiest free safeties in a class where free safeties were difficult to come by and was great value for a need for Washington.
6th Round: Quincy Roche, PIT
Roche at this point was just too good of a player to pass up on in my opinion for Pittsburgh who did not have a burning need at edge rusher. Roche was the last of my top 50 players available, and unless had an issue I was unaware of, was the best value in the entire draft for me. Roche was an uber-productive edge rusher at both Temple and Miami who had solid athletic testing numbers and had his pass rush technique on full display on his tape. At the Senior Bowl, he looked like one of the best pass rushers there. Roche isn’t an athletic freak, but he is a very slippery rusher who won with his hands early and often in the ACC. Roche figures to be in a rotation at edge early but I think he’s a player who can become a highly productive starter for many years in the NFL.
7th Round: Kary Vincent Jr., Broncos
Vincent is a notably raw player who was a difficult projection going into the NFL which is likely why so many teams passed on him. This player however is a very good athlete and is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the draft. The Broncos have their starters well intact for this upcoming season and drafted a few other defensive backs ahead of Vincent, but if he can sit and learn for a few years behind a great defensive coach in Vic Fangio and develop into the type of versatile player they like so much with Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons the Broncos may have just gotten the biggest late-round steal in the class.
