Inside the War Room: 2021 NFL Draft defensive player review
By John Blair
2021 NFL Draft prospects: Stock Up
Zaven Collins, OLB, Tulsa
One of the most impactful defenders in college football this year was Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins. Collins was able to affect the game in multiple ways including excelling in coverage. He had a career-high four interceptions this season, and overall showed great awareness in this area. In fact, he was the highest-graded linebacker in coverage since 2014 according to Pro Football Focus.
He displayed the ability to rush the passer as well, as he recorded four sacks. In the run game, he showed the tools teams are looking for. He shows outstanding awareness and is very rarely out of the position in his run fits. One area I would like to see him get better at is getting off blocks, as he tends to get overpowered at times and also spends too much time running around blockers instead of taking them on.
Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
The knock-on Horn going into the year had to do with his ball skills, as he did not have a pick in his first two years at South Carolina. Horn helped alleviate that concern this year though when he tied for the team lead with two picks despite only playing in seven games. What intrigues teams the most with Horn is his size and physical style of play.
At 6-foot-1, he is the type of corner who can excel as a press corner in a cover two scheme. He is also one of the more physical corners in the draft, as he loves to fight with receivers at the line of scrimmage and does a great job of making a receiver battle through contact to make the tough catch.
On the downside, his physical style of play can lead to him drawing his share of pass interference calls. Another concern with him is he is not the most fluid athlete, which is common to see in a bigger corner.
Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Another big SEC corner is Georgia’s Eric Stokes who comes in at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. Stokes like Horn recorded his first career interception this year, and in fact, led Georgia in interceptions this year with four. He was also the only player in college football to have two interceptions returned for touchdowns. When looking at his fit at the next level, he would be a corner who could be a good fit for a team like the San Francisco 49ers. This match makes sense as the 49ers prefer bigger corners who show the ball skills Stokes possesses.
Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami
Coming out of high school Jaelan Phillips was regarded as one of the best high school prospects in the nation, being named the third-best recruit in the nation by ESPN. After his stellar high school career, Phillips decided to take his talent to UCLA.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for Phillips during his Bruins career as he battled numerous injuries and briefly retired from football. After his brief retirement, he decided to transfer to Miami last offseason, where he has had a breakout year. This season he has led the Hurricanes in both tackles for loss with 15.5 and also in sacks with eight.
As a 2021 NFL Draft prospect, Phillips displays nice potential with his quick first step and overall football intelligence. A red flag teams will have with him though is his long injury history, which will likely cause him to slide to the second round of the draft.