Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
The longest weekend in the NFL is over and the league looks a lot different as a result. In totality the 2021 NFL Draft was an armchair scout’s dream. What the class lacked in top-end, sure-thing superstar talent it more than made up for with a deep, varied group of players with the potential to be average-to-great starters.
We already recapped the winners and losers after night one, but with all seven rounds in the books things look very, very different. Some of the teams that killed it in the first round fell off considerably when the dust settled, while others who made questionable opening night decisions ended up with monster classes with years of tone-setting potential. Then there’s the Texans, who I’d say tried their best, but I’m not sure they tried their best.
Ernest Jones, Shi Smith, Israel Mukuamu taken in NFL Draft; other Gamecocks ink free agent deals
Share this story
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
After former star cornerback Jaycee Horn made waves as the first defensive player to come off the board at No. 8 overall to the Carolina Panthers, three more Gamecocks heard their names called in the NFL Draft and a few others found professional homes as undrafted free agents.
Junior linebacker Ernest Jones, South Carolina’s leading tackler, went to the Los Angeles Rams with their third-round pick (No. 103). Senior wide receiver Shi Smith and junior defensive back Israel Mukuamu were both sixth-round selections; Smith will join Horn (as well as fellow USC alums Joseph Charlton and Dennis Daley) in Carolina, while Mukuamu will be a Dallas Cowboy. Their selections were notable in a couple ways Smith made it three years in a row that a South Carolina receiver has been drafted, and Mukuamu is the school’s 16th DB taken since 2002.
Panthers choose Shi Smith with 204th pick May 01, 2021 at 04:39 PM
CHARLOTTE The Panthers took a second wide receiver, and a second South Carolina Gamecock for the weekend.
With their second sixth-round pick, the 204th overall, the Panthers chose wide receiver Shi Smith.
The 5-9 1/2, 186-pound wideout was a familiar face to the Panthers, after they worked with him all week at the Senior Bowl in January.
He led the Gamecocks with 57 catches for 633 yards (11.1 yards per catch) and four touchdowns last year. He has the ability to make plays out of the slot, and the kind of acceleration which makes him dangerous in the open field.
Top five overall team drafts in the 2021 NFL Draft
What teams had the best overall drafts in the 2021 NFL Draft? Here are our top five.
Author:
May 3, 2021
Judging how draft classes will end up is very difficult so immediately after the event. This exercise is an educated guess based on the pre-draft perception of prospects, team needs and fits. A number of teams had impressive drafts last weekend so narrowing it down to just five was very difficult.
5. Tennessee Titans
Round 2, Pick 53: Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
Round 3, Pick 100: Elijah Molden, NB, Washington
Round 4, Pick 109: Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Louisville