2021 NFL Draft: Five potential breakout prospects

Highlighting five potential breakout prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft

Every year, new college football stars seemingly come out of nowhere and start climbing up draft boards in the process.

The most recent example being that of Joe Burrow, who went from just being a former transfer with likable traits to winning the Heisman trophy, leading the LSU Tigers to a national championship, breaking NCAA passing records, and being the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft class.

I certainly don’t foresee anybody coming close to that type of turnaround in 2020, but I do think there are a lot of under-the-radar names across the landscape of college football that could burst onto the 2021 NFL Draft scene this season.

There are plenty of reasons why it may take a little longer for players to really break out as a household name. Whether it be injury issues, scheme fit, or simply being a little low on a talented depth chart to start their career, we have seen plenty of players overcome those things in their later years and put together a season that raises some eyebrows in the scouting world.

While the classic “one year wonder” moniker is a popular knock on a player that has that type of late-career rise, there are countless examples of players elevating their game in their junior and senior years while elevating their draft stock dramatically.

The players I have included on this list may not be thought of as being early day 2021 NFL Draft prospects right now, but each of them has a shot to prove their worth in 2020 and could even play themselves right into a first-round grade by season’s end.