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History has shown it’s never fair to judge an NFL prospect until he has been in the league for a few seasons. Quarterback Jared Goff, for example, went from looking like a draft bust to an MVP candidate to trade fodder in a span of five years.
However, making quick judgments has a fun factor—which is why the NFL media world loves to declare immediate trade winners and apply instant draft grades.
Let’s have a little fun and examine eight NFL rookies who are looking like 2021 draft steals. These incoming players have yet to see regular-season action but have flashed enough in camp and in the preseason to suggest they were undervalued during the spring.
Will this list look silly years or even months from now? Quite possibly, but there’s nothing wrong with putting a positive spin on select draft picks ahead of Week 1. Positivity reigns supreme for these rookies, who are listed in alphabetical order.
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The Cleveland Browns used a sixth-round draft pick on former UCLA running back Demetric Felton, and it looks like he will be more than depth behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Felton flashed during the preseason as a runner, a returner and a pass-catcher.
“Any speculation that he won’t make the 53 is crazy talk,” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com wrote before final roster cuts. “Felton (5’9″, 189) has not only handled his dual runner/receiver role admirably, he’s managed a third role—special teams—successfully as well.”
Felton indeed made the final 53, and he projects as a versatile player for the playoff-hopeful Browns. In his three preseason appearances, he rushed for 40 yards, caught five passes for 56 yards and returned both punts and kickoffs. He had an impressive 37-yard kickoff return in the preseason finale.
Cleveland came into the draft loaded with offensive talent, but it appears to have added another potent weapon in Felton.
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Protecting quarterback Russell Wilson has been a struggle for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has been sacked more than 40 times in eight of his nine seasons, and it became a point of contention this offseason.
“I’m hearing Russell Wilson’s camp has grown increasingly frustrated by the Seahawks’ inability to protect the eight-time Pro Bowler,” CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweeted in February.
Rookie sixth-round pick Stone Forsythe won’t immediately solidify Seattle’s line, but he looks like a gem who can contribute over the long haul.
With Duane Brown “holding in” during his quest for a new contract, Forsythe got opportunities to work with the first-team offense. The Florida product held his own on the playing field.
“We called Forsythe one of the steals of the draft, and he hasn’t disappointed so far,” Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus wrote. “He fared equally well in the run game and pass protection on 104 snaps this preseason. Forsythe looks like a competent swing tackle who could be a starter down the line.”
If the Seahawks found their future left tackle in Round 6, that’s a steal.
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The 15th overall pick in the draft wouldn’t usually be called a steal. However, a couple of factors must be considered with New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones.
For one, Jones was the last of five quarterbacks taken in the first round. As well, the Patriots didn’t trade up to land him—as the San Francisco 49ers did with Trey Lance and the Chicago Bears did with Justin Fields.
The Patriots stayed put and landed their quarterback of the future. Jones is also the quarterback of the present, as the Patriots have named him the Week 1 starter and released veteran Cam Newton.
Jones threw for 388 yards in the preseason and posted a passer rating of 97.4. However, New England’s confidence in the rookie comes from more than the statistics.
“Really feel confident about his approach,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels told reporters, adding, “Tries not to make the same mistake twice. … He’s really shown a strong aptitude at a young age to put those mistakes behind him.”
Jones could have been snatched up by Chicago or San Francisco—or a team that passed on a QB, like the Denver Broncos—and no one would have been surprised.
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Former Georgia safety Richard LeCounte III is undersized at 5’10” and 196 pounds and lacks the speed to be a high-end deep safety.
“LeCounte is an undersized safety with good athleticism, but he lacks the top-end speed needed,” Cory Giddings of the B/R Scouting Department wrote. “He is a ball hawk who attacks the ball in the air with his hands. Because of his size, he lacks in run support, often getting stiff-armed by bigger backs, though he does play with good instincts and feel.”
The Browns took a fifth-round flier on LeCounte, though, and appear to have gotten a steal. He showed during the preseason that he can be a difference-maker as a rotational pass defender. LeCounte had four pass breakups and two interceptions in three exhibition games.
“Ball finds a way to him, and he has great ball skills,” coach Kevin Stefanski said of LeCounte.
Expect LeCounte to make his presence felt in sub-packages.
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Like Mac Jones, Arizona Cardinals wideout Rondale Moore was a high draft selection. Also like Jones, though, he could and possibly should have gone earlier.
Taken with the 49th overall selection, Moore appears to be in line for a prolific rookie season. The Cardinals found multiple ways to get him the football during the preseason, and it looks like he will be both a receiving and a rushing threat in 2021.
He finished the preseason opener with three receptions, two rushes and 39 scrimmage yards. In the next game, he caught three passes, rushed once and had 24 scrimmage yards.
The Purdue product was viewed as an explosive but unpolished product heading into the draft.
“He will need to keep refining his route-running tree, as he is still raw in this area, especially on more nuanced shorter and intermediate routes that he will be asked to run at the NFL level,” Nate Tice of the B/R Scouting Department wrote.
However, Moore has landed in a perfect situation with a creative offensive coach in Kliff Kingsbury. It won’t be a shock to see him out-produce a few of the six wideouts drafted ahead of him.
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The Los Angeles Chargers may have found their power-running complement to Austin Ekeler in the sixth round of this year’s draft. That’s where they took 5’10”, 210-pound Missouri product Larry Rountree III.
Los Angeles brought back both Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley—who rushed for 270 yards and 354 yards, respectively, last season—but Rountree shined during the preseason.
“With Justin Jackson out and Joshua Kelley quiet as a rusher, Rountree rose above the pack,” Gavino Borquez of Chargers Wire wrote. “Showing good feet, explosion and vision, the sixth-round pick finished the three-game preseason slate with 102 yards on 22 carries. Rountree also showed upside in pass protection and on special teams.”
Rountree, who rushed for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games at Missouri last season, should be an early offensive and special teams contributor. Now that he’s made the active roster, he’ll have an opportunity to leapfrog Jackson and Kelley as L.A.’s primary backup.
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The Patriots may have gotten the steal of the draft in running back Rhamondre Stevenson based on what he showed during the preseason.
The fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma looked like a Pro Bowler on the exhibition field, finishing his three-game run with remarkable numbers. Stevenson rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the opener and had 74 scrimmage yards and two more scores in Week 2. In Week 3, he had another 40 scrimmage yards and a touchdown.
According to Next Gen Stats, Stevenson led running backs in rushing yards over expected (+111) with almost double the number of any other player.
It’s not a coincidence that New England was comfortable with trading 2018 first-round pick Sony Michel after two weeks of preseason action.
While Stevenson will have to split time with the likes of James White and Damien Harris in New England’s backfield, he could be one of the most prolific rookie runners this season.
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The Cardinals used a fourth-round pick on former Florida cornerback Marco Wilson and may have landed an early starter.
Arizona placed Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list Tuesday, which leaves the team short of top-end talent at cornerback. Wilson is listed as a primary backup on the depth chart, and after a strong preseason, he should get playing time in the slot or as part of a rotation.
“The Cardinals desperately need any sign of life at cornerback now that Malcolm Butler has officially landed on the reserve/retired list,” Renner wrote. “Wilson gave his team just that this preseason, allowing three catches from six targets for 30 yards—with three pass breakups—on 31 coverage snaps.”
Wilson was the 21st cornerback drafted this year, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he makes a more immediate impact than several of the corners drafted before him.
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