Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft brought some surprises and saw a run on quarterbacks early in the third round. Want to know what I think of every pick made in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft from Friday? I graded all the Round 3 picks below. Be sure to refresh this page throughout the night to get the latest grades as we get set for Day 3. You can keep track of all the picks for the entire draft and my grades in our draft tracker.
Grades: Round 1 • Round 2 • Round 3 • Round 4 • Round 5 • Round 6 • Round 7
65. Jaguars: Andrew Cisco, S, Syracuse
Grade: A+
Elite-level range and instincts from the deep middle. Insane ball skills and has an NFL safety body. Good run defender too in the box. Had he not tore his ACL, he would’ve gone much earlier. Big need filled.
66. Vikings: Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Grade: B+
Prudent selection. Mond went from scrambling QB to a pure pocket passer in college. Athleticism is there too. Average arm but works it well at the intermediate level. Not loads of potential though. Good Kirk Cousins insurance.
67. Texans: Davis Mills, QB, Stanford
Grade: A-
Given Deshaun Watson’s off-field issues, this is sensible. Mills has high-level talent, just minimal experience. Big arm, willing to rip it through tight windows. But can hold it too long and occasionally doesn’t see underneath defenders.
68. Falcons: Jaylen Mayfield, OL, Michigan
Grade: B
Mayfield battles hard and has positional flexibility. A tick clunky but locks out vs. bull rushes and initial burst is good. Smart pick for the Falcons at this stage of Matt Ryan’s career.
69. Bengals: Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas
Grade: A
Long, explosive, ascending rusher. Bengals needed this after losing Carl Lawson in free agency. Flashes of bend are there too. Big-time value pick here for Cincinnati.
70. Panthers: Brady Christensen, OT, BYU
Grade: B+
Hard to find more clean film in the OT class this year. Good across the board. Could maybe just use more power behind his pads. Starting LT in Round 3. Good snag by the Panthers.
71. Giants: Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF
Grade: A-
A fiesty inside-outside cornerback with good mirroring skills because of his light feet and good route recognition. Instant slot starter who’ll find the football. Good in run support too.
72. Lions: Alim McNeil, IDL, N.C. State
Grade: C+
Athletic nose tackle with a serious first step and a devastating bull rush. Not much else in his arsenal. Did Lions really need to pick two defensive linemen today?
73. Eagles: Milton Williams, DT, Louisiana Tech
Grade: B+
Otherworldly athlete at the defensive tackle spot. Uses his hands well too. Just destroyed lesser competition and gets washed out vs. run.
74. Washington: Ben St-Juste, CB, Minnesota
Grade: B
Long, angular, athletic cornerback who’ll be a better pro than he was in college. Glides around the field and has serious length to disrupt. Not the fastest but makes up for speed with length. Nice pairing with William Jackson.
75. Cowboys: Osa Odigizuwa, DL, UCLA
Grade: A-
Leverage monster who gets up and under blockers and drives them back. Decent hand work. Athleticism is solid too. Deceptively long. Overachiever who’ll create disruption for Dallas.
76. Saints: Paulson Adebo, CB, Saints
Grade: B+
Length, plant-and-drive ball hawk who lacks a bit in the agility department but reads QB’s eyes and route combinations very well. Had his best season in 2018, regressed in 2019, then opted out. Underrated prospect.
77. Chargers: Josh Palmer, WR, Tennessee
Grade: A
This is a starting, No. 2 receiver in the NFL. production hurt by bad QB play at Tennessee. Sudden off the line, runs crisp routes. Deceptively fast and tracks it well downfield. Herbert needed another weapon.
78. Vikings: Chazz Surratt, LB, Vikings
Grade: B
Converted QB, yes, QB who flashed as a linebacker the past two years. Plays with reckless abandon, Missile as a blitzer. Cleaned up some of his tackling woes. And has the fluidity to cover. Just lacks the instincts. Good depth for Vikings.
79. Raiders: Malcolm Koonce, EDGE, Buffalo
Grade: B+
Super-bendy, Gumby-like rusher with long arms. Great combination to win around the corner. Just needs to get a little stronger at the NFL level. Good burst. Raiders continue to build the defense.
80. Raiders: Divine Deablo, LB/S, Virgnia Tech
Grade: A-
Smart, experienced, high-floor prospect. The best safety/linebacker hybrid in this class after JOK. Smooth mover. NFL body. Tested well and has good instincts.
81. Dolphins: Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
Grade: B-
Low-key good receiver. Seam-stretching skill and catches everything. Good catch radius. Can block too.
82. Washington: Dyami Brown, WR, UNC
Grade: B+
Vertical route tree monster. Great in contested catch situations. Smart beating press at the line and physical through contact. So much speed in Washington now.
83. Panthers: Tommy Tremble, TE, Notre Dame
Grade: C+
Athletic, blocking specialist who has the skills to be a better receiver in NFL than he was at Notre Dame. More of an underneath type. Flashed some YAC. A little gamble and receiving more important than blocking today.
84. Cowboys: Chauncey Golston, EDGE, Iowa
Grade: C+
Hand work machine. Big, crazy long. But limited athletically. Not much spring or bend. Sensible position to address for Cowboys.
85. Packers: Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson
Grade: A-
Reminds me of Deebo Samuel Lite. Defenders glance off him. Just enough athleticism to get open underneath and tracks it well downfield. Smaller, shorter arms and not much vertical juice. Finally, a WR for the Packers!
86. Vikings: Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
Grade: A-
Balanced, decently powerful interior blocker. Didn’t play as well in 2020 as 2019 but his film was mostly clean. Can be a little lungy. Good athleticism. Fits the offensive scheme.
87. Steelers: Kendrick Green, iOL, Illinois
Grade: A-
Instant starter at center. Can play guard too. Explosive and naturally strong. A fantastic pick for Pittsburgh.
88. 49ers: Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
Grade: B-
Surprising make-you-miss type because he’s a power back. Awesome in a zone-blocking scheme, so it’s sensible for 49ers. Just surprised Shanahan went RB this early.
89. Texans: Nico Collins, WR, Michigan
Grade: B-
Size/speed/contested-catch specialist. Big-time athlete. Separation skills are decent for a bigger type.
90. Vikings: Patrick Jones, EDGE, Pittsburgh
Grade: B-
High-energy rusher with shorter arms. Flashed pass-rushing moves but not consistent with them. Some speed-to-power conversion. Smart for Minnesota to add more to the defensive line.
91. Browns: Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn
Grade: B
Speed. Speed. Speed. Skinny. Good snap out of his breaks but not a savvy route runner yet and isn’t a contested-catch wideout. The Browns needed more speed in their WR group.
92. Titans: Monty Rice, LB, Georgia
Grade: C+
QB of the defense who moves well. Faster than he is quick. Needs to get quicker recognizing. Can run down the seam with TEs. Very reliable tackler.
93. Bills: Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa
Grade: B-
Super tall, super-athletic long-term project at the OT spot. Long arms. Fires off the snap. Has great athleticism. Plays with great knee bend. Needs to widen his arc in pass pro and get much stronger.
94. Ravens: Ben Cleveland, OG, Georgia
Grade: B-
Mountain from Game of Thrones on a football field. Masher. Good hand work. Just stiff laterally. Very much a Ravens type pick
95. Buccaneers: Robert Hainsey, OL, ND
Grade: A
Legitimate versatility. Can play any spot up front. Vice grips for hands. Awesome short-area quickness. Just needs to keep his feet moving once latching on in pass pro. Smart for Buccaneers to add depth up front.
96. Patriots: Ronnie Perkins, EDGE, Oklahoma
Grade: A-
Nice hand work. And some juice around the corner. Faster than he is impressive with short-area quickness. Speed-to-power conversion is there too. The rich get richer up front.
97. Chargers: Tre McKitty, TE, Georgia
Grade: C+
one of the best in-line blockers in the class. Will help the run game and flashed seam-stretching ability along with the ability to catch the ball outside his frame. Just a low-volume receiver type.
98. Broncos: Quinn Meinerz, OL, Wisconsin-Whitewater
Grade: B+
Can play anywhere on the interior up front. Big-time athlete and a serious finisher. Needs to tone down the aggression in pass protection. Huge Senior Bowl. Love the depth up front for Javonte Williams, Drew Lock.
99. Cowboys: Nashon Wright, CB, Oregon State
Grade: D+
Tall, long cornerback who wasn’t really on the radar this early. Needs to sit on underneath routes but doesn’t have the speed to run with NFL receivers.
100. Titans: Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
Grade: A-
Freestyling safety/slot cornerback who makes a lot of plays at the intermediate level. Smaller and not a crazy athlete. This is what Titans need.
101. Lions: Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse
Grade: A-
Long, insanely explosive outside corner who can stay with receivers because of good agility too.
102. 49ers: Ambry Thomas, CB, 49ers
Grade: B-
Speedy skinny man coverage cornerback. Not physical and will struggle against bigger wideouts. Good, not great agility. Serious recovery speed.
103. Rams: Ernest Jones, LB, South Carolina
Grade: B
Super-long, hyperactive linebacker much better against the run than the pass but has the short-area quickness to become a decent coverage linebacker in the NFL. Rarely misses tackles and lays the lumber.
104. Ravens: Brandon Stephens, CB, South Carolina
Grade: B+
Athletic outside cornerback with big-time hops to challenge at the catch point on a route basis. A little raw with his mirroring but has the athletic traits and speed to develop into a quality corner.
105. Broncos: Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State
Grade: B-
Blossomed late in this Ohio State career. Thick, good rangy. Instincts are hit or miss, and may need time to develop in coverage. Good blitzer.
