4 under the radar 2021 NFL Draft prospect balling out led by Jaelan Phillips
By Hunter Neel
Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
The 2021 NFL draft has some big named corners that grab the headlines but Elijah Molden is one that goes under appreciated quite often. Over the years we have seen some impressive talent come out of Washington and Molden might be the next of the bunch.
Molden aligns in the slot for the Washington defense, where he will likely be limited to in the NFL. While he has some limitations that will ultimately hold him back, such as his size and length, he brings some intriguing traits to the table.
He is a good athlete and has the foot quickness/lateral agility to work versus varied releases of the line of scrimmage, making him a top-10 cornerback in this year’s draft class. He is a smart player with the instincts to impact throwing windows due to his good trigger.
While he has a lot of the traits that are highly coveted by the NFL his size and length is overall his achilles heel, and has affected his NFL outlook thus far. He will have some struggles versus bigger receivers and be at a disadvantage in 50/50 ball scenarios. Molden might not be a high pick but his skill set favors nicely to the next level and depending on landing spot he could work his way into some starting reps early on.