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The NFL Draft is quickly approaching us! You may be thinking that is when all the rookie hype will end, but you’d be mistaken. The NFL Draft just kicks off dynasty rookie draft and best ball season - both of which will make sure to keep rookies all the rage throughout draft season.
And while rookies are all that some can talk about right now, there are plenty of others that turn their attention away from football after the Super Bowl and start to jump back in around the draft. Not everyone is grinding tape or breaking down analytics, but, they still want to know about this draft class. That is where this article comes in. This will tell you a lot of information about the 2021 draft class, from stats and analytics, to what the film shows, to just some personal fun facts about the players. This is your 101 guide to learning the prospects.
Last week I addressed the first-round locks and this week I will address the players after the high-end picks. These players may go off the board in the late first, but many will be day two or three picks. But knowing more about them will not only make you sound smart with your friends or at a bar, but it will help you be able to better assess when you start drafting your fantasy teams.
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Getting to know the 2021 NFL Draft Prospects
Najee Harris is a big-bodied back at 6-2, 230 pounds, and has drawn comparisons to a former big Alabama back, Derrick Henry. Harris rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2020 and has topped 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns in each of his last two seasons. He has also posted 27 and 43 catches, 304 and 425 yards and seven and four touchdowns the past two seasons in the passing game. He forced 72 missed tackles, which ranked second among RBs, and his 0.28 missed tackles forced per touch ranked ninth. He also averaged 3.2 yards after contact per attempt, which ranked 15th of draft-eligible RBs.
On the tape, you see a well-rounded back who can be utilized between the tackles and in the passing game. He will be one of the first, if not the first, RB off the board in this year's NFL Draft and may be the first rookie RB taken in fantasy drafts. He has been in the early ones. Harris is also a sneakerhead who has trained with Chris Carson. Eggs benedict is one of his favorite meals.
Javonte Williams is the best at forcing missed tackles in this draft class. He forced 77 missed tackles and averaged 0.48 missed tackles forced per attempt both led all college running backs last season. No one was close on a per touch basis, as no other qualified back averaged 0.37 MTF per attempt. His 4.6 yards after contact per attempt ranked fourth in this class. His best college season was 2020 as a junior when he rushed for 1,140 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also posting career highs across the board in the passing game with 25 catches, 305 yards and three touchdowns.
On film, you see that he is better in the passing game than the numbers show and it is something he takes pride in. He goes by the nickname “Pookie” and was valedictorian of his high school. He also was a track star and played linebacker in high school. He could have gone to an Ivy League school but it was his dream since he was a kid to play for UNC.
Travis Etienne ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at his pro day, but that shouldn’t be surprising as he just put up explosive numbers and jumps off the screen. He topped 1,600 rushing yards as a sophomore and junior, before posting 914 in a shortened 2020 senior season. He was a touchdown machine, as he scored at least 13 rushing touchdowns in all four college seasons, including seasons with 19 and 24. He also stood out in the passing game, as his receptions have increased every season in college, topping out at 48 in just 12 games as a senior.
He posted a college career-high 588 receiving yards in 2020. He forced 44 missed tackles, which ranked seventh among backs, and his 0.26 missed tackles forced per attempt ranked 11th. He also averaged 3.8 yards after contact per attempt. He could have declared last year but wanted to return to improve his legacy as a college great and improve his draft stock. He is a fan of smoked foods and NBA 2K.
Michael Carter shared a backfield with Williams at UNC. Carter posted a career-high 1,245 yards as a senior but has topped 1,000 rushing yards in his last two college seasons. He also posted a career-high nine rushing touchdowns as a senior. Carter led his backfield in yards after contact per attempt in 2020, averaging 4.7 per attempt, which tied for the second-best among draft-eligible RBs. Carter also forced 50 missed tackles, good for the third-most in this class. Carter is a big NBA fan and judging by his social media, some of his favorite players are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony. He also thinks LaMelo Ball will be a superstar.
Chuba Hubbard burst onto the scene as a sophomore with 2,094 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 328 carries, adding in 23 catches for 198 yards. In that 2019 season, he put up 1,380 yards after contact, the most in the nation. That season he had 82 missed tackles, good for 0.24 per attempt, and averaged 3.7 yards after contact per attempt. But, those numbers took a hit in 2020 as he picked up 22 missed tackles forced and averaged 0.17 missed tackle forced per attempt, both in the bottom three of the draft-eligible RBs with at least 100 carries. His 2.5 yards after contact per attempt were tied for the lowest of this bunch. Hubbard, who is from Canada, was a track star in high school. He returned to college in 2020 to get his degree, which was important to him and his mother, Candice. Since the Canadian border was closed due to Covid, he lived with Ravens RB Justice Hill.
Trey Sermon is a big-bodied back that runs with power. His college stats will not blow anyone away though. Sermon never topped 1,000 yards rushing in college but did top out at 947 as a sophomore. He has five rushing TDs or less in three of four seasons but scored 13 times as a sophomore. His career-high is 16 catches as a freshman, and he has never topped 200 receiving yards in a season. But, he does have a role in an NFL offense as a between-the-tackles runner. He could also be a threat near the goal line.
Kenny Gainwell is a duel-threat weapon who can be utilized in the rushing and passing game. In 2019 he rushed for 1,459 yards and 13 TD while adding 51 catches, 610 yards and three TD as a receiver. He finished that season with the second-most receiving yards by an RB, despite having the fifth-most targets. Gainwell thinks of his older brother when he is out on the football field. His brother dreamed of playing college football, but a knee injury took that away from him. From that point on, Gainwell said he realized football could be taken from him at a moment's notice. He had other offers to play college ball, but Memphis was the first and he felt it was where he needed to be.
Terrace Marshall Jr. is a big-bodied receiver, listed at 6'3, 200 pounds, and he knows how to throw that size around. He won contested targets at an 82 percent clip this past season, which was was the highest percent of any player that had at least seven percent of their targets contested. He is a great downfield threat, as he put up 15.2 yards per catch and had 15 catches of at least 15 yards. His 2.83 yards per route ran ranked 12th among players in this class. He put up a career-high 731 receiving yards in just seven games in 2020 and scored 10 TDs, a year after scoring 13 as a sophomore. The film only confirms that he is an explosive downfield threat who can go up and get the ball. Marshall is a spiritual person who his family says is always upbeat and positive, except for when he is on the football field.
Rashod Bateman caught 36 balls for 472 yards and two TD in just five games in a shortened 2020 season. He went off for 1,219 yards and 11 TD on 60 catches in 2019 as a sophomore. He averaged a ridiculous 20.3 yards per catch that season and managed over 13 yards per catch in each of his other two college seasons. His 3.3 yards per route ran was seventh among draft-eligible players. He had 11 explosive pass plays (15+ yards). But remember he played just five games and had 36 catches, so nearly a third of his catches were big plays.
It's worth noting that he had COVID last season and lost 15 pounds due to it, which he says he is still putting back on. He also moved to the slot last year, which was partially why his numbers took a hit. He is better out wide, but his versatility is a big quality heading into the NFL. Bateman also shows off his hops on the basketball court. There are many videos of him throwing down windmill slams on the internet. He is also a huge fan and advocate for the Georgia chicken chain, Zaxby’s.
Kadarius Toney is a polarizing prospect. Toney had a career year last season, posting 984 yards and 10 TD on 70 catches. In his first three seasons combined, he posted 50 catches, 606 yards and two TD. But, you can give him a pass as he entered college as a QB who converted to WR. He can also be utilized in the running game, rushing for 580 yards in his college career. His 477 yards after the catch in 2020 ranked eighth among all draft-eligible players. He picked up 45 first downs and had just two dropped passes last year. He accounted for 27 explosive plays (15+ yards) and forced 20 missed tackles, both of which ranked in the top-five in this class. He caught 96 percent of his catchable targets, showing he has some good hands. He is also an aspiring rap artist who goes under the name “Yung Joka.”
Rondale Moore had his best college season as a freshman, when he posted 114 receptions for 1,258 yards and 12 TD while adding in 213 yards and two TDs on the ground. He then missed time as a sophomore due to a hamstring injury and then had a shortened 2020 season cause of Covid. In the past two years, he has just 64 catches, 657 yards and two TD in seven games. In 2020, he averaged 2.32 yards per route ran, caught 95 percent of his catchable targets. On film, you see that he is a physical receiver who can run through contact. He can thrive if he lands in the right spot as a slot receiver. He played QB as a kid and refs had to implement a mercy rule just for him. He would run for so many touchdowns that when games got out of hand, the refs would tell his coaches that Rondale could only throw or hand the ball off.
Elijah Moore put up career highs across the board in 2020. He went off for 86 catches, 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns, in just eight games. Moore has a lot of speed, can play in traffic and has the ability to beat DBs down the field. He can play both in the slot and out wide.
Amon-Ra St. Brown posted 478 yards and a career-high seven TDs in just six games during a shortened 2020 season. His best season came as a sophomore in 2019, when he caught 77 calls for 1,042 yards and six scores. He averaged 1.78 yards per route ran, caught 88 percent of catchable targets. He is the younger brother of Packers receiver, Equanimeous St. Brown. He is fluent in both German and French. His mom is from Germany, while his family lived in Paris when he was a child. His father was a professional bodybuilder who won Mr. Universe and other awards.
This should help you get familiar with the prospects that will make up the second part of the first round and much of Day Two of the 2021 NFL Draft.
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