2021 NFL Draft: Three rookie matchups on the schedule to watch in 2021
By Kyle Edmond
The NFL offseason is not much of an offseason anymore. It has become a new season of events that just aren’t games on a football field. The NFL Draft has been the focal point of the offseason, but it’s far from the only thing on the NFL schedule from March until August. With the 2021 NFL Draft now complete, attention has shifted to the next event on the NFL’s offseason schedule, the 2021 Schedule Release.
In the past, the schedule release hasn’t been as big of a deal as it will be this year. This year, the first 17-game regular season schedule will be unveiled during a television special. While opponents are known for the teams when games will take place as well as bye weeks are just as important.
Apart from team matchups, player matchups are just as intriguing and can result in some starred dates on calendars. The games that are put in the spotlight are usually “revenge games” like Cam Newton facing the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season for the first time since the two sides parted ways. Similarly, we’ll also see Tom Brady return to New England. But what about the rookies, what games are intriguing on that front?
The veterans and revenge games always grab headlines, but members of the 2021 NFL Draft class will have similar games circled on their schedules. Whether it be proving their worth against players selected before or around them or playing against a college teammate, there are just as many intriguing storylines there as in the veteran camps.
With that being said, these three rookie matchups should be circled on the calendars of all NFL fans as they could not only be fun to watch but telling of how this draft class could pan out in the big picture down the road.