The top sleepers on offense in the 2021 NFL draft

The power of the fully operational “Draft Industrial Complex” has perhaps led to the death of one of draft season’s best aspects:

The sleepers.

With scouts and media members working around the clock, around the calendar year, to scout and identify talent it is harder and harder to find those true diamonds in the rough. After all, we all know that once the 2021 NFL draft draws to a close, the process will start almost immediately for the 2022 cycle. That means almost a full calendar year of watching players. Given the sheer number of people now covering the draft in some capacity, sooner or later everyone will get around to watching that small school quarterback from a Division 2 school that truly has the ability to make all the throws.

Still, there are some players on the offensive side of the football that for whatever reason have not gotten a ton of coverage this cycle. To that end, here are the top sleepers on offense in the 2021 NFL draft.

Brady White, QB, Memphis

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Having been open and honest about this quarterback class -- in that it is one of the more "top heavy" classes in recent memory -- that does not mean there are options later in the draft for teams with the ability to look at developmental players. One such option is Brady White, from Memphis. White began his college career at Arizona State, and after appearing in two games over two injury-plagued seasons, he transferred to Memphis as a graduate having earned his bachelor's degree in business. Upon arriving at Memphis, White became the starting quarterback for the 2018 season. When he earned an extra year of eligibility due to his injury at Arizona State, he returned to campus this past season for his third year as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. During his three-year run at Memphis White completed 62.4% of his passes for 10,690 yards and 90 touchdowns against 30 interceptions, good for an NCAA passer rating of 154.4. White is an experienced passer who moves well in the pocket and is accurate in the short areas of the field. He might be limited schematically due to arm strength, and is an older prospect, but teams that operate more of a pure West Coast scheme could view him as an ideal developmental pick later in the draft. For more on White you can check out this piece diving into his game and how his experience puts him in position to handle boundary pressure.

Zac Thomas, QB, Appalachian State

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Coming out of high school Zac Thomas was graded a two-star prospect by 247Sports.com as well as Rivals.com. He entertained offers from Georgia State, Troy, Western Kentucky and South Alabama before enrolling at Appalachian State, and he redshirted as a freshman in 2016. Thomas earned the backup job as a redshirt freshman in 2017, appearing in four games. 2018 was his breakout season, where Thomas earned the starting job and would go on to be named the Sen Belt Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 62.6% of his passes for 2,039 yards and 21 touchdowns, against just six interceptions. He improved on those numbers in 2019, throwing for 2,718 yards and 28 touchdown passes, placing him third in school history in that category. Last season Thomas started in all of Appalachian State's games, completing 64.3% of his passes for 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Thomas is athletic, throws well on the move and throws with decent touch and placement in the vertical passing game. Similar to Brady White, Thomas might be limited schematically to systems that are rooted in West Coast offensive concepts, but his ability as a runner coupled with his experience make him a great option later in the draft for teams running that kind of offense.

Donald Hammond III, QB, Air Force

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Nobody in this industry outworks Emory Hunt, who covers all levels of football for various outlets including The Athletic, CBS Sports, and more. When Emory talks about a prospect I pay attention, and you should too. One of the prospects Emory has touted recently is Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond III, who did not play this past season. In his single season as the starter Hammond led Air Force to an 11-2 record and completed 50.5% of his passes for 1,316 yards and 13 touchdowns, against six interceptions. Those numbers sound rather pedestrian until you remember that Hammond operated Air Force's flexbone, triple-option offense that used him as much as a runner as a passer. Hammond rushed for 553 yards on 121 carries, and 13 touchdowns. Still, what you can do as a passer matters most, and Hammond can sling it: https://twitter.com/Nate_Tice/status/1384160987507396608 Nate Tice, who certainly knows good quarterback play, has also done some work on Hammond and the above tweet is a great place to start your own research. Hammond is very much a sleeper, developmental prospect. But certainly someone worth keeping an eye on as we get closer to the draft.

Ben Mason, FB, Michigan

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On the podcast that I host, The Scho Show, every Monday during draft season is Mock Draft Monday, where listeners to the show -- the bulk of whom are New England Patriots fans -- can submit their mock drafts to be read on air. A very familiar pick when the Patriots are "on the clock" with the 242nd selection overall is fullback Ben Mason out of Michigan. To this point, we have started referring to that selection, 242 overall, as "the Ben Mason spot." But there are reasons to think that a fullback could be a sleeper in the 2021 NFL draft. According to SharpFootballStats.com, NFL offenses used 21 offensive personnel -- two running backs -- on 7% of offensive snaps last season. That might not seem like much, but a number of different teams are using it more than others. Nine NFL offenses (Atlanta, Baltimore, Green Bay, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington) used that package on at least 10% of their plays. That number might even increase in the season ahead as some coaches from those staffs have moved to different teams. So the fullback position could be making a comeback. If so, Mason is the kind of player that offensive staffs will love. He is a solid option as a blocker and shows the ability to contribute in the passing game as well, whether on routes to the flats or in pass protection situations. Mason has not posted impressive numbers as a receiving option, as he leaves school with just three career receptions, but I think there is untapped potential at the next level. Plus, anytime you can draft a fullback who also played some snaps on the defensive line, you just have to make that call...

Stevie Scott III, RB, Indiana

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The mantra "running backs don't matter" is built on the premise that improvements to other aspects of an offense -- such as the offensive line -- earlier in the draft allow teams to take fliers on running backs later in the draft and still craft effective rushing attacks. That has made the later options at the position enticing during draft time. A player that could benefit from that is Indiana's Stevie Scott III. Back in 2018 in his first season with the Hoosiers Scott ran for 1,137 yards on 228 attempts, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and scoring ten touchdowns. He never reached those rushing numbers again, as he gained 845 yards in 2019 and 561 in 2020, but he has scored ten rushing touchdowns in each season on campus. Scott also offers three-down versatility, as evidenced by his 26 catches for 211 yards in 2019. He is a bigger back, listed at 6'2" and 231 pounds, but he runs with decent pad level and is probably suited for both zone as well as gap/power schemes. He does not dance too much behind the line of scrimmage, preferring to make up his mind and just attack downfield. Something that might endear him to an NFL coaching staff is his ability to protect his quarterback, which also lends credence to the idea that he is an every-down back at the next level.

Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas

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I have long maintained that keeping an eye on the fantasy football community is a great resource for learning about players, particularly sleepers. One such receiver getting a lot of buzz in the fantasy community is Jaelon Darden from North Texas. Matt Waldman, whose Rookie Scouting Portfolio is a must-buy every single season, spoke rather highly of Darden in this year's version. Stephie Smalls, who hosts a number of shows on the FTN Network and has also been talking up Darden the past few months. When you turn on the film, you will see why. Darden is a deep-threat burner out of the slot, but also someone with a little wiggle to his game. Pro Football Focus charted him with 23 missed tackles in 2020, ranking him tops among wide receivers in the college game. At his pro day he posted a 40-yard dash of 4.46, which might have been a bit underwhelming, but his agility drills (3.98 seconds in the short shuttle, 6.66 seconds in the three-cone drill) put him in the 97th and 93rd percentiles respectively at the position. Those are ideal numbers for an NFL slot receiver. He might slide to the third day of the draft, but the team that drafts him is getting perhaps the perfect slot receiver for 2021.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR, Iowa

Looking at production numbers might cause you to skip past Iowa wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, but I would advise you to take a second look at him. The Iowa receiver, who was a hurdler for his high school track team, brings that speed to the gridiron. If you need a vertical threat, Smith-Marsette can give you that and more. Just turn on his film and you will see a receiver with the ability to separate downfield against any coverage, any cornerback. This cutup of his play gives you a flavor of what he offers as a receiver: https://twitter.com/DP_NFL/status/1367127632412889088 If anything, the Iowa offense might have limited what he can do, and Smith-Marsette could have a bit of a breakout with better quarterback play and in a downfield-based passing attack. A player with 4.43 speed in the 40-yard dash -- including a 1.44 10-yard split, putting him in the 100th percentile -- is a player that can beat coverage. Furthermore, he is someone that can contribute immediately on special teams: https://twitter.com/MattBowen41/status/1238518260397719552 Every draft cycle there are players who take on bigger roles with their NFL teams. This cycle, Smith-Marsette is perhaps one such player.

Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa

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If you were going to craft an NFL offensive tackle in a laboratory, Spencer Brown from Northern Iowa might be the result. At his pro day Brown measured in at 6'8" and 311, but the way he tested was out-of-this world. Brown posted one of the best performances by an offensive lineman in the history of Kent Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Scoring: https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1379041132760465410 Even with that athletic ability, Brown remains something of a project. Northern Iowa did not play in the fall so he has just two seasons of film to offer NFL scouts, and back in 2018 he only played 335 total snaps. That is why his invitation to the Senior Bowl was critical for his evaluation, and what he did down in Mobile perhaps solidified his status as a solid prospect, even if he needs some technical work and refinement: https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1362388498888593412 Judging by this clip that technical work and refinement is already in progress. His size, frame and length, coupled with those athletic skills, make him a very enticing prospect as we get late into Day Two or early on Day Three, even in a crowded tackle class.

David Moore, OG, Grambling State

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Similar to Spencer Brown, David Moore from Grambling State is a player to watch later into Day Three of the draft. Moore was a three-year starter before he lost his senior season when it was canceled due to COVID-19. Prior to that he showed the power and pass-protection skills to be a solid option in the interior for any NFL offense. While he was sidelined for 2020 due to COVID, his invitation to the Senior Bowl allowed him to put plays like this on display for NFL scouts: https://twitter.com/ThompsonNFL/status/1354897396166062081 On this pass protection rep Moore shows the full-body strength necessary to handle an interior bull rush. He drops his weight after the initial contact, stopping the pass rusher in his path. Moore also saw some snaps at center during his time in Mobile, and this cutup of plays against defensive prospects Marlon Tuipulotu, Carlos Basham and Marvin Wilson is a good indicator of what he offers at that spot: https://twitter.com/SartiranaLuca/status/1355249628254527500 That versatility will make him an intriguing option for a number of teams next week.

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