NFL’s Most Exciting Players to Watch in 2021
NFL has gone through its fair share of changes over the past several years. With team relocations, pandemic drama, lengthened season, changes to the playoff structure and more; commissioner Goodell has certainly rattled some cages. One thing that has remained constant through it all though, is that Football is damn exciting. The NFL is home to some absolute FREAK athletes that create much watch TV.
Here is our top 10 list of most exciting players to watch this season:
TJ Watt via Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press
10. TJ Watt
Age: 26
Position: Outside Linebacker
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
About the player: JJ’s brother is next up and this guy is just straight up great. He led the league with 15 sacks last year and will continue to threaten offensive lines this season.
Davante Adams via Getty Images
9. Davante Adams
Age: 28
Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Green Bay Packers
About the player: Watching this guy run routes is just amazing. He seems to know every possible way to get open. The Adams - Rodgers duo is set to continue making flashy plays all season long.
Christian McCaffrey via USA TODAY SPORTS
8. Christian McCaffrey
Age: 25
Position: Running Back
Team: Carolina Panthers
About the player: CMC is one of the shiftiest players in the league and can run and catch the ball. He’ll be used in many fun and exciting ways in Matt Rhule’s creative offense. You can catch him in the highlight reels this season.
Myles Garret via USA TODAY SPORTS
7. Myles Garrett
Age: 25
Position: Defensive End
Team: Cleveland Browns
About the player: Garrett had 12 sacks in 14 games last year. He’s still so young and going to continue to get better. When claim you want to be the LeBron James of the Cleveland Browns, you’re setting the bar pretty high for yourself. Hopefully that doesn’t mean he’s going to abandon Cleveland.
Josh Allen via Billswire
6. Josh Allen
Age: 25
Position: Quarterback
Team: Buffalo Bills
About the player: This guy can make any throw and can also use his legs. He’ll be leading one of the highest scoring teams once again this season. At just 25 years old the ceiling for this young stud is tremendously high.
Tyreek Hill via Getty Images
5. Tyreek Hill
Age: 27
Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
About the player: This guy FLIES all over the field. Easily one of the fastest receivers in the game. I mean, the guys Twitter handle is literally @cheetah. He can get open anywhere on the field and will create some amazing plays with Mahomes this season.
Derrick Henry via Getty Images
4. Derrick Henry
Age: 27
Position: Running Back
Team: Tennessee Titans
About the player: Running back is one of those positions that have the opportunity to deliver big time highlights. So we don’t take this statement lightly: Derrick Henry is the most fun running back to watch in the league. Once he gets up to speed you don’t want to be in his way or else you’ll end up stiff armed or trucked to the ground.
3. Aaron Donald
Age: 30
Aaron Donald via USA TODAY Sports
Position: Defensive tackle
Team: Los Angeles Rams
About the player: Donald is the oldest player on this list, but don’t let that fool you. Still lots of big tackles left in the tank for this animal. He was our consensus number 1 defensive player to watch this season. Coming off his 7th Pro Bowl and 3rd NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, look for Donald to dominate again this season.
Lamar Jackson via Silas Walker/Getty Images
2. Lamar Jackson
Age: 26
Position: Quarterback
Team: Baltimore Ravens
About the player: A QB that can run for over 1,000 yards is always fun to watch. You love to see an electric player like Lamar get the ball in his hands each play. He keeps you on the edge of your seat every snap. Though he may not be the “best” quarterback in the league by the end of the year, he’ll give anyone a run for their money in terms of “most exciting”.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes via Getty Images
Age: 25
Position: Quarterback
Team: Kansas City Chiefs
About the player: No brainer. Mahomes defines freak athlete. A truly amazing talent and makes some of the most ridiculous plays you’ll ever see on the field. Mahomes can throw from multiple arm slots, in the pocket, on the run, and even while diving mid air. He’s also a threat on his feet. It doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs have one of the most exciting offenses overall.
Honorable Mentions
Firstly, we’d like to apologize to some of the guys that didn’t make the list. Keep in mind this is just our opinion, there’s no exact measure for “exciting”. That being said we’d like to give a nod to some of the guys who just missed the cut:
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Rams
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
Deandre Hopkins, WR, Cardinals
Stefon Diggs, WR, Bills
DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks
Wrapping Up
Thanks for reading this blog, written by Shaped By Sports contributor Alec Arbutina. Let us know if you agree or disagree but DMing us on Instagram. If you liked this blog, you’d love our Football podcast, Heavy 15. If you want to stay up to date on all the latest blogs and more, join our newsletter: