NFL Draft Notebook: Why Kyle Pitts will win Rookie of the Year and more
By John Blair
- Former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth has made a positive impression so far with his new team the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin has mentioned how hard of a worker he is and his teammate Eric Ebron has stated how good of a playmaker he has been. This does not come as a surprise as he was rated as the 36th best player in the NFL Draft by NFL Mocks and in his scouting report, it was noted how good of a receiver he was. Look for the Steelers to use more 12 personnel this year, just so they can get Freiermuth more playing time.
- One draft pick who has struggled so far is Baltimore Ravens fullback Ben Mason. He has struggled to be a consistent receiving threat and has at times looked uncomfortable in the passing game. While Mason has yet to have a chance to impress the Ravens with his blocking ability in order to make the team he is going to have to prove he can be a reliable outlet receiver.
- The highest-drafted Division II player in the 2021 NFL Draft was Central Missouri tight end Zach Davidson who the Minnesota Vikings took in the fifth round. While Davidson has shown the athletic ability and potential to eventually make an NFL roster, if he sticks with the Vikings it will likely be on the practice squad. This is due to him still needing to work on his technique, and other tight ends including Tyler Conklin and Brandon Dillon having impressive OTAs.
- A player who fell in the draft but might have fallen into a great situation is Brevin Jordan. Going into the 2021 NFL Draft I had Jordan graded as a second-round pick and the third-best tight end in the class. However, Jordan went much later than his draft grade and was not taken until the fifth round by the Houston Texans. Despite him falling to the third day of the draft look for Jordan to have an impact this season. One of the reasons for this is the lack of depth at this position. He will also benefit from offensive coordinator Tim Kelly looking to get the tight end more involved this year. Jordan has the skillset to take advantage of this opportunity as well having caught 38 passes and seven touchdowns last year for the Miami Hurricanes.