5 takeaways from Daniel Jeremiah’s updated 2021 NFL Draft big board

2021 NFL Mock draft

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his 2021 NFL Draft board on Tuesday, and it included some surprise names in the top five.

Well, they weren’t really a surprise if you’ve watched them play. Instead, they were surprises because they aren’t quarterbacks.

Here are five takeaways from Jeremiah’s top 50 list.

Kyle Pitts scouting report

Kyle Pitts is changing the narrative on TE valuation

Pitts checked-in at No. 3 overall on Jeremiah’s big board, and while that’s exceptionally high for a tight end in any draft year, it’s an accurate spot for Pitts and what he’ll mean to an NFL offense in 2021 and beyond.

I recently evaluated Pitts’ game here, and as of now, he’s my highest-graded non-quarterback in the class. There’s a good chance he’ll finish the process in our top three or four overall, too.

Pitts is more of a wide receiver than a tight end, and he’s the biggest physical mismatch of all the pass-catchers in this year’s class. It won’t be long before Pitts is among the NFL’s elite tight ends.

2021 NFL Mock draftJustin Fields is QB4

The disrespect for Fields is getting out of hand, which is usually what happens this time of year. Top prospects — who’ve been top prospects for months — get boring. And there’s always an unfair victim of over-scouting. It appears Fields is that guy in 2021.

I understand there will be a contingent of scouts who have Zach Wilson rated ahead of Fields, and that’s fine. Wilson is a stud and he could end up higher on our final big board too. But the fact that Jeremiah has Trey Lance rated as QB3 is insane to me. Lance certainly has the tools to develop into a big-time quarterback in the NFL, but he’s nowhere near ready to be a starter and is the biggest roll of the dice at the position in the class.

Fields, on the other hand, has proven results against top competition and he’s improved year over year. He’s a franchise quarterback.

Travis Etienne NFL DraftTravis Etienne ahead of Najee Harris for RB1

Harris benefited from a fantastic 2020 campaign that was featured all season long in large part because of the remarkable year had by the Alabama program. Harris was a weekly highlight reel and touchdown machine, so of course, it was easy to forget about Etienne as the preseason RB1. Etienne’s underwhelming 2020 season didn’t help, either.

But Jeremiah has Etienne comfortably ahead of Harris in his rankings. The former Clemson Tiger checks-in at No. 18, while Harris is sitting at 22. This is great news for teams in need of a new feature back; having two first-round talents in one draft class is hard to come by in the modern draft era.

Etienne reminds me of Saints star, Alvin Kamara. I’m not sure he’ll come off the board before Harris, but he’s going to be a dynamic weapon in the NFL.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL