2021 Way Too Early Mock Draft Analysis - Rounds 8-13

We wind up our coverage of the RotoBaller Way Too Early Mock with the final rounds. Although there were some reaches and great value picks in the first half of the draft, this is where things got unpredictable.

This article is Part 3 of 3 where I will look over rounds eight through 13 of the draft. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, you should go back and read them first.

For a view of the whole draft board on Sleeper, click here.

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Round Eight

1. Zack Moss
2. J.D. McKissic
3. Jarvis Landry
4. Dallas Goedert
5. A.J. Dillon
6. Noah Fant
7. Jeff Wilson Jr. 
8. Latavius Murray
9. Robby Anderson
10. Devin Singletary
11. Laviska Shenault Jr.
12. T.J. Hockenson

We are at the point of the draft where you should be shooting for upside, and while not all of the picks in this round have upside, many do. With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both free agents, A.J. Dillon could see an expanded role in year two. We’ve seen other running backs like J.D. McKissic, Jeff Wilson, and Latavius Murray put up top-five finishes when forced into starter roles. Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Robby Anderson have plenty of weekly upside to go along with decent floors. And don’t sleep on potential second-year breakout candidate Laviska Shenault Jr., who is likely going to get a massive quarterback upgrade with Trevor Lawrence and an expanded role.

This round also saw those next tier of tight ends get drafted. Dallas Goedert very likely will be the guy in Philadelphia with Zach Ertz unlikely to return. The other two tight ends, Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson, both were viable top-five options at the position in 2020 and should return plenty of value in 2021.

 

Round Nine

1. Michael Pittman Jr. 
2. Gus Edwards
3. Rashaad Penny
4. Darrell Henderson
5. Nyheim Hines
6. Curtis Samuel
7. Chase Edmonds
8. Evan Engram
9. A.J. Green
10. Darnell Mooney
11. Marlon Mack
12. Jalen Reagor

Again, a lot of upside in this round. Michael Pittman Jr. and Darnell Mooney flashed plenty of upside as rookies and could do even more in year two. Similarly to the last round, plenty of running backs were taken with limited weekly value in their current roles, but have been successful when forced into expanded roles. Let’s also not forget that Kenyan Drake is a free agent, which could open the door for Chase Edmonds to be the guy in Arizona. If that were to happen, Edmonds would no doubt shoot up draft boards. Another free agent, Curtis Samuel, will likely command some decent offers and could see his situation improve as well.

 

Round Ten

1. Wayne Gallman
2. Leonard Fournette
3. Michael Gallup
4. Jonnu Smith
5. Mike Williams
6. Tony Pollard
7. Mike Gesicki
8. Antonio Brown
9. Marvin Jones
10. Jamison Crowder
11. John Brown
12. Giovani Bernard

We are now in the part of the draft where you are either picking players who have been fantasy relevant in the past or have a chance to be fantasy relevant in the future. There are very few every week starters at this point, though Wayne Gallman, Jamison Crowder, Marvin Jones, and Jonnu Smith did have their moments during 2020.

I want to talk about one pick in particular, and not just because yours truly drafted him, but because I feel like his ADP will be much, much higher than this come July. After not playing football for over a year, Antonio Brown got off to a slow start as expected. But after Tampa Bay’s Week 13 bye, he averaged over six catches, 70 yards, and one touchdown per game. And he has carried that into the playoffs. Now a free agent, he could get a massive bump if he signs with a wide receiver needy team. Don’t let him fall this far in your drafts.

 

Round Eleven

1. Joshua Kelley
2. Taysom Hill
3. Ryan Tannehill
4. Denzel Mims
5. Tarik Cohen
6. Ke'Shawn Vaughn
7. Kirk Cousins
8. Alexander Mattison
9. Cole Kmet
10. Anthony McFarland Jr.
11. Logan Thomas
12. Joe Burrow

 

Round Twelve

1. Darius Slayton
2. Preston Williams
3. Hunter Henry
4. La’Mical Perine
5. Henry Ruggs III
6. Irv Smith Jr.
7. T.Y. Hilton
8. Sterling Shepard
9. Hayden Hurst
10. Zach Ertz
11. Austin Hooper
12. James White

 

Round Thirteen

1. Carson Wentz
2. Salvon Ahmed
3. Damien Williams
4. Tyler Higbee
5. Jamaal Williams
6. Baker Mayfield
7. Parris Campbell
8. Tom Brady
9. Le’Veon Bell
10. Todd Gurley
11. Gabriel Davis
12. Phillip Lindsay

These last three rounds are mostly about hope and upside. You’re drafting players who have roles but need to see those roles greatly expanded if they are going to pay off in 2021. There does seem to be some nice tight end value in these rounds; however, we say that every year about these late-round tight ends and they rarely pay off. Hunter Henry does stand out as a pretty safe bet to be a top-10 tight end depending on where free agency takes him.

I will say one of my favorite picks in the entire draft (outside of Antonio Brown, of course) was Gabriel Davis with the second to last pick. We saw him flash at times in his rookie year and he carried that into the Wild Card game where he was second on the team in receiving yards. He is poised for a big second-year breakout as he is tied to one of the league’s best offenses and passing games. He is a player you should be targeting in all of your drafts.

So there it is! The final rounds of our way too early 2021 mock draft. Who are some players that you think are being drafted too highly? Who are some that aren’t being drafted high enough? And don’t forget to go back and read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them... Good luck in 2021!

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