Who was the best 3rd round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?

The 2021 NFL Draft had some interesting selections on day two, but who will prove to be the best pick from the third round this year? 

Day two is my favorite day of the NFL Draft. Though the excitement from the first round is in the rearview mirror, I love to see which players are still available with some very important draft capital. While many of the picks in the first round of the draft are predictable, the second and third rounds are typically full of surprises.

Recently, I wrote about how I thought the Cleveland Browns crushed it early in the draft this year – nabbing two very good defensive prospects in CB Greg Newsome and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoa. Now I would like to further examine the selections of the third round.

According to my NFL Draft board, many prospects who were taken in round three were either at or near the value of their respective draft poison. However, there were several picks that I really liked.

QB Kellen Mond, Minnesota Vikings

Starting near the top of the third round, I love the Kellen Mond pick. This is a player that I really thought had a chance to sneak into to back half of the second round due to athletic traits and impressive college resume in the SEC.

Mond is much better than most draft analysts gave him credit for. He can make throws in tight windows and stare down the throat of the defense and deliver a strike while absorbing a hit. I had him below Mac Jones but above Kyle Trask on my big board. With the upside to be a franchise quarterback, this is excellent value in the third round.

TE Tommy Tremble, Carolina Panthers

Here is another player I had a second-round grade on prior to the 2021 NFL Draft. Tommy Tremble may be a bit undersized for the tight end position, but he offers the skill set to be a terrific H-back in the NFL.

Tremble was barely used as a receiver at Notre Dame, as the team was loaded at the position with Cole Kmet and Michael Mayer at the tight end position. However, Tremble was the best blocker of the three, and he was used as such. Tremble was just 20 years old when he was drafted and he has some traits to develop into one of the better NFL tight ends. This was great value for the Panthers with the 83rd overall pick.

LB Baron Browning, Denver Broncos

It isn’t often that you see a player who is nearly a 3-sigma athlete make it to almost the fourth round of the NFL Draft. However, that’s what happened with Baron Browning. Despite being a high recruit and Ohio State linebacker, browning slipped all the way down draft boards to become a compensatory 3rd round draft choice. In fact, his selection at pick 105 was just one pick away from the fourth round.

Browning didn’t have miraculous production in college, and I didn’t love his hip stiffness when I watched his film, but this is a bargain this late in the draft. Browning is a player who will be able to thump running backs coming downhill and even turn and run with tight ends in coverage. Relative Athletic Score has Browning as a 99.8th percentile athlete at over 6’2” and 245 pounds. He has a chance to greatly outplay his draft position.

Until we see these players in action, it’s hard to say which third-round pick will be the best of the group. However, I really liked these three prospects prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, and I think they could all prove to be very good players in the NFL.