*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Small-School Players on the 2021 Watch List
Updated June 19, 2020By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Every year in the NFL draft process, there are some small-school players who emerge as good prospects and end up going higher than hyped-up players from big programs. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger and Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn both were selected in the second round. The 2021 NFL Draft should follow suit, and there are already some small-school players who have earned the attention of pro evaluators. The NFL’s advance scouts selected these small-school players as worthy of being scouted for the 2021 NFL Draft and having the potential to grade out as a draft pick or priority undrafted free agent.
- Illinois State safety Christian Uphoff
- Fayetteville State offensive tackle Kion Smith
- Furman running back Devin Wynn
- North Carolina A&T running back Jah-Maine Martin
- North Carolina Central cornerback Bryan Mills
- Charleston wide receiver Mike Strachan
- Illinois State offensive tackle Drew Himmelman
- Illinois State safety Christian Uphoff
- South Dakota State wide receiver Cade Johnson
- Arkansas Pine-Bluff cornerback Shawn Steele
- Central Arkansas cornerback Robert Rochell
- Arkansas State defensive tackle Forrest Merrill
- Carson-Newman wide receiver Braxton Westfield
- Georgia State tight end Roger Carter
- Jacksonville State tight end Trae Barry
- Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum
- Nicholls State wide receiver Dai’Hean Dixon
- Notre Dame College tight end Zaire Mitchell
- Sacramento State cornerback Daron Bland
- Saginaw Valley State running back Nate McCrary
- Wisconsin-Whitewater offensive guard Quinn Meinerz
