2021 NFL Draft: Rashod Bateman is an undervalued WR who will shine

Ja’Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are commonly considered the top three wide receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft class. All three of the players mentioned above are undoubtedly great, but Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota should be right up in the conversation as well. As of right now, Bateman is not, and if that continues, he could end up being one of the best value picks in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Bateman was a consistent playmaker for Minnesota right away, finishing his true freshman season of 2018 with 51 receptions for 704 yards and six touchdowns. In 2019, Bateman piled up 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns. While he only played in five games in 2020 (COVID concerns and early opt-out to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft), Bateman continued to shine for the Golden Gophers with 36 receptions for 471 yards and two touchdowns.

Simply put, this guy is an impact playmaker all over the field and it does not take long watching him to determine that he will continue to make plays at the next level.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Bateman has good size for the wide receiver position. He is also a smooth and explosive athlete who shows impressive natural speed in the open field. Recently, Bateman reportedly ran a hand-timed 4.37 40-yard dash at the EXOS combine. While that does seem faster than he looks on tape and we need to be careful with testing times this year, Bateman does have legitimate speed that needs to be taken seriously.

Bateman’s precise and sharp route-running also consistently stands out on tape. He sells his routes well and is particularly impressive when working a double-move. Bateman is a wizard at creating space against man coverage at all levels of the field.

He also shows a wide catch radius, soft hands and controls his body in the air extremely well. Bateman attacks the ball in the air at a high level, consistently shining in contested-catch situations. He also shows great on-field awareness and has a knack for getting his feet down along the sideline.

Once the ball is in his hands, Bateman has an impressive combination of explosive speed, natural elusiveness in the open field and strong contact balance that makes him a weapon after the catch. While he is not the kind of player who teams will necessarily manufacture a ton of short touches, he undoubtedly has a ton of upside as a run-after-catch weapon when given room to operate.

Bateman in the 2021 NFL Draft feels so much like Justin Jefferson last year. He is clearly a talented wide receiver, but he is commonly getting overlooked when compared to others in the class.

Last year, all of the hype was surrounding CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs, while Jefferson slipped under-the-radar and fell to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 22. The Philadelphia Eagles even took Jalen Reagor a pick before Jefferson went. This year, we all seem overly focused on Chase, Smith and Waddle, while Bateman sits there as an under-valued impact wide receiver with massive upside. If he lands in the right situation, it would not be surprising to see Bateman be the best player to come out of this group of wide receivers.