The following article was a pre-NFL Draft piece looking at the fantasy talent of the 2021 Draft class. Please check out our Dynasty Rookie Rankings for 2021 to see where we have each new NFL prospect ranked in Fantasy or Dynasty leagues.
Pre-NFL Draft Rankings
The NFL Draft is just about here and by now everyone is just ready to see where all these rookies are going to land. Landing spot is one of the biggest factors to take into account when looking at rookies on your dynasty team, but you won’t really get a feel for how good these rookies are unless you dig into their college tape, analytics, and statistics. Personally, I use mostly film, but like to use analytics to find outliers. Evaluating prospects before the NFL Draft is important, otherwise, you may end up drafting someone like Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the first round just because the landing spot appears to be good. These rankings will likely change drastically after the NFL Draft, but if we’re going strictly based on their film, with a bit of analytics and statistics thrown in, here is how I have these guys ranked. I won’t go into depth on every single player, but here are some key things to know about them:
Quarterbacks
1. Trevor Lawrence – Clemson
There really isn’t much that needs to be said about Lawrence at this point. He’s probably the best prospect that we’ve seen come out since Andrew Luck and is very ready for the NFL. If you’re in Superflex or 2QB leagues, he’s easily the 1.01, don’t overthink it.
2. Justin Fields – Ohio State
3. Zach Wilson – BYU
Wilson is a very fun player to watch. He’s mobile and can make passes on the run. He has a solid pocket presence, quick hands, and a quick release. Wilson is also very accurate and was second in the FBS in completion percentage with 73.5%.
4. Mac Jones – Alabama
Jones is not the greatest athlete in the world, but he is smart and a good leader on the field. He can make all the throws on the field but doesn’t have the biggest arm out there. He led the nation in passing yards with 4,500 passing yards and will have a chance to maybe not be fantastic, but be a solid quarterback in the NFL.
5. Trey Lance – North Dakota State
6. Kyle Trask – Florida
7. Kellen Mond – Texas A&M
Mond is an interesting prospect that could see a bump in value if he lands in the right spot. He’s a versatile quarterback and fits the mold of what you want to see in a quarterback this day in age. He’s got a quick release and holds just about every Texas A&M record.
8. Davis Mills – Stanford
9. Jamie Newman – Wake Forest
10. Shane Buechele – SMU
Running Backs
1. Najee Harris – Alabama
Harris is a very solid all-around running back who can handle a large workload and do some damage out of the backfield catching the ball. He’s got the prototypical size, great vision, blocks well, and can simply run through you. Harris has one of the safest floors of these running backs on top of great fantasy upside if he finds a nice landing spot where he gets enough work.
2. Travis Etienne – Clemson
Etienne is a fun and exciting guy to watch. He’s got elite speed, great acceleration, great contact balance, and is a big play waiting to happen. He’s solid enough in the passing game but wasn’t used a ton to really see how well he can catch. Etienne is one of the most landing spot-dependant players in this class.
3. Javonte Williams – UNC
The more I watch Williams the more I want to move him up ahead of Etienne, and really these two are interchangeable. Williams is extremely physical and does everything well that you want a running back to do well this day in age. He can cut on a dime, has great vision, patience, and is also two years younger than Harris and Etienne.
4. Kenneth Gainwell – Memphis
The biggest knock on Gainwell is going to be his size, as there simply aren’t many running backs in the NFL of his size. Gainwell lined up in the slot and outside, running routes, and could very well be the best pass-catching back in this class. He was really the reason that Antonio Gibson played more at wide receiver in 2019 and was ahead of him until getting hurt. He’s got that home run ability type of ability and can really take off in open space. Gainwell has a ton of upside if he lands in the right spot.
5. Michael Carter – UNC
Another North Carolina running back inside the top-five and that’s Carter. He is an explosive guy that can change direction well and is very quick with his feet. He’s smaller at 5’8 but works between the tackles well for his size. He’s capable in the passing game and will probably need to land in a spot where he can be utilized in the passing game, that being said he catches decent but does use his body at times.
6. Chuba Hubbard – Oklahoma State
Hubbard was one of the top prospects in this class but really saw a dropoff since 2019. He opted out in 2020 and his hype has slowed down a ton. I still really like the upside that he could bring and have him ranked higher because of that potential.
7. Jermar Jefferson Oregon State
Jefferson averaged 108 yards per game on an awful team and totaled 27 games with over 100 rushing yards. He’s not amazing at anything in particular, but he is really solid all around. He can pound the rock and works fine in the passing game. He’ll likely need a good offensive line and solid landing spot to get much fantasy production.
8. Kylin Hill – Mississippi State
Hill runs very hard but isn’t overly impressive at anything in particular either. He opted out after just three games last year, but he did look solid in the passing game which was one improvement from his 2019 tape. I don’t really see him as a starter, but if he lands in the right spot he would see a nice bump in value.
9. Trey Sermon – Ohio State
Sermon is someone I’m a bit lower on, and the more I watch him the less I like him. His contact balance is definitely his most appealing trait. His vision isn’t great and at times he looks like he simply doesn’t care. That being said, he did step up toward the end of the year when Ohio State needed him to. He’s also totaled just four games with 20 or more carries.
10. Demetric Felton – UCLA
Felton is someone I like simply due to his versatility. He runs great routes and used to be a slot receiver. He’s great in the open field, and if he’s drafted to a team that uses him well, he could end up being productive for your fantasy teams.
11. Rhamondre Stevenson – Oklahoma
12. Elijah Mitchell – Louisiana
13. Khalil Herbert – Virginia Tech
14. Jaret Patterson – Buffalo
This is where those outliers come into play. Patterson is a solid prospect, runs very hard for his size, and doesn’t go down easily. He really doesn’t catch passes either so doesn’t offer much upside there. He didn’t catch a single pass in 2020. He makes nice jump cuts and has solid agility. However, at 5’6 195 pounds, the chances that he makes it are slim. Running backs of his size simply don’t produce in the NFL. Patterson could be one of those few outliers that break this mold, but history shows us that he’s more than likely not going to make it.
15. Chris Evans – Michigan
16. Trey Ragas – Louisiana Lafayette
17. Larry Rountree – Missouri
18. Deon Jackson – Duke
19. Javian Hawkins – Louisville
Hawkins is someone I’m a bit lower on than most. He doesn’t have great vision or patience and goes down pretty easily. He does have nice speed and can break off big plays at times, but he could end up just being a special teams guy.
20. Pooka Williams – Kansas
Wide Receivers
1. Ja’Marr Chase – LSU
Chase might have the highest upside of all the wide receivers in this class. He is very physical, has great body control, and can make tough catches over the middle of the field and downfield. To me he’s the safest wide receiver prospect in this class and offers huge upside as well.
2. DeVonta Smith – Alabama
Smith has the size, speed, hands, and physicality that you’d expect from a top wide receiver prospect. He runs the best routes in this class as well. Many analysts had DeVonte Smith very high in their rankings until his official weight came in. Many are down on Smith after he came in weighing in at 166 pounds, dropping his BMI enough that analytics say it’s not likely he’ll hit. I’m happy to keep the former Heisman winner at the top of my wide receiver rankings and absolutely love just about every aspect of his game.
3. Jaylen Waddle – Alabama
Waddle has ridiculous speed and is not just a burner. He can run routes well, go up and get the ball, and can beat you with just his speed. Waddle has arguably the highest ceiling of any wide receiver in this class.
4. Elijah Moore – Ole Miss
Moore can play anywhere on the field and absolutely lit up his Pro Day drills, showing off his speed, quickness, and agility. He runs really nice routes and there really isn’t much to dislike about him. Ole Miss has obviously been putting out some great wide receivers in recent years, and Moore just broke AJ Brown’s record with 86 receptions in a season. He led the FBS with 10.8 receptions per game and with his 149.1 receiving yards per game.
5. Rashod Bateman – Minnesota
If you’re going just off 2019 tape, Bateman would probably be a few spots higher, but he fell off a bit in 2020. He played mostly in the slot in his five games in 2020 after playing outside in 2019. He also runs great routes and can go up and get the ball.
6. Rondale Moore – Purdue
Moore is almost exclusively a slot wide receiver and really doesn’t have the size to play outside. Moore is excellent in the open field and runs very physical for his size. He’s dealt with some injuries and missed a decent amount of time because of them.
7. Nico Collins – Michigan
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown – USC
9. Terrace Marshall – LSU
10. Tamorrian Terry – Florida State
Terry has the size and speed that work great for him as a downfield playmaker. He’s racked up nine touchdowns of 50+ yards and mainly runs go routes and some screens. His upside makes him interesting as a later guy to gamble on, but his floor is definitely pretty low.
11. Tylan Wallace – Oklahoma State
12. Amari Rodgers – Clemson
13. Dyami Brown – UNC
14. Kadarius Toney – Florida
Toney saw a great deal of hype that quickly came to a halt after his Senior Bowl performance. He’s a fairly raw prospect as a former quarterback and definitely needs to improve on his route running. Based on where he’s going in drafts I probably won’t own much of Toney, but I’m fine with that.
15. Austin Watkins – UAB
16. Jonathan Adam Jr. – Arkansas State
17. Dazz Newsome – UNC
18. Seth Williams – Auburn
19. D’Wayne Eskridge – Western Michigan
Eskridge is another guy that I’m a bit lower on. He doesn’t run great routes, has some drop issues, and doesn’t track the ball very well for someone that stretches the field. He saw a good amount of hype from the Senior Bowl. He also just turned 24, which isn’t ideal for your dynasty teams either.
20. Tutu Atwell – Louisville
Tight Ends
1. Kyle Pitts – Florida
Pitts has gotten a crazy amount of hype, so much that he is already looking like a top-five dynasty tight end. He’s easily the best tight end prospect we’ve seen in years, maybe even ever. Don’t overthink this one and don’t be afraid to take him with a top-five pick in your rookie drafts.
2. Pat Freiermuth – Penn State
Freiermuth is a very solid, safe tight end prospect. He’s more than capable as a receiver and a great blocker. This 2021 tight end class is nothing to get excited about outside of Pitts, but Freiermuth is definitely the next one I’m looking at. The rest of these tight ends don’t offer a ton of upside but could be worth some late-round flyers especially in your TE-Premium leagues.
3. Brevin Jordan – Miami
4. John Bates – Boise State
5. Hunter Long – Boston College
6. Tommy Tremble – Notre Dame
7. Tre McKitty – Georgia
8. Kenny Yeboah – Ole Miss
Yeboah is one of the few tight ends that looks solid catching the ball as well as after the catch. His blocking isn’t great, but if he improves on that he could see the field enough to become somewhat fantasy relevant.
9. Tony Poljan – Virginia
10. Ben Mason – Michigan
