DRAFT TRACKER 2021

While Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley is my NFL comparison for Smith, I feel like a better comp might be Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. Like Curry, Smith is thinner than you'd like and isn't the strongest player, but he has rare quickness, speed, and change-of-direction fluidity, and he creates separation from defenders seemingly at will. He possesses an elite skill level for the position and can hit the defense from short, mid-range or deep. Smith has quietly been the most complete of the receivers at Alabama over the last two seasons and will give an NFL team the ability to mismatch him against the weak links either inside or outside in coverage. He's a detailed route runner with the athletic ability to really make them count, from a separation standpoint, and his ball skills are unquestioned. Smith has the football character, athletic gifts and upper-echelon skill level to become a long-time starter and Pro Bowl regular.

Ascending interior lineman whose outstanding play at Alabama will have to be balanced against the litany of injuries he's sustained. He has a broad, well-built frame with above-average core strength and has true guard/center flexibility, depending on what a team is looking for. Dickerson has average range and reactive athleticism at the second level, but he is capable of short pulls and has the body control technique to help open holes in a downhill attack. The anchor is firm, so halting bull rushers is a check in his column, but his lateral agility could be tested by athletic rushers in sub packages. Teams will love his demeanor on and off the field as well as his football intelligence, but he must prove that he can stay healthy. His size and talent should make him one of the earliest interior linemen off the board.

Pound for pound, Williams can match his toughness and strength with many of the interior defenders in this draft. Determining his best positional fit will be up to the team that drafts him, but he's a good football player who understands leverage and knows how to use his hands. He'll have some bumpy snaps from time to time due to a lack of length and overall mass, but it shouldn't be debilitating for his NFL career. Williams possesses twitchy power and short-area athleticism, but needs to continue the development of working the hands and feet as one to unlock his potential. His pass rush is relatively pedestrian at this time and will need to be upgraded to become more than just a good backup. Teams will weigh the tape and testing against subpar physical traits, but the end result could land him in the middle rounds as an upside talent.

Penn State transfer with two seasons as a starter at Texas Tech. McPhearson plays the position with good physicality in coverage, at the catch point and when it's time to do his part in run support. His ball skills are on point and he does a good job of maintaining positioning once he's there, but he has some issues anticipating route breaks and maintaining feel for the pattern from trail position in man coverage. He has decent play speed, but appears to lack the ups for jump-ball battles. He has the feet and competitiveness to potentially back up outside or inside and should compete for special teams reps early on.

One-year starter with underwhelming size but overwhelming production. Gainwell is a challenging study as a slasher with average burst and speed but excellent change-of-direction talent. His propensity for taking on monster contact as an inside runner should be a concern based on his frame. He does an excellent job of reading blockers/defenders and makes buttery smooth cuts to change his rush track while keeping his feet ready if another quick cut is needed. His willingness in pass protection and talent out of the backfield should help him find a home as a backup running back with third-down value.

Tuipulotu can play both nose and three-technique. He really raised his profile in 2020 with more consistent tape relative to his total number of games played in the Pac-12. He's a little undersized to be an interior run stuffer but makes up for it with excellent use of hands and twitchy upper-body power to jostle and shed blocks. The sack production looks OK but he is lacking a go-to move and a counter to get quick wins needed along the interior. He will need to add more mass to play nose in the pros but does have the strength and toughness to find reps at the position. Tuipulotu will check all the boxes for personal and football character and could become a solid rotational defender in an even-front scheme.

Stocky defensive end with the strength and balanced base that helped him stack up production against Sun Belt competition over the years. He's tough and aggressive at the point of attack, but is not a natural bender, which could hurt his ability to fight off angle blocks and anchor down against NFL opponents. He has a quick arm-over move that will serve him well when looking for gaps off the snap. Jackson is a face-up rusher missing the agility and athleticism to consistently win as an NFL rusher, but his motor and strength to press through the edge are worthy play traits. He has the type of build that could have teams looking to move him to three-technique if he adds weight.

Stevens is in a precarious position as either an undersized linebacker with just average toughness at the point of attack or an oversized safety lacking instincts and coverage speed. He played heavier in 2020 and simply didn't look as quick or as agile as he did in 2019. He displays some of the downhill run-defending characteristics teams will look for as a box safety but will need to lock in against tight ends to add legitimate coverage value. Determining his scheme fit and finding his optimal weight will be critical for him to have success on the next level.

Projects as a rugged stand-up rush linebacker who plays the game with his mad face on. Johnson possesses the compact frame, play strength and hand usage to set strong edges and hold his own when the running game rolls downhill at him. He lacks desired length and explosiveness as a rusher, but varies his angles and targets the blocker's edge to help make up for those deficiencies. While he definitely smells blood once he's in the pocket, he's more likely a hard-hat rusher than a highly productive sack master on the next level. He should come into the league as a solid backup at 3-4 outside linebacker with the potential to become a rotational defender or eventual starter down the line.