When you think about the 2021 draft, what comes into mind? The players? Your team? Hanging out with friends? All of these things are what makes the draft such a great time, not only for the players, but also for the fans.
When talking to longtime NFL fan Jonathan Gaberial, 20, he discussed why he enjoys the draft.
“When I was a kid, I would always watch the draft with my dad. Even though I didn’t know what was really going on I still enjoyed hanging out with him and bonding over football. My dad and I were always happy to have the draft because that meant football season was coming back,” said Gaberial.
One of the most interesting parts of the NFL draft is learning about the players coming into the draft and making your own assumptions about how good they’ll be. Putting yourself in the shoes of your favorite team or as an NFL scout can make the process very interesting.
For our pleasure, I put together the top 3 overrated prospects coming in the 2021 NFL draft.
The players to view will be Miami Edge Gregory Rousseau, Penn State Linebacker Micah Parsons, and Michigan Receiver Nico Collins.
Although these players are listed as overrated, that does not mean that they’ll be a bust in the NFL, it simply means that they may not be as good as projected.
DE Gregory Rousseau is quite the athlete; he’s a converted receiver who now plays on the edge. This is something you don’t hear often. Standing at 6’7” and a huge wingspan, Rousseau is a freak. The reason he is picked to be overrated, is although he has all these crazy measurables, he’s still very raw at the position. Rousseau is not yet technically sound to be elite at his position.
When talking about Rousseau with NFL fan Asher Peligi, 19, he believes that Rousseau is going to be a great “project player.”
“If he finds the right coaching staff, he might be something special, it all depends on the fit. If he were to land on a team like the Browns, he’ll be a great player to play alongside Myles Garrett,” said Peligi.
LB Micah Parsons was projected a top 5 pick this year before the season started, and then it all seemed to go downhill from there. First, he opted out of the season which seemed to decrease his draft stock. Second, reports came out about his attitude and off-field problems. Finally, teammates also came out with a few interesting choice words for Parsons. You’ll likely see Parsons stock fall to mid first round by draft time.
WR Nico Collins, a projected 3-4 round pick, and is a 6’4” receiver. Collins, however, is very slow for the position and it’s very hard to see him transfer to NFL speed.
Collins made his name known for being able to out jump college cornerbacks and catch 50-50 balls. This unfortunately isn’t how the NFL plays; pro quarterbacks won’t throw balls into coverage. Unless Collins can make a change to Tight-End, I don’t see him performing well at the next level.