2021 NFL Draft: 10 Day 3 sleepers who could be pro studs

By Randy Gurzi | Apr 16, 2021

TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: Tay Gowan #23 of the UCF Knights breaks up a pass intended for Armani Levias #15 of the Marshall Thundering Herd during the fourth quarter at the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on December 23, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

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Christian Uphoff, 2021 NFL Draft (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

6. Christian Uphoff, S, Illinois State

When you look at Christian Uphoff’s build, you see a player who fits the perfect mold of an NFL safety. A product of Illinois State, Uphoff stands in at 6-2 and weighs 209 pounds.

He spent his first couple of seasons as a reserve for the Redbirds before breaking out in 2019. That season, Uphoff had 70 tackles (5.5 for a loss) with seven pass defenses and two picks. He was unable to expand on that success since the Missouri Valley Conference decided to postpone its season until the spring.

Uphoff elected not to play in the spring and to instead prepare for the draft, which included him showing up to the Senior Bowl where he proved he could compete with the best in the nation.

An instinctive corner, Uphoff is able to play both safety spots and is good in coverage and run support. On top of that, he has had some success as a return man as well for Illinois State.

As a freshman, he returned four kicks, one of which he took to the house, and averaged 41 yards per runback that year. In 2018, he has 470 yards on 18 returns for an average of 26.1 yards per kickoff return. He again played some special teams in 2019, running back 12 kicks for an average of 23.8 yards.

There are several ways he can help a team at the next level, making Uphoff a player to keep an eye on.

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