2021

This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to…

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell Solid Starter Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State – Round 1 For a lot of the leadup to the 2021 NFL Draft, I had the 49ers taking Lance with their first-round pick. It made sense because Lance has an excellent skill set but needed development for the NFL. Kyle Shanahan…

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell Solid Starter Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue – Round 2 The Cardinals took a long-term view with the selection of Moore. While Moore could contribute as a rookie and has big-play ability, he probably won’t receive a lot of targets thanks to veterans DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and Christian Kirk ahead…

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell Solid Starter D’Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan – Round 2 The Seahawks had bigger needs on their roster than a third receiver to go with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but Eksridge was too appealing for them to pass up. The explosive Eskridge will give Russell Wilson another vertical weapon…

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell Solid Starter Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville – Round 2 I’m taking a long-term view with this Atwell projection as a solid starter because he is currently buried on the depth chart. With Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson ahead of him, Atwell may not see a lot…

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell Solid Starter Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern – Round 1 I think the Chargers made a mistake in taking Slater over USC tackle/guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood. Around the NFL, many other teams had Vera-Tucker graded higher than Slater because Vera-Tucker is bigger and plays longer. Leatherwood…