2021 NFL Draft: Five potential breakout prospects

1. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt

What Joe Burrow did in 2019 has never been done before. He came out of nowhere to become the face of college football and cemented legendary status in just one season.

Obviously, that type of rise shouldn’t be expected from anybody but if I had to choose a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft class that could go from a current mid-round projection to potential first-rounder, my money is on Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

If you’re just looking at the numbers, Pickett doesn’t wow in any one area. He only threw 13 touchdowns in 2019 and his yards per attempt (6.6) was one of the lowest in the ACC. It’s not until you dive into the details of his game that you start to see why he could be a breakout player in 2020.

Like Burrow, Pickett doesn’t have the big-time arm but makes up for that with instincts, timing, and mobility in the pocket. He seems to have NFL-ready mechanics and while his accuracy down the field could stand to improve a bit in 2020, he has shown plenty in that department to assume he will only improve in his senior year.

If he’s able to really tap into that offense and take the next step in his development, fans could see a big spike in production for Kenny Pickett in 2020.