15 SEC players who could be 1st-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft
The SEC just set a record by having 15 players selected in Round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Now, as we turn our attention to 2021, it’s worth wondering how many SEC stars will work their way into Round 1 contention by this time next year. It’s unlikely that 15 more SEC athletes will go in the first 32 picks, but it’s not impossible.
So, which 15 players could be 1st-round picks in the 2021 draft? I think these could be in the mix, starting with the guys I am most confident will go in Round 1:
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
Chase won the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver in 2019, not his teammate Justin Jefferson. Considering Jefferson was just the No. 22 overall pick this year, Chase could be taken even higher in 2021 if he declares early. Don’t expect him to put up the same video game numbers he put up with Joe Burrow and Joe Brady, though.
Alex Leatherwood, OL, Alabama
Like Chase, Leatherwood probably would have been a first-round pick in 2020, too. But he decided to return for 1 last ride at Alabama. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Leatherwood is as close to a lock to be a Round 1 pick as there is from the SEC in 2021. The NFL always needs more reliable linemen.
Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
Moses was a borderline Round 1 pick for most of the 2020 cycle, even though he missed the year with a torn ACL. If he comes back close to full strength this season, he’ll be 1 of the top linebackers in the 2021 class. If he looks even better than he did in the past, he could be the first linebacker off the board.
Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
Trevon Diggs went in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft, but *very ESPN voice* what if I told you he wasn’t the best cornerback on the 2019 Crimson Tide? That honor goes to Patrick Surtain II. Surtain had 42 tackles, 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Surtain has the natural instincts and size that NFL executives will love. That’s no surprise, as his dad was an NFL cornerback from 1998 to 2008, playing in 3 Pro Bowls. Surtain II has all the skills to follow in his father’s Pro Bowl footsteps.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Waddle, like Chase, wasn’t eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft. But now that he’ll be able to go out for the 2021 draft, he’ll almost certainly skip his senior season. In addition to his blazing speed, Waddle is also a dynamic punt returner. He’ll make an NFL team very happy in 2021 and beyond.
Trey Smith, OL, Tennessee
Yes, Smith has some worrying issues with blood clots in his past, but when he’s on the field, there’s no doubting his immense talent. He’s a 1st-round player if he’s healthy. If things go back to normal by next February, you can bet a bunch of NFL teams will want to do their homework on him and get medical data. If doctors clear him, he’s a home-run NFL player.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Smith was eligible to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, but decided to return to school for his senior season. Let’s not forget that it was Smith, not Jerry Jeudy or Henry Ruggs III, who led the Tide in receiving yards (1,256) and touchdowns (14) in 2019. Considering both went in Round 1, Smith should be in the mix for a Day 1 selection, too.
Richard LeCounte III, S, Georgia
LeCounte was everywhere for the Bulldogs’ secondary in 2019. He had 61 tackles (4.5 for a loss), 4 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. That’s some serious versatility. I know Alabama’s Xavier McKinney fell to the early part of the 2nd round this past draft, but if there’s a team that needs a safety in the latter part of Round 1 in 2021, that team should take a long look at LeCounte.
Cade Mays, OL, Tennessee
Mays’ eligibility situation will be very interesting to watch. He transferred from Georgia and hasn’t received an eligibility waiver from the NCAA yet. Will he get one? Will the NCAA decide to allow 1-time transfers without penalty? Or, will Mays have to sit out the 2020 season?
If he can play and shows his skills alongside Trey Smith, he could work his way into the Round 1 discussion in 2021.
LaBryan Ray, DL, Alabama
Based on Ray’s stats from his first 3 years in Tuscaloosa, he doesn’t look like a 1st-round pick. But he only played in 3 games before a foot injury ended his 2019 season. This will be a major “prove it” year for Ray, but we only need to look back to 2018 and Quinnen Williams to see how fast an Alabama defensive lineman can rocket up draft boards.
Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields will almost certainly be the top 2 quarterbacks in the 2021 draft class (assuming they both declare early). But the No. 3 spot will be open. It could certainly play out that Newman works his way into that mix. He has the dual-threat ability some NFL teams love. He’ll also get a chance to showcase his skills at the SEC level in 2020. If he performs well in his 1 year at Georgia, climbing into the 1st-round conversation isn’t out of the question.
Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Mond bumped his completion percentage up from 57.3% in 2018 to 61.6% last year, but that was about the only number he improved. In many ways, he took a step back. And, now that he will be without WRs Kendrick Rogers and Quartney Davis, who both went undrafted after declaring a year early, things will be tougher in 2020 for Mond.
But if he makes a big jump this fall, he has the arm strength, dual-threat ability and sturdy frame NFL scouts will love.
Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina
Mukuamu was a terror for Jake Fromm last year. Three of his 4 interceptions came in the Gamecocks’ win over Georgia, including 1 he returned for a touchdown. The other came against Charleston Southern. It’d be nice to see him have a bigger impact against other foes this fall, but he was a consistent performer, making 59 tackles and breaking up 9 passes. NFL teams will love his 6-4, 205-pound frame, too.
Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
Campbell has yet to record an interception in 2 years at Georgia (his 2019 season was hampered a bit by injury), but his coverage skills are elite. He also has a knack for scooping up fumbles and returning them for touchdowns. He has done it twice in his career so far. If he continues his solid play, a team could take a chance on him in Round 1.
Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
Before you non-Florida fans get upset and say there’s no way Trask could ever be a Round 1 pick, just remember that you would have been laughed out of the room if you said Joe Burrow would be the No. 1 overall pick heading into the 2019 season.
Can Trask mimic Burrow’s meteoric rise? He has a talented tight end in Kyle Pitts and some intriguing weapons in the receiving corps, including the versatile Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes. We’ll see what happens this year, but crazier things have happened than Trask potentially rising into a Round 1 prospect.
Chase for LSU is obvious. I have already seen mock drafts with Marshall, Shelvin, and Stevens listed as first rounders also.
Stokes probably has a solid chance to get in the first round. Surtain’s measurables would put him at the #1 CB spot I think. Can’t forget Shaun Wade from OSU as well.
Stokes has some really good film but I don’t think NFL teams will like to see how he gets bullied around at times. He’s definitely not afraid to take on bigger WRs but against Florida and Baylor there were plays where he got boxed out pretty easily. Where he might slip back into first round consideration would be if and when he runs a sub 4.4
Which he is certainly capable of. I believe he had two laser timed 4.3s in high school.
Kyle Pitts?!? Bueller, Bueller…
Very surprised to not see him on there. Probably the top TE heading into the season.
I believe most pundits have the Penn State TE as the #1 TE as I have seen him in a lot of first round mocks. Pitts has the physical tools and talent to become the #1 TE.
TE is a very hard spot to predict in the draft, I think most people would have said going into this year that Albert O was a sure thing to go near the 1st round. He went at 118. That being said, I think Pitts is the best TE in the country and if there’s a team looking for a TE in the 1st, he’s gonna be the guy.
Agree with others that tight end is usually not a high draft position but Pitts has versatility that could help him. He essentially plays as a wideout and that may get him to the first round. Definitely should be on a list of SEC players that COULD make the first round.
No UK players mentioned (and they’re probably won’t be a first rounder from UK), but I’ll mention a few top guys:
Landon Young, OT – former 5-star; has prototype size for NFL left tackle; bounced back from injury to have solid year last year. Should also mention Darian Kinnard, who is a massive RT and was maybe our best lineman last year (2nd team all-SEC by PFF). Not sure he has the athletic upside of Landon, but he’ll get drafted.
Drake Jackson, OC – first team all-SEC at center last year, probably not ideal size and athleticism, but is a “technician,” as they say; there is usually a center who goes late first round every year, so maybe it could be Drake.
Jamar “Boogie” Watson, Edge – He’s on the smaller side for a classic edge player, but he is really athletic and had a great year last year. He’s not Josh Allen, but if he gets double-digit sacks (a very real possibility) and shows his speed in coverage, then I could see him rising up draft boards and going first round next year. His best position might be OLB in a 4-3, but that position seems to be going extinct in the NFL. If I had to bet on a UK player going first round, it’d have to be Boogie.
I’d love to have Landon Young on my team. I think he’s a Round 2-3 pick next year though.
Newman is not proven yet. Please take him off the list.
Joe Burrow was a Heisman Award Winner and won a National Championship with his team.
Trask going 1st round is a bit of a stretch.
I agree and disagree with you. He’s proven himself plenty on the field. You may disregard that because of where he played but the experts who understand QB play in a vacuum and can tell you if he’s good or not regardless of where he is playing or the players around him tell you that he’s very good. Where I agree with you is that being a good college QB doesn’t mean that you will be a good NFL QB or that you have attributes that NFL GMs will covet taking in the first round. A lot of where he goes will depend on the narrative around him and whether or not it’s positive or negative.
I also agree that Trask going 1st round is a bit of a stretch. I’m not trying to be a Gator Hater. With as much objectivity as i can provide on the subject of Kyle Trask, he got very lucky on a lot of plays last year and his supporting cast of WRs and Pitts (as you can see him not even getting recognition above) was wildly undervalued.
Newman will be a first round pick, second round at worst. He’s got the size 6’4″ 230 and he’s athletic. Throws a decent ball and has good arm strength. Just like GMs fell in love with Josh Allen, Jordan Love, and Daniel Jones someone will fall in love with Newman and make him a high pick.
True, if he doesn’t implode, wins the division, and shows off his measurables at the combine, then somebody might spend an early pick on him.
If he has a good year, I could see him being a top 5 pick.
Tyson Campbell would have to have a huge year to go in the first. He’s going to blow the combine out of the water but 1) He has to stay healthy. 2) He has to get better at identifying the ball in the air and making plays on it instead of the WR (he got a little better at that part of it last year). 3)He’s going to have to keep Daniel, Ringo, Kimber, and Stevenson from eating into his playing time.
If he plays all year like he did leading up to his injury against Arkansas State I think he’ll be a lock, but his ball-awareness needs to improve.
As I have been re watching games (something I typically do in the offseason, pandemic or not) I noticed how often he started getting on the field and how little he was noticed, which is a great thing for a corner.
He got a lot of criticism from the Mike Griffiths of the world for his 2018 LSU game, but playing in Death Valley as a true freshman in October is a tall task.
Ugh I remember that game. He couldn’t find the ball for anything, just got all over the WR. Like i said, he’s much better about it now and I assume he’ll improve even more. He’s got all of the physical skills to be an elite bump and run corner.
Bama is just so consistent in producing NFL talent and first round talent. I see another 3-6 first rounders again in 2021.
Amazing talent every year. Surprising that don’t win it all every year.
Not even a slight, I say the same about UGA. But as history has shown us before, the most talented teams don’t always win. *see the Miami’s , OSUs & USCs
I think another Dark Horse pick for UGA would be Jamaree Salyer. Especially if he plays at LT this year. I think he projects as a G in the NFL but having that position versatility is key on NFL rosters when teams usually only carry 7 lineman total to games.
Yes, he’ll need dramatic improvement.
I meant that for Tyson.
Not necessarily untrue for Salyer either though.
You obviously don’t do any research. Tyler Shelvin and Terrance Marshall will be 1st rounders also.
I will bet you any amount of money that “Terrance” Marshall is not a first-round pick in 2021.
Lol Adam.
I guess he had that coming, with his comment about doing research. I see a lot of people calling Terrace Marshall “Terrance Marshall”, even people in broadcasting. Seems a natural mistake.
He was off one letter. You missed the whole name. Where is the bigger mistake?
I would say misspelling a name is because it’s his list so there’s no mistake on his part.
Exactly wde0012.. The misspelling is wrong. The list is his opinion…
It’s a prediction. It can surely be proven wrong, but it will just take a year to get the proof.
It’s his opinion of who could be first round picks or in the mix to be first round picks. It’s not a prediction of who he thinks will be first round picks. Last week there was 15 SEC players in the first round so he’s saying these 15 will be in the mix to become first rounders.
He can say whatever he wants, and you can explain it however you like. The other LSU fan was just pointing out that there are more logical choices than the ones given. He has the right to an opinion also.
He does. No problem with that but it’s still not a prediction which was your point to begin with.
I’m sure Adam gets tired of us always pointing out mistakes made by SDS. SDS has made some atrocious mistakes on an almost daily basis.
They’re both allowed to have their opinion but misspelling his name is not an opinion…
You asked the question about the bigger mistake.. It was the misspelling…
And that’s your opinion. I think the much bigger mistake was leaving Marshall off.
Misspelling someones name is a mistake not an opinion. There is a correct way to spell it and a wrong way to spell. No in between. Leaving Marshall off is not a mistake because it is his list.. not yours or mine. There is no right or wrong list.
I don’t think it’s a huge mistake to leave off Terrance, Terrace, or any variation thereof. There’s a good chance that he could be overshadowed by another receiver in his own offense, or that the next QB in line can’t get him the ball the same way that Burrow was able to get the ball to Chase and Jefferson. Furthermore, I’d like to see some more production out of him before I label him as a can’t miss NFL prospect. 13 TDs is amazing but under 700 yards isn’t great.
Marshall missed several games due to injury. He’ll need a 1000 yard plus season to get into the first round.
Saying it’s a mistake to leave him off and then saying he’ll have to have a 1000 yard season to get in the first round lol
Also, Justyn Ross, Rondale Moore, Waddle, Chase, D. Smith and Amon-ra St. Brown are all better prospects right now.
Actually what I said wasn’t an opinion… Misspelling the name is wrong… His opinion isn’t wrong…
Technically, I don’t think he gave what would be called an opinion, at least by definition. An opinion can’t be debated or proven. This is more of a prediction, or just a list of names. The next draft will happen, so we will get definitive proof of who is actually a first rounder.
The reason it is an opinion is because it is a “could be” drafted in first round. Not a “will be” drafted in the first round list. A “will be” list would have been a prediction and could have been proven right or wrong. These are just 15 names that are in the mix to become first rounders. I’m sure there are others but he limited it to 15 most likely based off the 15 drafted last week.
Are we seriously having a conversation about the semantics of what’s an opinion and what’s a prediction? LSUSMC just admit that you’re being a sadboi cause the writer left off a player from your favorite team and let’s be done with this.
He’ll never admit it because it was a prediction
18 comments to argue what’s an opinion and/or mistake. Come on guys. Let’s stick to football. This is a good forum, one of the few that has intelligent posting, we should keep it that way. Geaux Tigers!
Funny. But if Marshall stays healthy, I think he has a chance.
Crazy what one game will do for your draft stock. Jaycee Horn is a true shutdown corner- Muk is not. Really, Muk should be a ballhawking safety. But, I could see a team spending a first rounder on him just because of his physical gifts. Even if they draft him to play saftey, him having CB experience can’t hurt.
All that said though, if we are drafting CB’s, Horn should come off first. IDK how you can have Muk on this list and not Horn…
Because Horn didn’t singlehandedly ruin the draft stock of one of the best turnover-avoiding QBs in the country in one game.
You think Fromm fell to the 5th round due to his bad performance in the South Carolina game?
That game seemed to break Fromm a little bit in terms of his confidence in his WRs not named Cager. I think it greatly influenced all of the games he played with a completion percentage under 50% after that.
Why do you think he was throwing Muk’s way?
BC Horn was on the other side of the field.
Muk has rare size and speed that you can’t teach. NFL coaches and front offices are overconfident in their ability to coach technique.
And then, some of these guys might be playing in the NFL in 2020 if CFB is cancelled or delayed till Spring.
Hardship draft is in July.
That’s an interesting point. If an upcoming senior knows his school won’t be playing games, why would he stick around if there is already good tape on him?
Very true. I would expect Bama to lose NH, Moses and a few more of the season is cancelled..
Newsome would have a tough decision. Easy for Lawrence and Fields.
Who?
Newman
Just read that in a Jerry Seinfeld voice lol
Ha
Chase is a no brainer. But (in my ESPN voice) what if I told you his 5* teammate Marshall was the #1 WR in Chase’ draft class?
At the start of last yr Marshall was the leading WR. He got hurt and missed some games. Still finished with about 13 TDs. Health is his #1 issue. If he’s fortunate to stay healthy, he’ll put up monster numbers and his size and speed are elite. I think he’ll be one of the top 3 WRs taken if he stays healthy. If not, he may have to come back for his SR yr.
Kyle Trask will be drafted. He’s a big guy with good mechanics and if he dramatically improves his ability to get rid of the ball he could go in the second or third round. Jamie Newman might go in a late round based on his physical metrics and potential. He could also get beat out by Beck or a healthy Mathis and not be drafted.
K.J.Costello could be drafted ahead of both of them.
The idea that Kellen Mond could sniff the first or second round is laughable. But he’s a gamer and could end up playing receiver in the NFL.
Right now I would expect Marco Wilson to go ahead of Tyson Campbell.
Barring injury, Kyle Pitts could go in the first couple rounds. He’s that good but his body is sort of a tweener for the NFL. He’s not as heavy as a classic NFL tight end but he’s bigger than the average wide receiver, with decent speed.
Still not sure why you keep dissing on Stetson Bennett
Who?
Seriously, I know little to nothing about Bennett and Mathis other than what I read. Perhaps he can beat Newman out.
He does have a great name.
Does Stetson wear a Stetson?
There’s about 0% chance that Newman gets beat out by anyone, especially with the pandemic keeping everyone off campus.
I agree with you in principle. It probably is zero that anyone beats him out at the start of the season.
This is longest article I can remember Adam writing. It’s good, he did some homework, and no Twitter screenshots. Thank you Adam! I take back the mean things I said about you before…
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Jaycee Horn absolutely deserves to be on this list, arguably the best corner in the SEC going into the season (Mukuamu likely plays more safety next year). Not a ton of other gamecocks that could make a first round push, but Shi Smith could sneak into the first round if he puts up Deebo level numbers in his first season as WR1
Pitts will go before every player on that list.