2021 Rookie Tiers

[failblazer]

With the 2020 almost season at a close, we should all now have a very good idea where our draft picks for 2021 rookie drafts will fall. With that in mind I am trying to gauge where the tiers are for this class pre-draft so I have a reasonable idea what picks will likely equate to what and whether I can make moves early in the offseason to jump tiers before some of my league mates start their pre-draft work.

Whilst we know that the combine and the NFL draft will effect this, what are everyone's tiers for this class as it stands right now? I haven't had a chance to watch a ton of tape on every single prospect but from a combination of watching guys and compiling the opinions of draft and fantasy analysts that I value, I would say they look like this (with the players in each tier in no particular order and assuming 1QB and PPR scoring):

Tier 1
- RB - Najee Harris
- RB - Travis Etienne
- WR - Ja'Marr Chase

Tier 2
- RB - Javonta Williams
- WR - Devonta Smith
- WR - Rondale Moore
- WR - Rashod Bateman

Tier 3
- WR - Jaylen Waddle
- TE - Kyle Pitts

Tier 4
- QB - Trevor Lawrence
- WR - Terrace Marshall
- WR - Amon-Ra St Brown
- RB - Kenneth Gainwell

That will take most leagues into the bottom of the 1st or into the 2nd rounds and at that point valuations on a lot of guys seem to diverge more and draft capitol and landing spot may effect guys moreso. Guys like Fields, Wilson, Freiermuth, Toney, Dyami Brown, Hubbard, White, the other QB prospects are all in play based on your league but the consensus I have seen seems to point to something close to these being the main tiers so far.

What would be your tiers of the prospects from what you have seen? Who are you high or low on versus these tiers?

[StripesOfKC]

I would switch Waddle and Moore personally or maybe just move Waddle to T2--maybe even just merge T2 and T3

[briank]

I have 9 of the first 14 picks and 13 of the first 25 picks in a league, so I'm here for this.

[AussieMate]

I would switch Waddle and Moore personally or maybe just move Waddle to T2--maybe even just merge T2 and T3

Agreed, if anyone was to stay in T3 it would be Bateman for me, and thats not going off this years performance, he was already below the others for me before this year. I can see why you would move Moore down but I'd keep him in T2 just on his huge potential, if he hits he could be T1 (and yes I know if anyone hits they could be T1 hahaha).

I'm also not sure if I'm ready to have Williams in T2 but with the RB scarcity this year it'll happen regardless. I still personally have Chase in his own standing above the others with Smith coming in hot behind.

[StripesOfKC]

I would switch Waddle and Moore personally or maybe just move Waddle to T2--maybe even just merge T2 and T3

Agreed, if anyone was to stay in T3 it would be Bateman for me, and thats not going off this years performance, he was already below the others for me before this year. I can see why you would move Moore down but I'd keep him in T2 just on his huge potential, if he hits he could be T1 (and yes I know if anyone hits they could be T1 hahaha).

I'm also not sure if I'm ready to have Williams in T2 but with the RB scarcity this year it'll happen regardless. I still personally have Chase in his own standing above the others with Smith coming in hot behind.

Javonte at T2 is probably an intermediate

Right now he is probably T3 but if he gets 2nd round capital and a decent landing spot I have a hard time putting him a full tier below Najee/ETN and probably move him to T1

Bateman is my WR2 though. He just pops off on film to me.

I agree on Chase being a clear first among WRs though

[jenkins.math]

I would move both Pitts and Lawrence up a tier. I think both of those guys are going top 8 in fantasy drafts regardless of format this year.

[failblazer]

I have 9 of the first 14 picks and 13 of the first 25 picks in a league, so I'm here for this.

Normally I would tell people in rebuilds to trade down so you can draft in volume. Can't really trade with yourself though.

I would switch Waddle and Moore personally or maybe just move Waddle to T2--maybe even just merge T2 and T3

I have seen Moore as high as the WR1 or WR2 in this class. I never see Waddle above WR4. I like Waddle a lot and am hoping to get a lot of shares of him, that was more a ranking based on where I have seen others take him, he seems to be at the bottom of the top 5 WRs.

I'm also not sure if I'm ready to have Williams in T2 but with the RB scarcity this year it'll happen regardless. I still personally have Chase in his own standing above the others with Smith coming in hot behind.

Williams seems to have been a huge riser the last few months and I think a lot of people are baking day two capitol into his price. Obviously if he ends up a fifth round pick to the Browns then he'll fall but I see a lot of people mocking him as moving closer and closer to the top 4. I think, NFL draft dependent of course, that he will be the #3 pick in a lot of drafts in the offseason based on how shallow the position is this year. If you are really short of RBs then you better have a top 3-4 pick or hope to heck that Hubbard or Gainwell end up with a starting gig somehow.

I would move both Pitts and Lawrence up a tier. I think both of those guys are going top 8 in fantasy drafts regardless of format this year.

I had them as a separate tier purely because around 8-9 seems to be where they fall. The don't deviate to much from that range, whereas all the guys higher than them seem to have some people who rank them higher or lower within their range.

[SoftwoodGrampian]

When push comes to shove, the QB falls in a single QB. Add in the depth. Move T LAW down a tier.

[briank]

I have 9 of the first 14 picks and 13 of the first 25 picks in a league, so I'm here for this.

Normally I would tell people in rebuilds to trade down so you can draft in volume. Can't really trade with yourself though.

I would switch Waddle and Moore personally or maybe just move Waddle to T2--maybe even just merge T2 and T3

I have seen Moore as high as the WR1 or WR2 in this class. I never see Waddle above WR4. I like Waddle a lot and am hoping to get a lot of shares of him, that was more a ranking based on where I have seen others take him, he seems to be at the bottom of the top 5 WRs.

I'm also not sure if I'm ready to have Williams in T2 but with the RB scarcity this year it'll happen regardless. I still personally have Chase in his own standing above the others with Smith coming in hot behind.

Williams seems to have been a huge riser the last few months and I think a lot of people are baking day two capitol into his price. Obviously if he ends up a fifth round pick to the Browns then he'll fall but I see a lot of people mocking him as moving closer and closer to the top 4. I think, NFL draft dependent of course, that he will be the #3 pick in a lot of drafts in the offseason based on how shallow the position is this year. If you are really short of RBs then you better have a top 3-4 pick or hope to heck that Hubbard or Gainwell end up with a starting gig somehow.

I would move both Pitts and Lawrence up a tier. I think both of those guys are going top 8 in fantasy drafts regardless of format this year.

I had them as a separate tier purely because around 8-9 seems to be where they fall. The don't deviate to much from that range, whereas all the guys higher than them seem to have some people who rank them higher or lower within their range.

Yeah, I'll probably use some of my picks to move up, but I'm usually pretty active during these drafts moving up and down depending on how the board falls.

[Cameron Giles]

Would move Pitts to Tier 1, Marshall to Tier 2, Lawrence to Tier 1.

[blemly]

In SF, there is a clear T5 to me making up the first tier: Lawrence, Fields, Harris, Etienne, and Chase.

[bjd5211]

In SF, there is a clear T5 to me making up the first tier: Lawrence, Fields, Harris, Etienne, and Chase.

In SF Lawrence is tier 1 by himself.

[blemly]

In SF, there is a clear T5 to me making up the first tier: Lawrence, Fields, Harris, Etienne, and Chase.

In SF Lawrence is tier 1 by himself.

Yea that’s completely right. I think there is a decent drop after 1.05 is more of what I meant.

[ThunderTung]

Najee scares me a bit. Hoping he has more of a Henry start to his career so I can get him for cheap later on lol

[SoftwoodGrampian]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SlowChiefGala ... ax-1mb.gif