2021 NFL Draft: Who are the best players still on the board after the first round going into the second round?
2021 NFL Draft: 32 Best Players Available, Round 2
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CFN 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE & Edge | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Top 105 2021 NFL Draft Prospects
32. CB/S Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse
So where do you play him? Is he a 6-3, 205-pound dominant corner, or is he really more of a free roaming safety who brings ridiculous athleticism to the mix? The issue is his lack of a true position. Someone has to come up with a set idea of how to use him, but the tools are there.
31. LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
The former quarterback doesn’t exactly look or fit the type, but he’s always around the ball, thinks the game like a former top passing recruit, and has a world of upside still to go. He’s just starting as a big-time linebacker even though he already has most of the nuances down.
30. DT Marvin Wilson, Florida State
Don’t let him slip. Yeah, he dropped last year after adding some weight and not quite being up to his previous self in a lost year, if and when he gets it all together he might just be the best defensive tackle in the draft. It’ll all be about his conditioning.
29. DT Alim McNeill, NC State
A bit smallish for the position and without the right NFL look or feel, he might not be for everyone. However, in a light year for tackles, he’s an anchor with great strength in the interior. He can get in the backfield, though, and he’ll be a top leader for any D.
28. DT Jaylen Twyman, Pitt
Consider it a bit of a shocker if he lasts ten picks in the second round. He’s not your normal tackle, and he’s going to fall a wee bit because he didn’t play last year, but good luck finding a better prospect for the interior of the line.
27. S Jamar Johnson, Indiana
Not quite as heralded as some of the other top safeties, he’s not the athlete that Oregon’s Jevon Holland is and he doesn’t have Trevon Moehrig’s talent, but he makes a whole lot of plays. He’ll likely slip into a must-have on Day Three, but he’s worth a Friday pick.
26. S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State
His knee. He should be okay, but he suffered an injury last year that dropped him down from a possible top 20 overall pick and the top safety to a potential Day Three guy. At 6-3 and 215 pounds with big hitting ability and the right attitude and personality, he’ll be a big-time find whenever teams figure out he’s still on the board.
25. CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
Talent-wise, he has everything there to be the best corner in the draft outside of Patrick Surtain. So what’s the problem? He’s big, ridiculously fast, and he makes a ton of big plays. He didn’t play last year and was banged up. It’s been a while since he showed what he could do, and he fell off the radar.
24. QB Davis Mills, Stanford
You’re not crazy to think the 6-4, 217-pounder might just have the best pure NFL passing tools outside of Trevor Lawrence. He’s got the size, the stature, and the ability to grow into a special value pick, but he’ll need a bunch of time and he’ll have to take his lumps to see what his upside really is.
23. OT Walker Little, Stanford
When he was fully healthy, he looked and played like a possible top ten overall pick. But the injuries proved too costly and he hasn’t played in two years – he opted out last season. If he’s right, though, he’s got the size and talent to be a phenomenal pick just outside of the top 50.
22. DT Tyler Shelvin, LSU
He’ll drop too far because he does just one thing – he holds the line. Don’t expect him to get in any backfield, and some might not dig the 6-2, 350-pound look, but he’ll stuff everything up the middle.
21. DE Rashad Weaver, Pitt
While he’s not the ideal technical pass rusher, and he’s not a flash considering his tweener size, he gets into the backfield in a variety of ways. He was banged up, but whenever he was healthy he produced and hit lots of guys behind the line. He’s a good-value pass rusher – even if that’s not until the third round.
NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft: Top 20 Prospects Still On The Board
2021 NFL Draft: Top 20 Prospects Still On The Board
20. S Richie Grant, UCF
A fringe second rounder who could slide into the third, the only thing missing is bulk. He’s not huge, but he’s fantastic in coverage and is always around the ball. With his fight and fire, he’s the type every defensive coach wants – but he might have to wait until later on Friday.
19. RB Javonte Williams, North Carolina
Williams was never going to be higher than the third-best running back, and it’s a big positive that Najee Harris and Travis Etienne went in the first. There won’t be too many teams fired up over a running back, and he’s not quite the fast athlete some might like, but he’s a tough runner who should be a great get within the first 20 picks of the second.
18. OG Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
There’s absolutely nothing subtle about his game. You’re drafting him to plow over the man in front of him and make the running game rumble. He’s the tough guy’s tough guy for your line. Note to Pittsburgh – you want him.
17. CB/S Elijah Molden, Washington
Size, fit, and the lack of blazing speed knocks him down. He’s not that small and he’s not that slow, but don’t worry about any of that – good luck finding a more instinctive and smarter player in the draft. He’s the definition of a coach on the field – one day he’ll probably just be a coach, period.
16. S Jevon Holland, Oregon
Ultra-quick for a safety, he’s got the build to bring the thump and the athleticism to get to the ball in a hurry. All of the NFL skills and talents are there, but safety just isn’t getting valued like it should this season. He’s a starter no where he gets picked.
15. LB Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
In a draft woefully lacking in top pass rushers, the 6-2, 249-pounder will go early on Day Two. He’s more of a linebacker than an end or even a hybrid edge, but ask him to get into the backfield and he’ll do it.
14. TE Pat Friermuth, Penn State
No, he’s not going to be your typical modern tight end-who-plays-like-a-big-wide-receiver playmaker, but shoot him down the middle of the field and watch him run free when he gets the ball on the move. He’s more fight than flash as a receiver.
13. OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
He could’ve and probably should’ve gone in the first round. This was a strange draft for offensive tackles. Penei Sewell slipped a bit, Alex Leatherwood was a bit of a reach by the Raiders, and Rashawn Slater and Alijah Vera-Tucker both went around where they should. Other than Sewell, Jenkins might be the best run blocker of the bunch.
12. DE Carlos Basham, Wake Forest
Every coach is going to want this guy at some point in the second round. He’s got 274-pound size, and toughness that’s missing among some pass rushers, and he can move to go along with that power. What’s the issue? He’s not quite as flashy as some might like. Whatever.
11. DT Jay Tufele, USC
Don’t worry about the 6-2, 305-pound size. The NFL types do and he’ll fall because of it, but good luck slowing him down when he gets off the ball. If he’s not the quickest and most athletic tackle in the draft, he’s in the top three. Watch out – here’s your Day Three steal if he unfairly drops.
NEXT: 2021 NFL Draft: Top Ten Prospects Still On The Board
2021 NFL Draft: Top Ten Prospects Still On The Board
10. WR Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
He’s not huge, he runs closer to 4.5, suffered a knee injury a few years ago, and isn’t a true blazer, but you want his heart and toughness in every receiver in the draft. The raw tools are going to drop him down too far, but he’s one of the few true No. 1 receiver prospects. He’s a baller’s baller who’ll make himself a pro.
9. CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia
Fast, fast, fast, it was a wee bit of a shocker that Green Bay took Georgia teammate Eric Stokes in the first round instead of him. The lack of interception production for the Bulldogs matters, but he’s got 4.3 wheels and the size everyone wants.
8. LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
Here’s your leading tackler. A bit undersized, the 5-11, 237-pounder is strong enough to hold his own and gets sideline to sideline making things happen. Stick him in the inside and let him go hit every running back.
7. DT Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
Sort of the best of all worlds among the various tackles, the 6-3, 290-pounder would’ve fit Tampa Bay at the 32 – but teammate Joe Tryon was picked instead. He tough, can move, and he doesn’t get shoved without a double-team. Someone is fired up to get him as soon as possible on Thursday.
6. WR Terrace Marshall, LSU
The only thing missing is the brand name. He was ultra-productive with the 4.4 speed to go along with the 6-3, 205-pound size. Consistency is a concern, and he’s suffering from being on the team with Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson a few years ago, but he’s got a huge upside.
5. WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
It’s ridiculous that he didn’t go in the first round. Rashod Bateman and Kadarius Toney are each nice prospects, but they’re not a possible No. 1 like Moore. The problem is that he’s not huge – he’s just 5-10 and 178 pounds – and he’s not going to shove anyone around. However – and this gets lost in the narrative – he ran a faster 40 than Jaylen Waddle.
4. WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
4.29. No wide receiver had a better workout than the former Purdue star, but the 5-7, 181-pound size is too glaring to ignore. He’s got the speed to be a deep threat, but that’s not his game. Get the ball to him on the move, and let that 4.29 speed take off.
3. DT Christian Barmore, Alabama
It’s silly that he didn’t go in the first round. It’s not a great draft for tackles, but the difference between Barmore and the fourth-or-so best is massive. At 6-4 and 310 pounds he’s got the size, looks the part of an Alabama defensive tackle, and he’s ready right tout of the box.
2. LB Jeremiah Owusu-Oramoah, Notre Dame
A true tweener, he seemed like the perfect get for the Raiders at the 17, and he’d be exactly what Arizona wants if it didn’t get another super-athletic LB in Zaven Collins. He’s a bit undersized, but he flies to the ball and can do a little bit of everything.
1. S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
This should be a done deal if Urban Meyer really is going for the Best Player Available for Jacksonville – he has the first pick in the second round. It’s a light group overall at safety, but Moehrig is a different type of talent with the ability to be the quarterback of a secondary and be fantastic in coverage. He’s gone fast on Day Two.
CFN 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective …
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C
DE & Edge | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
Top 105 2021 NFL Draft Prospects
