Eight Miami football players ranked in top 301 for 2021 NFL Draft

Roche finished the 2019 season with 19 TFLs and 13 sacks that earned him first-team All-America status from Sports Illustrated. Only Rousseau and Hamilcar Rashed of Oregon State had more sacks in 2019 among returning players in 2020. The Draft Network ranks Roche 36th. Several other sites project Roche in the first-round.

QB D’Eriq King 87th

Roche is the higher-rated prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft, but King created most of the buzz surrounding the prominent entry by Miami into the transfer portal for the second straight offseason. King put up big numbers at Houston in 2018 and 2019. At 5’11, King is ranked 87th for the 2021 NFL Draft.

DE Jaelan Philips 125th

Phillips was the top-ranked player in the country in the Class of 2017. Injuries while at UCLA in 2017 and ’18 limited Phillips to 11 games in those two seasons. At 6’5 258 pounds some analysts covering the limited spring practice Miami had in early March observed that Phillips athleticism could be better than Rousseau’s.

Phillips is projected as the 125th best prospect by The Draft Network. If he can stay healthy and have a productive season, Phillips could skyrocket up the rankings for the 2021 NFL Draft. Likely playing behind Rousseau and Roche should help Phillips to relax and be able to focus on getting into opposing backfields when he plays.