This week is the start of free agency, which means these weekly mock drafts should look drastically different going forward. For our last pre-free agency mock, however, we've got trades. Three teams -- the 49ers, Washington Football Team and the Jets -- trade up for offensive playmakers while their respective trade partners stockpile picks and still land Day 1 difference-makers.
All told, five quarterbacks, five cornerbacks and seven offensive linemen go off the board in Round 1. As for the trades:
- 49ers trade up to No. 3 with Miami; Dolphins get No. 12, No. 103 and a 2022 first-rounder
- Washington trades up to No. 9 with Denver; Broncos get No. 19, No. 51 and a 2022 third-rounder
- Jets trade up to No. 14 with Minnesota; Vikings get No. 23, No. 66 and No. 147
Keep reading to see how the rest of the round unfolds.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
This is as close to a sure thing as you're going to find.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
We'll reiterate what we've been saying for weeks: The Jets are still weighing what to do with Sam Darnold, according to reports, and we've gone back and forth here -- either Zach Wilson or Penei Sewell -- but whatever happens here starts with Darnold. Wilson is coming off a spectacular 2020 season but New York could also trade down to stockpile picks and players as part of a rebuild that includes their current franchise QB.
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Mock Trade from
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 3
Fields probably needs a year on the bench, but we love the idea of pairing up his abilities with Kyle Shanahan, who got the most out of former No. 2 overall pick RG3 when the two were together in Washington. And Fields is already a more complete player than RG3.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Things will almost certainly change, but heading into free agency the Falcons have four offensive linemen under contract who took NFL snaps last season. Sewell is one of the best prospects in this class and he can play right away, especially if the plan is to move forward with Matt Ryan for 2021 and possibly 2022.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
The Bengals would love to get offensive line help but they have a ton of cap space and can do that through free agency. Plus, with Sewell off the board, they instead take arguably the best pass catcher in this draft class. Pitts is listed as a tight end but he can line up anywhere and is a matchup nightmare for corners, safeties and linebackers.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Chase consistently wins at the line of scrimmage, plays with the type of physicality you rarely see in college wideouts, and is at his best in contested-catch situations. However the QB situation resolves itself in Philly, Chase immediately improves the WR corps.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Parsons opted out, but he's a player who didn't hurt his draft stock by doing so. He might end up being the best off-ball linebacker to come out in the last 4-5 years.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
The Panthers need a quarterback and while they -- along with many other teams -- were at Trey Lance's pro day last week, a better option could be the one who starred during Senior Bowl week with Carolina's coaching staff watching closely. Jones isn't the athlete of Lawrence, Wilson, Fields or Lance, but all he does is makes plays, and there's a good argument that he was better at Alabama than his predecessor, Tua Tagovailoa.
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Mock Trade from
Denver Broncos
Round 1 - Pick 9
The Football Team re-signed Taylor Heinecke but moved on from Alex Smith. And while Heineke played well in the postseason, he's probably not the long-term answer. Which is why the team trades up for Lance, who checks every box -- both physical and mental -- except that he just hasn't played a lot of football.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
This might be one of our most popular draft prospect-NFL team pairings. Farley remains our CB1 and the Cowboys have a gaping hole in the secondary. The team could also look to address pass rusher or offensive line here.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
The Giants need pass rush and could choose go with one of the Alabama wideouts too. But we know Dave Gettleman likes big guys and bolstering the offensive line may take priority. Andrew Thomas got better as the year progressed and Slater, who opted out in '20, can play all five O-line positions.
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Mock Trade from
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1 - Pick 12
The Dolphins trade down and still get the most dynamic downfield target in this class. Waddle's 2020 campaign was interrupted by an ankle injury, but he's one of the fastest people on the planet who is already a more polished route runner.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Forrest Lamp is a free agent and the remaining guards on the roster will either be restricted or unrestricted free agents after the '21 season. The team also parted ways with Trai Turner last week. Vera-Tucker can play either guard or tackle and is a Day 1 starter.
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Mock Trade from
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1 - Pick 14
The Jets have a ton of cap space and draft picks and after taking their franchise QB at No. 2, they trade up to get the Heisman Trophy winner at No. 14.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
The Patriots didn't have much of a pass rush to speak of last season; Michigan alums Chase Winovich (5.5 sacks, led the team) and Josh Uche will continue to get better, but Ojulari is an immediate impact player who can set the edge against the run and get after the QB in passing situations.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick will be free agents this week and Surtain, who has been Alabama's best cornerback the last two seasons, would be a good fit in Arizona in 2021.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Maliek Collins and Jonathan Hankins are free agents and Barmore, who wasn't a starter until the 2020 season, has first-round talent.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Phillips, who retired from football in 2018 because of injuries, transferred to the U and was just about unstoppable in 2020. If there are no medical concerns, he could be one of the first edge rushers drafted.
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Mock Trade from
Washington Football Team
Round 1 - Pick 19
The Broncos trade down and still get a top-flight cornerback. Horn, the son of former NFL WR Joe Horn, plays with an edge. He might be the most physical CB in this class.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
The Bears need a quarterback, but with five already off the board they turn to the offensive line. Darrisaw, who had a strong season for the Hokies, is an athletic offensive lineman who may eventually move inside to guard.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Anthony Castonzo has announced his retirement and Cosmi, who reinforced just how athletic he is at his pro day last week, has been solid throughout his Longhorns career and can play either tackle position.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Paye is long on physical tools, but the reason he could fall in the eyes of NFL teams is that he's still growing into the position. That said, he still upgrades a Titans pass rush that managed a paltry 19 sacks in 2020.
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Mock Trade from
New York Jets
Round 1 - Pick 23
The Vikings trade down, get a couple of picks and still land a playmaking interior defensive lineman. Onwuzurike might have the quickest first step of any DL in the class and that, with his pure power, makes him an interesting early round prospect.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Big Ben is coming back for at least another season and with the offense line in shambles, the Steelers go about addressing that in Round 1. Jenkins, who can line up on the left or the right side, plays with an edge that will appeal to Pittsburgh as they try to re-establish the run game.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 25
Newsome is one of the most complete CBs in the class and that was re-confirmed when he blew the doors off his recent pro day performance. The Jaguars could go with OL or DL here, but they also need to upgrade the secondary.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
The Browns have some young promising players on defense but they've struggled to stay healthy. Moehrig is the best safety in the class who can play deep centerfield and in the slot if needed.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Bateman had an up-and-down 2020 season after a lights-out 2019 campaign, but he could work his way into the bottom of the first round. The Ravens' young wideouts have improved down the stretch, but Bateman plays with the polish of a 10-year NFL vet.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
The Saints have four CBs on the roster headed for free agency and they released Janoris Jenkins last week. Marshon Lattimore and Patrick Robinson are still on multi-year deals, but you can never have enough big-play corners. Campbell is long, physical and is only going to get better with experience.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Collins had four sacks, four interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and two forced fumbles during a breakout '20 season. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, he looks more like a defensive end but moves with the fluidity of the modern day inside linebackers that have become so prevalent around the league.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Mario Addison was tied for the team lead with five sacks and while there's also needs at linebacker and along the offensive line, Oweh, who didn't start playing football until high school, is just scratching the surface on his ability.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
You have to imagine OL is a priority for Kansas City after the team cut ties with Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. Jalen Mayfield is an athletic offensive tackle who moves well in space and would seem to fit an offense that features a mobile quarterback.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
The Bucs have some things to sort out in free agency, including what to do with Playoff Lenny Fournette. A defensive tackle or an edge rusher makes sense here, but Travis Etienne is coming off back-to-back strong seasons, a lights-out pro day, has elite contact balance and is a pass-catching threat coming out of the backfield.
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