National Signing Day: 5 recruits with No. 1 NFL Draft pick upside

A future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick may have signed during Early National Signing Day.

Potentially, a future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick signed on Early National Signing Day today.

More often than not, a player needs to play one of three positions to have any realistic shot at being the No. 1 overall pick in a given NFL Draft: Defensive line, offensive line and of course, quarterback. With all five of these rising freshmen signing their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, maybe one of them is a future top overall pick in the making?

5 top recruits who could go No. 1 in a future NFL Draft

Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor opted to stay home for college, as the Miami native is one of two five-stars to sign with The U on Wednesday. Assuming the Miami Hurricanes finally get back to being The U during Taylor’s 3-5 years in school at Coral Gables, there is a chance he could be an All-ACC defender, get the ‘Canes to a New Year’s Six bowl and push for the No. 1 overall pick.

Though the Georgia Bulldogs are not Quarterback U, Brock Vandagriff from nearby Bogart can be the closest thing the Dawgs had to a No. 1 overall pick since Matthew Stafford starred for them in the late 2000s. Expected to back up JT Daniels at least initially, Vandagriff could flourish in Todd Monken’s offensive system as the next star quarterback to turn pro out of the state of Georgia.

There are a ton of top-tier offensive tackle talents in this recruiting class, but there is a reason JC Latham out of the IMG Academy is the top-rated prospect at his position. He is going to a pro football factory at the University of Alabama, where he will compete for national titles every year as long as Nick Saban keeps coaching. Blocking elite SEC pass-rushing talent could get Latham to No. 1.

Defensive end Jack Sawyer is a big reason why the Ohio State Buckeyes will finish with a top-two class in this recruiting cycle. As with many great players before him, he plays the right position at the right school where he can dominate. There is nothing quite like being an Ohio State pass-rusher that will catapult you up draft boards. Maybe Sawyer climbs all the way to No. 1 one day?

If a quarterback is going No. 1 overall in a future NFL Draft, odds are that he played his college ball for the Oklahoma Sooners. Not only is Caleb Williams an early favorite to win a Heisman Trophy out of this class, but the dual-threat quarterback from Washington, D.C. may very well end up going No. 1 overall in a future NFL Draft. He will be Spencer Rattler’s successor at Oklahoma.

Admittedly, it is insanely difficult to forecast who will be a top overall pick in 2024, 2025 or even 2026. But as long as the NFL continues to hype up its annual draft in the spring, it will remain a huge deal in the football world, college and pro. Of the guys who signed on the dotted line to live out a dream playing college football on Wednesday, these are our best shots at pulling this off.

Which player from the 2021 recruiting class has future No. 1 overall pick written all over him?

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.