2021 NFL Draft: Five under-the-radar rookies for the 2021 season
By Kyle Edmond
Five under-the-radar rookies from the 2021 NFL Draft
This year’s 2021 NFL Draft saw 259 players selected over the course of the seven rounds. While the first 32 picks received the most attention, the other 227 players taken will make up most of the rosters across the league along with the well over 100 undrafted free agents. Even so, the players selected after the first round will have much less hype, creating an opportunity to have an even bigger breakout.
Being a first-round selection comes with high expectations, but for those other 227 players, they have the opportunity to play under a softer microscope. Some will have higher expectations than others, but as a whole, they tend to be a bit overlooked, at least at the start of the year. This can allow them to fly under-the-radar for a bit not only to fans, but to opposing teams.
The 2020 NFL Draft saw similar situations from players like Antonio Gibson and Chase Claypool. They didn’t get as much hype around the draft or even after, but were able to make a name for themselves in the NFL rather quickly once the season began with both becoming cornerstones for their team by the season’s end.
The 2021 NFL Draft class will have the added layer of the recent COVID season for the cover over the mid-round picks. In some cases, players either didn’t get to play as much as normal season or maybe not at all which in turn could lower expectations even further. There isn’t as much tape on some players as there would be a normal year for opposing teams to scout.
Regardless of the reason, these five players have the opportunity to fly under the radar to start the 2021 season. Given their anticipated role on the team, they should all be focal points of their respective teams and could quickly become some of the biggest steals of the draft if they can produce at the level they are capable of.