The Top Five Best Value Picks of the Early Rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is one of the biggest events of the year for all the 32 NFL teams, their fans, and especially the prospects. Hundreds of players sit with their families waiting to get that call, the call that could change their lives forever. Many of those talented players will hear their names called early, and others will have to wait. Today, we take a look at some of the most talented players in this year's draft class that had to wait longer then expected to hear their names called, but the teams that took them should be more then content to get a player of these guys' caliber.

Honorable Mention #1 - Caleb Farley, CB Virginia Tech

Prior to his back surgery, Caleb Farley was arguably considered the best cornerback in this year's draft class. Many experts had him and Alabama corner Patrick Surtain as the clear cut top corners. Unfortunately, Caleb Farley's injury concerns plummeted his draft stock, making him fall to the Tennessee Titans with the 22nd selection. If Farley is able to stay healthy however, this may just be one of the best value picks in this year's draft class, as he is very talented and can definitely produce at the NFL level. However, there is no guarantee that he does stay healthy, and for that reason he is not on the actual list and only an honorable mention.

Honorable Mention #2 - Teven Jenkins, OT Oklahoma State

Being widely considered one of the best offensive linemen in this year's draft class, Teven Jenkins expected to hear his name called early on the first night of the NFL draft. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as Jenkins slid all the way to the Chicago Bears in the second round number 39 overall. This was a surprise to many, as Jenkins' tremendous run blocking ability had many convinced that he could go as high as the top 15. Other offensive lineman that were graded lower than Jenkins, like Alex Leatherwood, ended up being selected way higher than Jenkins for no reason other than the fact that Jon Gruden, head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, has a track record of going way off the board for his early round selections. The only reason that Jenkins wasn't included on the actual list is simply because there was just too much talent and not enough spots on the list for everyone. But in the end the Bears got a steal in Jenkins, who should be a fixture on their offensive line for many years to come.

#5 - Greg Newsome II, CB Northwestern

Despite this year being considered a loaded cornerback class, there were only a few that were considered worthy of a very high selection. Those few were Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, the previously mentioned Caleb Farley, and Greg Newsome II. It was expected that almost all of these players were going to be taken in the top 20, with the exception of Caleb Farley and his previously discussed injury concerns. With that being said, many expected Newsome to be the third cornerback taken in the first round, but that didn't happen. Instead, Newsome slid all the way down to the Cleveland Browns with the 26th overall selection, even going after the injury prone Farley, who went four picks earlier to the Tennessee Titans. Just with that information alone, many can consider Newsome one of the major draft steals of the early rounds of this year's NFL draft. Many teams could've taken Newsome and could've locked down a starting cornerback spot for the next decade. Instead, he slid all the way down the board to the Browns, who should be ecstatic about getting him that late.

#4 - Rashawn Slater, OT Northwestern

Many expected Rashawn Slater to go within the top ten picks of the 2021 NFL draft, and that's why it was such a surprise to see him fall all the way to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 13th overall selection. Slater was considered the best day one offensive lineman in the draft, although his counterpart Penei Sewell was ranked higher because of his high upside. Despite this, no one thought that Slater would fall to the Chargers, and many believed that the Chargers would have to trade up to get their franchise guy. Nevertheless, the Chargers stayed put and got a top tier offensive lineman who will help protect Justin Herbert for many years to come.

#3 - Trevon Moehrig, S TCU

As they seemingly always do, the Las Vegas Raiders again went way off the board with their first round selection in this year's draft class, taking Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood rather than one of the higher ranked and more talented offensive lineman. Fittingly however, they made up for this pick, taking the ultra-talented Trevon Moehrig with the 43rd overall selection. Moehrig was considered by many to be the best safety in this year's draft class, yet he was the third safety off the board in round two. Just with this information alone one can consider Moehrig a top draft steal, but this idea even more so validates itself when you bring into account Moehrig's tremendous ball-hawking skills coupled with his ability to be all over the field. The Raiders should be more than pleased with this draft selection, as they have filled a top need and got tremendous value while doing so.

#2 - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB Notre Dame

Despite getting tremendous value with their first pick, in the previously mentioned Greg Newsome ll, Browns' general manager Andrew Berry wasn't satisfied. Cleveland went out and made yet another big splash on the second night of the NFL draft, taking Notre Dame linebacker and top prospect Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with the 52nd overall selection. It was later revealed that Owusu-Koramoah may have fell due to a heart issue, but he was previously cleared by doctors, which makes it all the more puzzling on why teams passed on him. Nevertheless, Owusu-Koramoah was considered one of the top linebackers in this years class, which again makes it more confusing when you find out that he fell to the back half of the second round. Owusu-Koramoah's tremendous flexibility and elite ability to play all over the field made him such a sought after prospect, as he had the ability to play safety, linebacker, or even slot corner. When you get a player of Owusu-Koramoah's caliber, you would think that he would be taken in the top 15 or even the top 10 picks of the draft, which is why this pick was tremendous value for the Cleveland Browns.

#1 - Justin Fields, QB Ohio State

In what was to be considered one of the greatest quarterback draft classes in recent memory, many expected the top quarterbacks to fly off the board early. With the first three picks of the draft all being quarterbacks, this seemed to be true, until it wasn't. Throughout the entire college football season, Justin Fields was the undisputed quarterback two of this draft class. But for some reason, even after outplaying the number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence in the college football playoffs, Fields was now considered quarterback four. It was understandable to see the Zach Wilson hype after his pro day, but Justin Fields was still a top three quarterback at worst in this years draft even until now. The only reason that the Trey Lance pick wasn't frowned upon was that the Niners were rumored to take Mac Jones, which would've been the biggest mistake of the entire draft. If there was no Mac Jones to San Francisco talk, then hundreds of fans would've been considerably more upset with them passing on Fields. How could almost a dozen teams pass on the undisputed QB2 throughout the entire college football season? It was just bizarre to me to see how this guy fell down so many people's draft boards without doing anything to hurt his stock since the end of the college football season. Although Bears general manager Ryan Pace has had his troubles finding his next franchise quarterback, he deserves all the credit for this one. Some may be upset that he had to give up a future first round pick in order to trade up for Fields, but that pick won't even be necessary if the Bear's plan for Fields pans out and he becomes the future star that the Bears are hoping for. Despite the fact that Fields was the eleventh selection in the draft, he was still the biggest steal, as he should've never even fell past the number two spot. It still amazes me how the consensus QB2 can fall that far down people's draft boards since the end of a season, and that is why he is the biggest value selection from this year's draft.