NFC South 2021 NFL Draft Grades — Rankings and Reviews for All 4 Teams
Part 4 in the series of 8 — Full NFC South 2021 NFL Draft coverage.
The final Division being reviewed in the NFC Conference before we move on to the AFC. Each team in the NFC South busy relatively busy on Draft night. All four Franchises had at least six Draft picks. Who had the best 2021 NFL Draft? Let's find out!
Please note, the grading system will remain the same and the grading scale for this review will be 1–10 (10 being the best and 1 being the worst). Each Franchise in this article will be ranked from best to worst.
2021 NFL Draft Review:
1. Carolina Panthers
Draft Picks:
South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn (8th Overall), LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr. (59th Overall), BYU OT Brady Christensen (70th Overall), Notre Dame TE Tommy Tremble (83rd Overall), Oklahoma State RB Chubba Hubbard (126th Overall), Iowa DT Daviyon Nixon (158th Overall), Washington CB Keith Taylor (166th Overall), Alabama OG Deonte Brown (193rd Overall), South Carolina WR Shi Smith (204th Overall), Alabama LS Thomas Fletcher (222nd Overall), Kentucky DT Phil Hoskins (232nd Overall)
Overall Draft Grade: 9.5/10
Summary:
From beginning to end the Carolina Panthers had a very good 2021 NFL Draft. They got one of the best Corners in the Draft in Jaycee Horn. Horn is a physical shut-down Corner that plays with max effort and energy. The Panthers also got a steal in round 2 in Wide Receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.
Marshall Jr. is a speedy and tall target that new Starting Quarterback, Sam Darnold will look for early and often. Carolina wasn’t done on Offense. Brady Christensen will most likely be a Starter on the Offensive Line, and Running Back Chubba Hubbard will be a nice backup to Star Christian McCaffery.
Chubba Hubbard is a straight line Runner who could burst out for big runs down the field. He’ll make an impact in limited playing time. The steal of the Draft, Defensive Tackle Daviyon Nixon, rounds out this all-around great 2021 NFL Draft for the Carolina Panthers.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Draft Picks:
Florida TE Kyle Pitts (4th Overall), UCF S Richie Grant (40th Overall), Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield (68th Overall), San Diego State CB Darren Hall (108th Overall), Stanford C Drew Dalman (114th Overall), Texas DT Ta’Quon Graham (148th Overall), Notre Dame DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji (182nd Overall), Boise State CB Avery Williams (183rd Overall), Arizona State WR Frank Darby (187th Overall)
Overall Draft Grade: 8/10
Summary:
We all know that Kyle Pitts is a future perennial Pro-Bowler. But, what did the Atlanta Falcons do after Pitts? Well, the Falcons had a heck of a 2021 Draft. Safety Richie Grant has great speed, can break up passes, and is a hard-hitting tackler for his position. Jalen Mayfield and Drew Dalman will add depth on the Offensive Line, if not compete for Starting jobs.
Mayfield is a good value pick who was projected to be a late 1st Rounder early on in the 2021 NFL Draft process. He slid because too often he gets beat by speedy Edge Rushers, so his pass blocking needs some improvement. He’ll most likely be better as an Offensive Guard.
3. New Orleans Saints
Draft Picks:
Houston DE Payton Turner (28th Overall), Ohio State LB Pete Werner (60th Overall), Stanford CB Paulson Adebo (76th Overall), Notre Dame QB Ian Book (133rd Overall), Kentucky OT Landon Young (206th Overall), South Alabama WR Kawaan Baker (255th Overall)
Overall Draft Grade: 7/10
Summary:
Payton Turner was a surprise in the 1st Round. Many experts didn’t have him going in round one. It seemed like an odd pick. However, this isn't the first time New Orleans “reached” for a developmental Edge Rusher. In 2018 they “reached” for Defensive End Marcus Davenport. Payton Turner has more upside though because of his acceleration and quickness in the hips to shake off blockers and turn on the Edge to get to the Quarterback.
Landon Young is a nice 6'7 developmental Offensive Tackle who is a good pass blocker but needs to improve his running blocking and finishing his blocks in run situations. His inability to help open up gaps for his Running Back is what caused him to be a late-round pick.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Draft Picks:
Washington OLB Joe Tryon (32nd Overall), Florida QB Kyle Trask (64th Overall), Notre Dame OT Robert Hainsey (95th Overall), North Texas WR Jaelon Darden (129th Overall), Auburn LB K.J. Britt (176th Overall), BYU CB Chris Wilcox (251st Overall), Houston LB Grant Stuard (*Mr. Irrelevant — 259th Overall)
Overall Draft Grade: 6.5/10
Summary:
When you have Tom Brady, bring back all 22 starters from last year, and won the Super-Bowl, there’s not much you need in the Draft. That’s exactly what symbolizes the Buccaneers Draft picks. They swung for the fences with a lot of their picks because they can.
Kyle Trask was a reach at the end of round 2, but again, he’ll be playing behind Tom Brady and can take his time to develop. Still, he doesn’t have the arm of an NFL Starter and it’s hard to see him being one at the Pro Level. Trask projects as a career backup and I’d be surprised if he develops into a Starter. The Bucs are ranked last in these rankings but they at least had the honor of Drafting Mr. Irrelevant.
Jeffrey Genao is a Writer and Contributor for Top Level Sports, Basketball University, and Kitchen Tales. You can read more of his Content at Top Level Sports, Basketball University, Kitchen Tales, and the Official Basketball University website https://officialbballuniversity.com/author/jeffrey-genao/.
