2021 NFL Draft: 5 Prospects who don’t need to play college football in 2020

These five 2021 NFL Draft prospects don’t need the 2020 college season.

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley started a trend that would be followed by a few other college football prospects. With the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, Farley opted out of the 2020 college football season choosing, instead, to declare and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

It’s easy to understand why the 6-2, 207-pound corner chose health over playing and it also doesn’t hurt his draft stock. In 2019, he missed two games with back spasms. Still, he finished with a career-high six interceptions. NFL scouts have positive tape to on Farley to warrant him being a day one 2021 NFL Draft pick.

Farley isn’t the only top prospect to opt-out of the 2020 college football season. Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons also opted out. Rousseau came off an epic sophomore season with 15.5 sacks. He stands 6-7, 265-pounds with excellent length, raw athleticism and untapped potential, which made him a top-10 prospect.

Following Rousseau and Farley’s path was Parsons, who’s wildly considered the best linebacker in college football. The 6-3, 245-pound backer dominated 2019 with over 100 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and five pass defenses.

When it’s all said and done, those players mentioned are and will be considered top prospects for 2021 NFL Draft. There are a few more players who don’t need the 2020 season to boost their draft stock. That’s especially pertinent given the decisions by the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences to cancel the fall football season with the option to move to the spring.

Whether their respective conferences are slated to play this fall or not, these five 2021 NFL Draft prospects are in a position where they don’t need the 2020 college football season to improve their draft stock.