The 2021 NFL Draft begins on Thursday 29th April in Cleveland, Ohio. Here is the second edition of our mock draft where we predict what team will select which top collegiate talents on the night.
1 Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence – QB – Clemson
Jacksonville kick off proceedings with what is now a lock of a pick. HC Urban Meyer’s NFL tenure begins with the best quarterback talent in this class whom has potential to be special.
2 New York Jets – Zach Wilson – QB – BYU
The Jets traded Sam Darnold making Wilson the selection as the signal caller under new HC Robert Saleh almost a certainty. Wilson is ultra accurate, can throw on the move, is dynamic when the pocket collapses and ushers in a new era in New York.
3 San Francisco 49ers (from Miami via Houston) – Mac Jones- QB – Alabama
The Niners trade up for their QB but who that is right now is still shrouded in mystery. Jones appears to be the most likely. He will fit Kyle Shanahan’s system and is a ‘ready to play now’ type of quarterback who has mechanical like accuracy but lacks elite athleticism.
4 Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts – TE – Florida
Atlanta could do anything here. They are reportedly open for business but are asking for a rich price to move out of their position. Pitts is a massive talent, causes mismatches all over the pitch with his size and speed and will add a fresh dimension for new HC Arthur Smith.
5 Cincinatti Bengals – Penei Sewell – OT – Oregon
My last mock I had Cincinnati mailing in their pick so fast flames emanated off their fingers. Now there are rumblings they may elect to go pass catcher and address the O-line issues in rounds 2 and 3. I wouldn’t be shocked if they did, but I believe Sewell is too good of a prospect to pass up on. Logic and the numbers say O-line is a safer pick than wideout.
6 Miami Dolphins (via Philadelphia) – Ja’Marr Chase – WR – LSU
Miami played a blinder here. They moved out of three, back to twelve, then back up into six. The outcome being they still get an elite pass catcher to help Tua Tagovailoa. Chase is the best receiver in the class, with excellent speed, size, athleticism, ability to bring down contested catches and break tackles in the open field. He will be special there is no doubt about that.
7 (TRADE) New England Patriots via Detroit Lions – Justin Fields – QB – Ohio State
All of a sudden a number of teams get twitchy feet. The Patriots, Broncos and Washington are all candidates to move up here with the Buckeyes QB still on the board. It’s the hyper aggressive new look Patriots who pull the trigger here for a trade. Fields has a cannon of an arm, is impressive athletically, can move really well. I don’t know why he keeps falling among the draft community, he is the second best QB in this class in my opinion.
8 Carolina Panthers – Rashawn Slater – OL – Northwestern
The Panthers get their QB in Sam Darnold but must be fair in their evaluation of him with this team. He has receivers in Curtis Samuel and Robbie Anderson but they have a glaring hole at left tackle and Slater fills that void perfectly.
9 Denver Broncos – Trey Lance – QB – North Dakota State
The Broncos take the long term project in Lance. He has all the tools to be great but is really raw after having limited career starts for North Dakota State. At least Denver have a QB competition with Drew Lock and being in such a competitive division, they need to unearth a superstar.
10 Dallas Cowboys – Patrick Surtain II – CB – Alabama
Dallas elects to improve on what was a dire secondary last year. Surtain II is a really good prospect and appears to be a perfect fit alongside last years cornerback pick Trevon Diggs.
11 New York Giants – Micah Parsons – OLB – Penn State
There is a shout here to go OL and they may well do so. But having spent a number of picks on the OL in recent years, and having a successful offensive free agency period adding Kenny Golladay and Kyle Rudolph, the pick is defence. Parsons is arguably the best defender in this class, an unbelievably quick linebacker, able to cover the field, tackle, move sideline to sideline and rush on blitz plays.
12 Philadelphia Eagles – DeVonta Smith – WR – Alabama
The Eagles reportedly tried to move up to grab Wilson, but once that wasn’t an option they moved back and collected capital for years to come. In this case, the board falls nicely and Philadelphia can’t believe their luck. Smith is a silky smooth route runner with quick feet and hips and will provide a strong basis in the slot for QB Jalen Hurts who is still looking to establish himself as the Eagles starter. The slide on Smith occurs due to his size, at just 170 lbs, he would be deemed extremely slight in the NFL.
13 Los Angeles Chargers – Christian Darrisaw – OL – Virginia Tech
Breakout rookie QB Justin Herbert was exceptional breaking records all over the place. He managed to do it all behind an awful O-line. Signing Corey Linsley was a smart move, and adding Darrisaw to start at left tackle will help the OL rebuild in Los Angeles.
14 Minnesota Vikings – Alijah Vera-Tucker – OL – USC
Former Vikings O-lineman Riley Reiff signed with the Bengals in free agency leaving a gap on the line. Vera-Tucker has played both tackle and guard. I see him projecting as either a good right tackle or an outstanding guard. Either way Minnesota boosts its OL with this pick.
15 (TRADE) Detroit Lions via New England – Jaylen Waddle – WR – Alabama
Detroit need talent, period. They move back and snag some future draft picks and elect to go with the most explosive receiver in this class. Waddle has jet fuel speed and offers an instant vertical threat to a receiver corps that lost Kenny Golloday in free agency.
16 Arizona Cardinals – Jaycee Horn – CB – South Carolina
Patrick Peterson has left the cardinals leaving a void. Horn is an ultra physical corner who excels in man coverage. I expect this is the basement for Horn and he may actually go much higher come Thursday.
17 Las Vegas Raiders – Teven Jenkins – OL – Oklahoma State
The Raiders had a bizarre off season seemingly letting go of a number of their offensive line for no apparent reason. Jenkins is a wrecker on the line, able to clear out defensive lineman and is elite in the run game. He projects as a right tackle due to some issues in pass protection, but Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake will enjoy running behind Jenkins.
18 Miami Dolphins – Jaelen Phillips – DE – Miami
Tua’ gets offensive help with Chase and now HC Brian Flores adds to his defence.
Phillips has durability concerns but does have a good frame, physicality, explosiveness and bendiness to be a real problem at the next level.
19 Washington Football Team – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – LB – Notre Dame
Owusu-Koramoah is an unbelievably athletic linebacker able to cover and make big plays on defence. HC Ron Rivera likes having dominate linebackers and the Notre Dame product adds to an already formidable defence in Washington.
20 Chicago Bears – Rashod Bateman – WR – Minnesota
Im sure the Bears will be looking to trade up for a QB but convincing teams to move back to 20 is a tough sell. They add Bateman who is an offensive firecracker, with good size and speed to play on the outside. This offence needs to give help to Andy Dalton and relieve the pressure on star WR Allen Robinson.
21 Indianapolis Colts – Greg Newsome II – CB – Northwestern
The Colts need a tackle but will consider the depth good enough to grab one in the later rounds (Liam Eichenburg, Dillon Raydunz). Newsome has round 1 buzz with his speed, length and ballhawk ability.
22 Tennessee Titans – Caleb Farley – CB – Virginia Tech
Farleys draft night slide ends here in representing fantastic value for the Titans. They have to improve on the defensive side of the ball and Farley is the best overall corner prospect but slides due to back injury concerns that have required two surgeries.
23 New York Jets (via Seahawks) – Kwity Paye – DE – Michigan
The Jets signed pass rusher Carl Lawson but wont stop there adding to their D-Line. Paye is physically imposing, quick off the edge with good bend. If it all comes together he would be a devastating presence.
24 Pittsburgh Steelers – Landon Dickerson – C – Alabama
The Steelers lost numerous members of their Offensive line including Maurice Poncey to retirement. There are legitimate injury concerns around Dickerson but when healthy he is a starter and a bruising presence on the interior for the Steelers.
25 Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams) – Trevon Moehrig – S – TYU
Moehrig is the best safety in this class. He is a clean prospect, with a good nose for interceptions and breakups. He can cover the slot and tackle well in the open field and would be a solid pick for the Jaguars defence.
26 Cleveland Browns – Zaven Collins – OLB – Tulsa
Zaven Collins is solid in coverage and has a nose for a sack too from the linebacker position. He adds both dimensions to this Cleveland defence and has the flexibility to be utilised in a number of ways.
27 Baltimore Ravens – Kadarius Toney – WR – Florida
Baltimore add to a receiving corps with a wideout whom possesses a knack for breaking tackles and making big time plays. Toney is a wide receiver with a running back’s frame who will cause problems in the slot and on the outside.
28 New Orleans Saints – Gregory Rousseau – DE – Miami
The Saints need more pass rush after loosing Tre Hendrickson in free agency. Rousseau represents good value and showed real upside in his time before sitting out.
29 Green Bay Packers – Rondale Moore – WR – Purdue
Green Bay resigned star running back Aaron Jones in the off season. Alongside star wideout, Devante Adams, they offer a potent one two combination but the Packers need more depth. Moore is lightning fast having clocked 4.3 speed at his pro day displaying his elite athleticism and potential playmaking ability.
30 Buffalo Bills – Travis Etienne – RB – Clemson
The Bills didn’t have a great running game last year and it hurt them in certain moments. Etienne can catch the ball out of the backfield and is a big physical runner able to deflect off tackles with a certain grace whistle possessing real vertical speed.
31 Baltimore Ravens (via Kansas City Chiefs) – Samuel Cosmi – OL – Texas
The Ravens traded tackle Orlando Brown to the Chiefs so he can play left tackle. The Ravens have Ronnie Stanley returning to that role, so the reliable, physical and battle tested Cosmi is able to play right tackle.
32 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jason Oweh – Edge – Penn State
Tampa add to a pass rush corps that displayed all its talents in the Super Bowl. Oweh tested phenomenally, and has all the raw traits to be outstanding given time to develop.
