2021 NFL Draft: 5 first time head coaches that will be hired before the draft
By Kyle Edmond
Like every offseason, there will be a handful of first time head coaches hired before the 2021 NFL Draft, but who are the top five prospects?
While I have already visited the topic of head coaches who could be fired before the 2021 NFL Draft, those who will be hired are just as, if not more, important. Each offseason brings multiple coaching changes and with that comes first time head coaches.
The NFL was introduced to a trio of rookie head coaches this season and they have fared rather well, given the circumstances. Kevin Stefanski has been able to revive the Cleveland Browns to a 4-2 start to the season in his first year as the head coach while Matt Rhule has exceeded expectations so far. As for Joe Judge, his team, being the New York Giants, has struggled early, but that doesn’t all fall on his shoulders.
It should also be mentioned that Rhule entered the season having been a head coach since 2013, just not in the NFL. He was at Temple from 2013 until 2016 when he moved to Baylor, where he stayed until taking the job in Carolina. As for Judge and Stefanksi, they had never been a head coach at any level.
Now, for the sake of argument, we’re going to just look at NFL assistant coaches who could make the leap of being a first time head coach in the NFL. There is always the possibility of someone coming up from the college ranks, like Rhule, but that creates too broad of a field to evaluate.
When looking for head coaches, teams often poach from the successful teams, which obviously makes sense. However, lately there seems to be added criteria. Majority of hires over the last few seasons have been young, offensive minds. The dynamic of head coaches like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Kliff Kingsbury and others has owners around the league trying to replicate the success.
Most teams want to make changes early in the process so the staff can get to work, in this case on the 2021 NFL Draft. So, when the times comes, who could be making their first selection as a head coach during the 2021 NFL Draft?