2021 NFL Draft safety rankings: Grant and Moehrig battle for the top spot
By John Blair
13. Ar’Darius Washington, TCU
5-foot-8, 176 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Sixth round
A player who has posted impressive stats but will fall to the later parts of the 2021 NFL Draft is Ar’Darius Washington of TCU. The reason he will fall to the sixth or seventh round is his lack of size and poor testing numbers including a 4.61 40-yard dash. Despite these limitations, though he should be a core special teams player as his instincts and overall aggressive play should allow him to stand out in this area.
14. Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech
6-foot-3, 226 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Sixth round
Virginia Tech Divine Deablo is a bigger safety who should transition to strong safety in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Deablo has accounted for 139 tackles and five interceptions, showing the ball skills you would expect from a college wide receiver. His lack of agility and questions about his cover skills are just two of the reasons he will fall to the later parts of the third day of the 2021 NFL Draft.
15. Caden Sterns, Texas
6-foot, 202 pounds
2021 NFL Draft grade: Sixth round
Caden Sterns came to Texas as a highly regarded recruit and had a strong freshman season being named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. Unfortunately, it was the best year of his career as he battled numerous injury issues over the next two seasons and only picked up one interception during that time. While Sterns has strong testing numbers including a 4.4 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical jump he is more of an athlete at this point than a great football player.
16. Christian Uphoff, Illinois State
6-foot-3, 213
2021 NFL Draft grade: Sixth round
One of the better FCS defenders in the 2021 NFL Draft class is Illinois State’s, Christian Uphoff. Uphoff was both a contributor for ISU’s defense making 70 tackles and special teams averaging 23.8 yards in 2019. The traits that make him an NFL prospect include good speed, size, and overall cover skills.