2021 NFL Draft: From ‘Last Chance U’ to potential Day 2 selection

‘Last Chance U’ has been a Netflix favorite for football fans, but we’ve yet to see success at the NFL level from the stars of the show. Rakeem Boyd is on pace to change that in the 2021 NFL Draft.

On April 28, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso released his Top 100 Big Board for the 2021 NFL Draft and fans of Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U’ should have recognized a familiar name. Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd, who was featured on the show’s third season, slotted in at 76 in the rankings, which would place him as a third-round selection.

Boyd began his college career at Texas A&M but transferred to Independence Community College just in time for the program’s first of two seasons on the Netflix series. Creating a tandem with Michigan transfer Kingston Davis, Boyd produced 1,211 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns over just 10 games, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. The season was enough to place him as the No. 3 JUCO running back in the nation by 247Sports, which set him up to commit to Arkansas.

Now with two years under his belt with the Razorbacks, Boyd is eyeing another leap, this time to the NFL. After being placed on the watch list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and Doak Walker Award a year ago, Boyd is poised for a breakout campaign in 2020 that could put him in position for a high selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Currently, Boyd is the seventh running back listed in the top 100, but could easily see his name climb the list with a total of five running backs ranked from 60-80. Considering he has only played in 12 games for Arkansas with just over 700 total yards rushing, a breakout season could very well be in the works for Boyd.

Should Boyd hear his name called in the 2021 NFL Draft, he would be put into elite company of stars from the show. Some have caught on as an undrafted free agent, but Boyd would be just the second featured athlete to be drafted, with Dakota Allen going in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

From the first season of ‘Last Chance U’ at East Mississippi Community College, Ronald Ollie and John Franklin III have both attempted NFL careers. Ollie went to Nicholls State from EMCC before spending more time on camera with the Oakland Raiders on ‘Hard Knocks’ where he was cut during camp.

As for Franklin, he’s moved around the league and changed positions a few times, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as mainly a special-teamer and potential Bruce Arians’ Swiss army knife.

The second season of the show highlighted the rise Dakota Allen, who went on to return to Texas Tech before declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft. Allen was selected 251st overall by the Los Angeles Rams but only spent three games with the Jacksonville Jaguars and two with the Oakland Raiders during the season. He registered one tackle with Jacksonville. Also of season two, Chauncey Rivers just signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens.

Boyd will have a lot going for him in the 2021 NFL Draft that others on the show haven’t had. Being a running back, Boyd’s low mileage and ability to create big plays could be enough alone to raise eyebrows from NFL scouts.

As of now, Arkansas has eight running backs on the roster with two being seniors, including Boyd. Now with new Head Coach Sam Pittman, Arkansas could institute a system similar to Georgia, Pittman’s last stop.

Georgia’s program just in the last few seasons has produced countless NFL running backs, including 2020 second-round selection D’Andre Swift. Should Boyd see the majority of the carries in this system, be prepared to see his name rise as one of the top backs in the 2021 NFL Draft.