The 2021 NFL Draft is going to be an interesting one, for sure. Some college teams aren’t playing this fall. Some aren’t playing full seasons (Air Force is only playing 2 games, for example. North Dakota State currently has 1 game).

However, the pool of players eligible for the draft is as deep as ever, particularly in the SEC.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports analyst Ryan Wilson updated his first-round projections, and as you can see below, he has 9 SEC standouts going in the first 32 picks:

  • No. 5 — Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama — Carolina Panthers
  • No. 6 — Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU — Washington Football Team
  • No. 8 — DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama — Detroit Lions
  • No. 14 — Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama — Minnesota Vikings
  • No. 16 — Trey Smith, OL, Tennessee — Chicago Bears
  • No. 19 — Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida — Indianapolis Colts
  • No. 23 — Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama — New England Patriots
  • No. 31 — Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia — New Orleans Saints

Of course, there’s still a full season for things to change regarding these projections. We’ll see if any other SEC guys rise into Round 1 contention over the next couple of months.