The 2021 NFL Draft is officially less than a month away and pro days are winding down for college teams. The athletic profiles are being wrapped up and the focus turns to medical reports and individual meetings between prospects and teams. Taking into account some of what has been heard and witnessed over the last few weeks of pro days, I present a newly-constructed two-round mock draft that will almost certainly be rendered outdated with a big trade shortly.
Without further ado, let's kick this off!
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
The beginning of the NFL draft order seems to be coming into focus and Trevor Lawrence is expected to be taken first.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Zach Wilson seems to be settling in as the consensus at No. 2 overall. The selection would mean New York is moving on from Sam Darnold.
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From
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 3
The selection of Mac Jones by San Francisco would defy my eyes and rankings, but the buzz is that Jones will be the pick for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
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Mock Trade from
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1 - Pick 4
TRADE TERMS: Atlanta receives No. 9 and No. 40 overall / Denver receives No. 4 overall. It is likely that a quarterback is taken No. 4 overall whether that is by Atlanta or through a trade down. Justin Fields wowed with his pro day this week and his tape backs up his claim as a top-10 choice.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
To my surprise, it sounds as though Ja'Marr Chase is the leader in the clubhouse to be Cincinnati's pick. Offensive line would be my choice but, if Joe Burrow is encouraging them to take Chase over an offensive lineman, then the Bengals should not hesitate to make a move that they preferred from the jump.
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From
Philadelphia Eagles
Round 1 - Pick 6
Kyle Pitts is unlike anything that Miami has on its roster. Do not get hung up on whether or not he is a tight end or wide receiver, he is simply a mismatch nightmare for Tua Tagovailoa to exploit.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Detroit is going to be able to challenge the field more vertically. Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams are not going to cut it in that wide receiver room.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Carolina might have to sweat out Trey Lance falling to them at No. 8 overall but it feels as though the top six picks are accounted for in this year's draft. Cincinnati rarely trades that early and Miami did not trade up only to trade back again. The Lions could be the gatekeeper to any team looking to trade up for a quarterback. Perhaps New England?
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Mock Trade from
Denver Broncos
Round 1 - Pick 9
Five quarterbacks in the top eight means that some really good players are going to slide down the board and teams may need to prepare their respective draft strategies accordingly. Penei Sewell could temporarily move to guard and then eventually slide back to tackle later in Jake Matthews' career.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Dallas has added players to the secondary but none are going to inspire fear. Patrick Surtain II is a really clean, technical prospect with NFL bloodlines. He brings a level of professionalism and consistency to a defense that has lacked it.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Rashawn Slater falling to pick No. 11 is some of the adjustment that has to occur. The Giants may not have anticipated that he would still be on the board. The lineman with five position flexibility arrives in the Big Apple as a player that could fill a hole at center or guard.
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From
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 12
Philadelphia slid back from No. 6 to No. 12 overall and still has a chance to add one of the draft's top wide receivers. It would not be a surprise to see them take a cornerback or edge rusher either.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Brandon Staley had Jalen Ramsey in Los Angeles last season. I could see him being drawn to having a cornerback with a big personality and physicality like Jaycee Horn with the Chargers.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Minnesota gets really good value with Alijah Vera-Tucker who has five positional flexibility but it is probably best served inside. It will be interesting to see where the Vikings play Ezra Cleveland after Riley Reiff moved on.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
New England is bulking up for a big bounce-back year. Bill Belichick capitalizes on one of the draft's best players sliding. Micah Parsons is an off-ball linebacker with the ability to rush from the edge occasionally.
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Mock Trade from
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1 - Pick 16
The Colts need an offensive tackle and know they may have to get ahead of Washington. They trade up with Arizona to snag Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Las Vegas has a need for some pass rush supplement. Jaelan Phillips is a hot name after his well-rounded, sensational pro day workout Monday.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Miami gets a versatile defender with a permanent role in sub packages for Brian Flores' defense. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah glides across the field and is forceful on impact.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Washington was leapfrogged by Indianapolis for an offensive tackle so the team takes Terrace Marshall Jr. to pair with Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel. It is not where I would take him personally but there are a lot of teams high on Marshall.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Chicago has made a few small signings along the offensive line but none to exclude them from the draft market. Teven Jenkins gives them a mean streak on the offensive line to protect QB1.
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Mock Trade from
Indianapolis Colts
Round 1 - Pick 21
Arizona lost Haason Reddick in free agency but finds some juice to replace him in the draft. Azeez Ojulari is a player that needs to refine his pass rush skill set a bit more, but possesses the athleticism to rush standing up or down.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
After parting with Adoree Jackson, Tennessee responds by drafting Greg Newsome II. Mike Vrabel will love coaching him. The Titans have lost some key players this offseason so the draft is crucial to them maintaining a spot atop the AFC South.
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From
Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 - Pick 23
Javonte Williams becomes the first running back off the board taken by the Jets. I would not take a running back in Round 1 with the current roster but there is a lot of buzz that suggests New York might do so.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Pittsburgh and its fans are obsessed with fixing the run game and they should be. It seems to be one of the few fanbases on board with taking a running back in the first round. However, it is smarter to take offensive line in the first round and swing back around to take the running back. Spoiler alert: they do.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 25
Trevon Moehrig is one of the players that has been linked to Jacksonville a lot through the process. I think that is still a viable route as the team adds more talent to the defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Jamin Davis tested off the charts at Kentucky's pro day. Linebacker is a hot button issue within the Browns fanbase. It started during Joe Schobert's free agency and has carried over but -- if Davis becomes a Darius Leonard-caliber player, no one is going to fret over where he was drafted.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Baltimore loves length. After a strong showing at his pro day, Jayson Oweh has made himself a commodity for teams banking on traits. Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue are gone so there is a natural fit in the DMV.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
After losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency, New Orleans responds by adding another edge rusher with grown man strength opposite Cam Jordan. Kwity Paye is good value this late in the first round.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Green Bay adds some speed to the wide receiver room in the form of Kadarius Toney. The Packers now have Davante Adams and Toney to get open for Aaron Rodgers.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Buffalo continues adding depth at edge rusher with A.J. Epenesa and Gregory Rousseau competing opposite Jerry Hughes. In an ideal world, those two would be the future at the position in Orchard Park.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Kansas City adds more competition at the linebacker position. Zaven Collins and Willie Gay Jr. give the Chiefs two young, promising talents at the position.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Ndamukong Suh returns on a one-year deal but Levi Onwuzurike could be his eventual replacement. Tampa Bay is drafting for a year out because they have essentially zero weaknesses on the current roster.
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Round 2
33. Jaguars - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
34. Jets - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
35. Falcons - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
36. Dolphins (via HOU) - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
37. Eagles - Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
38. Bengals - Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame
39. Panthers - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
40. Falcons (via DEN mock trade) - Joe Tryon, EDGE, Washington
41. Lions - Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
42. Giants - Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas
43. 49ers - Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF
44. Cowboys - Richie Grant, S, UCF
45. Jaguars (via MIN) - Michael Carter, RB, North Carolina
46. Patriots - Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky
47. Chargers - Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
48. Raiders - Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa
49. Cardinals - Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
50. Dolphins - Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
51. Football Team - Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
52. Bears - Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
53. Titans - Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
54. Colts - Ronnie Perkins, EDGE, Oklahoma
55. Steelers - Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
56. Seahawks - Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa
57. Rams - Quinn Meinerz, OG/C, Wisconsin-Whitewater
58. Ravens - Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
59. Browns - Jordan Smith, EDGE, UAB
60. Saints - D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan
61. Bills - Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
62. Packers - Marlon Tuipulotu, DT, USC
63. Chiefs - Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
64. Buccaneers - Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas
