Inside the War Room: 2021 NFL Draft defensive player review

Top 2021 NFL Draft questions, stock up, stock down and scouting notes for key defensive prospects

This week’s Inside the War Room takes a look at some of the top defensive prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. We start by answering five pressing questions on this year’s top defenders. Then in the Stock Market, we discuss two Crimson Tide players who are seeing their stock fall. Finally, in Scouting Notes, we highlight a couple of small school defensive backs that show big potential.

Top Five Defensive Draft Questions

1. Player who has raised his 2021 NFL Draft stock the most this year?
This season saw Iowa defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon go from a backup to the top defensive player in the Big Ten. In 2019, Nixon only started one game for the Hawkeyes, but in limited playing time showed the potential to be a dominant force recording 5.5 sacks on the year.

Going into the 2020 season, Nixon earned a starting spot and quickly established himself as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the Big Ten registering 18 tackles and two sacks in just the first two games of the season. He finished the year off by recording 13.5 tackles for loss which led the Big Ten, and 5.5 sacks, which earned him the honor of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

This strong season also significantly increased his 2021 NFL Draft stock from a player who wasn’t even on scout’s radar in August to a player who will likely slide into the first round in April. As a prospect, Nixon shows great athletic ability for someone 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds.

His coaches and teammates also rave about his instincts which will surely help him at the next level. One more positive thing with him is how quickly he is able to shoot gaps, which is the main reason he has produced so many plays in opponents’ backfield this year.

2. First round prospect who is the riskiest pick?
While Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau‘s 2019 stats will surely impress people, he is not worth the top-10 grade he is receiving. Even though he was able to account for 15.5 sacks a year ago, most of these sacks came with him just beating a defender with speed or by the quarterback holding onto the ball for too long. He did not show a variety of pass-rushing moves in the film I saw and was overpowered on a consistent basis.

It is also worth noting that 2019 was his only impressive year with the Hurricane as he did not record a sack in 2018 and sat out the 2020 season. He is a liability against the run as well as he lacks the bulk and overall power to hold his ground against NFL offensive tackles. With these concerns, I would have a hard time picking him high in the first round, which some team will probably do.

3. Which small school player will be a sleeper in this year’s draft?
Speaking of productive pass rushers another player who fits that bill is Northern Iowa defensive end Elerson Smith who recorded 14 sacks in 2019. Unlike Rousseau, Smith should be a good value pick as he will likely be a day three pick.

As a prospect Smith has the length NFL scouts like coming in at 6-foot-7. He shows a nice burst off the ball as well and was able to beat his share of FCS offensive with his quick first step. The biggest question with him will be does his ability to get after the passer translate from the FCS to the NFL, and a strong Senior Bowl should help answer this question.

4. Which 2021 NFL Draft prospect did not live up to the hype going into the year?
Going into the season Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson was regarded as a high first-round prospect, but with his lackadaisical performance this year, he will be lucky to hear his name called in the second round.

In 2020, he saw his on-field production drop as he only was able to record 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks with one. He also looked far from dominant on the field as he was slow off the ball, showed average athletic ability at best, and didn’t display the power he did in previous seasons. Wilson is the type of player I would let someone else take, and instead, use my 2021 NFL Draft pick on someone I can actually count on to go hard every play.

5. Which player drafted on day three will make a significant impact in the NFL, as a rookie?
One of the more overlooked safeties in this year’s draft is Virginia Tech’s Divine Deablo. This past season Deablo became the first safety in school history to be named All-ACC after he posted 55 tackles and four picks. While he was definitely a productive defensive back in college, there are some questions on him having the skill set to play safety at the next level.

The biggest concern with his pro potential revolves around if he has the fluid hips to hold up in coverage in the secondary. Due to these concerns, he will likely slide into the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and hopefully is picked by a team smart enough to understand how to use him. The wise way to use him would be to shift him into a nickel linebacker role. This move makes sense for Deablo as he has the size to make the transition (6-foot-3 226 pounds), tackling ability, and coverage skills to make this transition.