2021 NFL Draft: 5 players who could be surprise first-round picks

The 2021 NFL Draft is loaded with intriguing prospects and there are always going to be players who project in the second or third round of mock draft machines that end up going much higher than the majority expected.

With no Scouting Combine in 2021, it’s hard to know which players could be rising for their intrigue in terms of pure athletic ability, but as more and more people dig deep into player tape, certain players are getting hyped now more than they were a few weeks or months ago.

Which players have emerged as some possible sleeper first-round targets with just over 50 days to the 2021 NFL Draft?

Let’s take a look through a number of names to keep an eye on with NFL teams maybe higher on these guys than the mock draft projections.

After Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain II, who is the ‘consensus’ CB3 of the 2021 NFL Draft class?

There may not be one.

In fact, there may be some teams that rank Northwestern’s Greg Newsome II ahead of even Surtain on their final boards.

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Newsome is one of the quickest and most instinctive defensive backs in this particular draft class. In just three games this past season, Newsome had seven passes broken up and an interception.

He has the type of athletic/speed combination you look for at the position and has shown inside/outside versatility to boot.

Newsome’s length, athletic talent, and playmaking ability all add up to a first-round player, so why is he not consistently predicted as such? He should be getting more and more first-round hype and if he does well at the Northwestern Pro Day, the hype will grow even bigger.