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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Surprise First-Rounders for the 2021 NFL Draft
Updated March 2, 2021By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Surprise First-Rounders One of the hardest parts of any NFL draft for pro teams and draft analysts to project are the final dozen picks of the first round. Typically, every franchise has around 20 players with a first-round grade, so there are always some players with consensus second-round grades who end up being selected on the opening night of the draft. Late in the first round is when the draft starts getting more subjective, with teams varying widely in regards to how they feel about the prospects. With that in mind, WalterFootball.com reached out to team sources to survey on who could be the surprise first-round picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. Here were the players who teams suggested as those candidates.
The wild card for Smith's draft evaluation is a pulmonary blood-clot issue that caused him to miss time as a sophomore. Some sources think Smith could be a surprise first-rounder because they view him as a plug-and-play starter at guard and typically a top guard or two sneaks into late in the first round. Others completely disagree, but Smith falls in the subjective part of the draft where beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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