This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2021 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2021 NFL Draft Stock Up
Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina The 2021 NFL Draft is the most unique and odd year due to a decreased number of games, players opting out of the 2020 season, no combine workout, and no pre-draft visits. As a result, some prospects who are not workout warriors but are good football players who have strong performances on tape are rising up draft boards because tape is one of the only traditional tools left for evaluators.
Horn is one player benefiting from tape study because he was not expected to run a fast 40 or star in workouts, but he produced multiple years of impressive play blanketing SEC receivers. Some team sources think Horn will end up as top-20 pick, and some teams have him rated as their second-highest corner for the 2021 NFL Draft. Some scouts believe he is a better prospect than Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and rank Horn behind only Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley. If Horn does well at his pro day, he could continue to rise.
Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Some team sources think Davis could sneak into the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft because he is big, fast and athletic. A few teams have him graded over Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins, who is a consensus first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Davis had an excellent 2020 season for the Wildcats, totaling 89 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two passes defended and two interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 234-pounder has good size with speed to cover a lot of ground. He has a lot of upside and teams think his best football is ahead of him.
Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Some scouts believe Robinson will be the fourth cornerback taken in the 2021 NFL Draft and has a shot at sneaking into the first round. They have Robinson just behind Georgia’s Tyson Campbell, and many in the scouting community believe Campbell will be picked in the back half of Round 1. That could make Robinson a potential late first-rounder because cornerback is a premium position and always in demand in that portion of NFL drafts.
Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Smith is an interesting prospect who some teams really like and other teams have significantly soured on. Some feel he is a really good guard who is tough at the point of attack, but others think he is an overrated player who was a bigger name than an in-game performer. The wild card in his draft evaluation is a pulmonary blood-clot issue that caused him to miss time as a sophomore. Some sources think Smith could be a surprise first-rounder because they view him as a plug-and-play starter for guard in the NFL and typically a top guard or two sneaks into the latter portion of the first round in NFL drafts.
Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Team sources think Humphrey will be a second-day pick who is going to be a solid NFL starter for many years to come. The 6-foot-5, 312-pounder became a starter as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and had an impressive debut for Oklahoma. He anchored the middle of the Sooners’ line and was a steady producer at the point of attack over the next three seasons. Humphrey has quality size to him to go with toughness and intelligence. He could go late in the second round and probably won’t get out of the third round.
Peyton Ramsey, QB, Northwestern Ramsey is a sleeper quarterback who could be a third-day pick and end up turning into a solid backup. Teams need backup quarterbacks to be very smart considering their lack of reps in practice, and Ramsey put his intelligence on display with a high score on the Wonderlic test. NFL teams love his intangibles and feel Ramsey would have had much bigger numbers had he played at a different university in a passing-driven offense. Ramsey could continue to rise as he interviews virtually with NFL coaches.
2021 NFL Draft Stock Down
Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri There have been some media projections of Bolton going in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but in speaking to some team sources, there are some teams that have Bolton graded as a mid-round pick. Hence he is a bit of a love/hate prospect. There probably are teams that value him higher than the mid-rounds, but Bolton should go on the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft, unless those media members have information from some teams that are targeting Bolton late in Round 1.
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