2021 NFL Draft center rankings: Three-way race for top spot
By John Blair
The 2021 NFL Draft class has a strong group of center prospects, including three players who could be day one starters. Creed Humphrey, Josh Myers and Landon Dickerson are all potential immediate impact players who could come in and provide stability to the middle of any NFL offensive line.
Unfortunately, the class is not overly deep as only eight players earn draftable grades. A sleeper to watch in this group though is Drew Dalman who despite being undersized could develop into an NFL starter in the right system.
1. Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
6-foot-5, 314 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Third round
Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey has been one of the best linemen in the Big 12 the past few seasons being named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2020 and Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2019. He has been extremely productive in pass protection as well as he didn’t give up a single sack over the previous two seasons. One more positive thing about Humphrey’s background is that he was a standout wrestler in high school.
The biggest strength in Humphrey’s game is his high football intelligence. He has made all the line calls for Oklahoma the last couple of seasons, and is one of the reasons the Sooners offense has been so explosive the last couple of seasons. He also shows impressive strength, as he can control the defender at the point of attack. One more positive with him is that he is a perfectionist when it comes to technique.
One limitation with Humphrey is he is only an average athlete. This lack of athletic ability could limit the types of schemes he can play in the NFL. He also has shown some inconsistency during his career at Oklahoma. Overall, he carries a high third-round draft grade and has the potential to be a starting center.