College Football's Best Players Not Taken in the 2021 NFL Draft
With the 2021 NFL Draft officially in the books, it’s time to look back and see which of college football’s biggest stars went undrafted. Whether it was a concern about size, overall talent, an injury, how a player will transition from scheme or handle the jump to the NFL, a handful of stars from the previous college football season did not hear their name called over the three-day event.
Every position featured a notable college star who didn't get drafted, including quarterbacks like SMU's Shane Buechele, Arkansas' Feleipe Franks, Georgia's Jamie Newman, and prolific running backs like Buffalo's Jaret Patterson, UAB's Spencer Brown, Louisville's Javian Hawkins and Marshall's Brenden Knox. The wide receiver position also featured several names that went undrafted. Arkansas State's Jonathan Adams, Wake Forest's Sage Surratt, Florida State's Tamorrion Terry, USC's Tyler Vaughns and Colorado State's Warren Jackson top the list of notable undrafted targets on the outside. On defense, Florida State's Marvin Wilson, West Virginia's Darius Stills and Alabama's Dylan Moses were just a few of the top players who will look to make a team as an undrafted free agent this offseason.
Which of college football’s biggest names went undrafted? Here’s a look at the best players, weighing talent, career and 2020 achievement totals.
College Football's Best Players Not Taken in the 2021 NFL Draft
First-Team Offense
QB Shane Buechele, SMU
RB Jaret Patterson, Buffalo
RB Spencer Brown, UAB
RB Javian Hawkins, Louisville
WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
WR Tamorrion Terry, Florida State
WR Jonathan Adams, Arkansas State
AP/WR Whop Philyor, Indiana
TE Matt Bushman, BYU
C Drake Jackson, Kentucky
OL Kayode Awosika, Buffalo
OL Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame
OL Adrian Ealy, Oklahoma
OL Alaric Jackson, Iowa
First-Team Defense
DL Marvin Wilson, Florida State
DL Darius Stills, West Virginia
DL JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State
DL Raymond Johnson III, Georgia Southern
LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
LB Charles Snowden, Virginia
LB Erroll Thompson, Miss. State
DB Ar'Darius Washington, TCU
DB Paris Ford, Pitt
DB Shakur Brown, Michigan State
DB Olijah Griffin, USC
First-Team Specialists
K Jose Borregales, Miami
P Max Duffy, Kentucky
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RS Avery Williams, Boise State
Second-Team Offense
QB Feleipe Franks, Arkansas
RB Brenden Knox, Marshall
RB Trey Ragas, Louisiana
RB Stevie Scott III, Indiana
WR Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR Tyler Vaughns, USC
WR Tre Walker, San Jose State
WR Trevon Grimes, Florida
TE Kenny Yeboah, Ole Miss
AP/RB Pooka Williams, Kansas
C Ryan McCollum, Texas A&M
OL Ryan Neuzil, App. State
OL Parker Ferguson, Air Force
OL Carson Green, Texas A&M
OL Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
Second-Team Defense
DL Malik Herring, Georgia
DL Justus Reed, Virginia Tech
DL Lorenzo Neal, Purdue
DL Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
LB Calvin Bundage, Oklahoma State
LB Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State
LB Tavante Beckett, Marshall
LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, Oklahoma State
DB Lamont Wade, Penn State
DB Trill Williams, Syracuse
DB Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
DB DJ Daniel, Georgia
Second-Team Specialists
K Riley Patterson, Memphis
P Drue Chrisman, Ohio State
RS Jeremiah Haydel, Texas State
Jaret Patterson photo courtesy of Buffalo Athletics