SDS Mailbag: Non-QB to build around in 2021 draft, memorable Final Four MOPs and which city should host the NFL Draft

Watching the Baylor Bears win Monday’s national title game was great. It was a special moment for coach Scott Drew, who put the finishing touches on one of the most impressive program turnarounds in the history of college sports.

But, when “One Shining Moment” plays, it’s always a little bittersweet to me. Because when that montage ends, we’re officially the furthest away from next college basketball game. At least there’s plenty of transfer portal news to keep the sport in the headlines moving forward!

For now, though, let’s dive into your Mailbag questions, a couple of which are about the upcoming NFL Draft.

Here are your questions this week:

@SChinni12:

If you had to pick a non-quarterback to build around in the 2021 NFL Draft, who would you choose?

Obviously, a lot of this would depend on the team I’m taking over — how good is the quarterback? Can the line block? Are there playmakers at receiver and on defense?

But, this is a hypothetical question, so let’s answer in a vacuum. I’ll give you 3 players who I really like. The first one is no shocker — Florida TE Kyle Pitts. He was incredible in 2020 and has only improved his stock from there. His Pro Day was eye-popping and he seems like a lock to be a top-10 pick at this point. I think he fits in really well in today’s NFL.

The second guy is Penei Sewell, the Oregon offensive lineman. He was projected to be a top-5 pick entering 2020, but the Pac-12’s season didn’t draw much attention, so he’s kind of slid a little bit on some draft boards. I still am high on him, though, and think he can anchor an NFL line for years to come.

For the third player, I’ll give the defense some love. And, I’m going to be a Mizzou homer, too. Two birds, one stone. Obviously, I’m talking about Mizzou LB Nick Bolton. He’s a gamer and, in my opinion, a perfect middle linebacker for today’s NFL. He doesn’t need to come off the field in dime packages, as he’s versatile enough to be the only backer on the field. Whatever team drafts him is getting a star.

Robert:

Jared Butler was just named the Most Outstanding Player of this year’s Final Four. Since 2000, who are the most and least memorable MOPs to you?

I’m going to break down 2 most-memorable players and 1 least-memorable guy. I’ll start with the most memorable MOP for me, personally. And he wasn’t the most-memorable in a good way.

That would be Sean May of North Carolina in 2005. He (and the refs) got Illinois big man James Augustine in foul trouble really early and the Illini never recovered. As an Illinois native and a huge Illini fan growing up, I was (and am still to this day) very upset with May.

The other most-memorable MOP to me was Kemba Walker of UConn in 2011. Everyone remembers Kemba and his heroics that entire postseason. There’s a reason we discuss which players in each tournament have the best chance to pull a Kemba and carry their teams to the title.

Honorable mentions to Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse in 2003 and Anthony Davis of Kentucky in 2015 simply for how dominant both of those guys were as freshmen.

Now, we reach the least-memorable MOP. That would be Ryan Arcidiacano of Villanova in 2016. That’s not a slight to Arcidiacano at all. He had a great tournament, it’s just that Kris Jenkins hit the last-second shot to beat the Tar Heels. That’s always the moment from that tournament I remember, so it kind of overshadows the all-around performance Arcidiacano had in that game and throughout the tournament.

Joe:

Why isn’t there much buzz around pass rushers in this draft class?

I think it’s a combination of 2 things. I was listening to “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny” the other day and Kimes and guest Spencer Hall had a great explanation, I thought. Basically, they said, today’s offensive schemes are focused on moving the quarterback around and getting the ball out quickly. That doesn’t lend itself well to pass rushers having time to get to the quarterback.

Also, though, I think it’s fair to say that there aren’t the elite pass-rushing talents in this class. Kwity Paye, Gregory Rousseau and Jaelan Phillips are the guys I see most often projected to be the top edge rushers taken. They’re all good players, but I don’t know that I’d want to use a top-15 pick on any of them.

I’d rather wait and snag Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari toward the end of Round 1 or a guy like Wake Forest’s Boogie Basham Jr., potentially in Round 2. We’ll see if NFL teams agree with my thinking or if we see a run on edge rushers midway through the first round.

@Dobbe8:

Which city that’s never hosted the NFL Draft should get to next?

I’m really bummed the 2020 NFL Draft wasn’t able to be held in Las Vegas. That would have been an incredible time. Fortunately, the NFL is putting the 2022 draft in Vegas, so I’m expecting that to be a huge event. I also love that the event is heading to Kansas City in 2023. I think the NFL absolutely nailed those 2 choices.

As for a city that has never hosted and is currently not scheduled to host an upcoming draft, how about Seattle? The Seahawks fans are certainly a passionate bunch. They deserve to host a draft, especially if Cleveland gets to host it this year. Give the event to Seattle!

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.