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xlewandowski · 4 years ago

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NFL Mock Draft — 2021

Cracks fingers and neck

LET’S GO!!

It’s that time of year again ladies and gentlemen!

It’s time for my annual mock draft!

Been running this baby for 10 years now(!!!) and have yet to be noticed from the NFL media, except for that one time Charles Davis responded back to me and said to tone it back on the amount of running backs taken in the 1st round (he’s not wrong) and also when Bruce Murray (@brucemurraynfl) said my name flawlessly on the air; you’re a great man Bruce, with even greater hair!

Before I ultimately layout how I believe the first round will unfold (goal is to get 10/32!) I want to share my rankings of the 5 top quarterback prospects for this year, as I feel that after Trevor Lawrence it’s a tossup within the NFL world.

Trevor Lawrence

Justin Fields

Zach Wilson

Trey Lance

Mac Jones

Trevor Lawrence, my man! Is far and a-way the number one quarterback; I know Matt, tell me something I don’t know. This is why I will keep his brief. He has been ranked the best prospect since not just Andrew Luck, but I believe Peyton Manning. There is so much to like about this kid, the size, the arm strength, the leadership, THE HAIR! He’s got everything and then some. Also, I truly believe that if the Jets had the #1 overall pick he would have went back to Clemson for his Senior Year.

Justin Fields I have second as it just makes sense. I ask you, what changed from the end of the college season for him to be rated the second quarterback behind Lawrence to now the third or fourth guy? I’m serious, nothing changed. Zach Wilson threw a cool pass at his Pro Day off balance, k… Fields, for some reason has taken heat and I don’t know what for. He has the leadership and (especially) toughness that teams dream of, and he has the mobility that fits the new age NFL. Though for some reason he has been slandered. I do believe that he will have a bit of a Lamar Jackson tumble in the draft, I hope I’m wrong and I hope he goes in the top 2, yes 2.

I’m going to combine Zach Wilson and Trey Lance here as I believe they are a 3a and 3b ranking for me. Though they may be on similar platforms they are both very different players with a very high risk/high reward feel to them. Wilson I see as a hybrid of Russell Wilson and Baker Mayfield, in that he has a similar build between the two but can also make savvy plays in and outside the pocket. Lance to me would be a hybrid (going green again) of Josh Allen and… can I say his name? I hope it’s ok… Colin Kaepernick. He has the elite size teams want and very good mobility, it’s just he is very raw and may (should) be given time to develop.

If both these guys are thrown into the fire right off the bat I only think one of them walks out with a great NFL career.

Lastly is Mac Jones, who has all the accolades, a fresh National Championship, but just feels like a guy who was in the right place at the right time, but hey, it worked for Joe Burrow. Since Alabama won the Championship to now, I don’t think there is a player in this draft who has skyrocketed up draft boards more than Jones. Not long ago was viewed as a second rounder to now being viewed as potential top 3 pick. I personally don’t buy it. And please, this is not me hating on Jones, it’s me ranking the quarterbacks and if I was GM and had all these guys on the board he would be locked into my fifth choice.

Now, without any further ado, lets get this baby rolling!

Please note, that I will not be predicting trades.

Trades are inevitable but also impossible to predict; ex: who saw the San Francisco/Miami/Philadelphia trades happening? My prediction is between 5-7 trades on Thursday night.

Jacksonville, you are on the clock!

Jacksonville Jaguars — Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback This pick has been locked in since the end of the 2020 draft, the only thing that needed to be sorted was the team. Jacksonville gets the cornerstone franchise quarterback they have been dreaming of since they came into existence. The fans have bought him gifts from his registry for his wedding. This man is already beyond loved and he hasn’t even crossed the boarder into Florida. Don’t screw this up, Jacksonville!

New York Jets — Zach Wilson, Quarterback I want this pick to be Justin Fields, I really do, but I can’t do it as Wilson to the Jets has felt like a lock for months now. New York looks to be building their franchise right, they have a great GM, one of the best new hires for a head coach in Robert Saleh and they have the draft capital to surround their new Broadway quarterback with talent. Wilson needs to preform right out the gate and not let the headlines get to him, if he can do that, he has a shot.

San Francisco 49ers — Trey Lance, Quarterback Surprise! But is it though? Look, when the 49ers sold the farm for this pick it’s not for Mac Jones, who would have been there for them at #12. San Francisco is going for the highest ceiling pick here; you knew when those comparisons to Patrick Mahomes came up that some team was going to get infatuated. Lance can be brought in slowly with the team keeping Jimmy Garoppolo and having him start the season. If Lance can develop into the star San Francisco believes he is, the draft capital they gave up will feel like a bargain.

Atlanta Falcons — Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle Atlanta is in a very interesting situations their team doesn’t feel like they should be drafting in the top 5 with the talent on their roster. They have a former MVP in Matt Ryan who is beyond underrated who is in his only in his mid-30s and an offence that can still put up points. The issue with Atlanta is they can’t run the ball that well, and the hire of Arthur Smith who had the back-to-back rushing champion Derrick Henry in Tennessee, Smith knows that the best way to win is to take pressure off the quarterback and and hammer the defense with a running game. Sewell is by far and away this years best offensive tackle and getting him at 4 feels like an absolute win for the Falcons.

Cincinnati Bengals — Ja’Marr Chase, Wideout I mean, a bengal is essentially a tiger, is it not? Joe Burrow needs protection, and if Sewell was on the board that would be the pick, but with the fifth pick being a bit rich for Rashawn Slater, Zac Taylor and the gang take Chase and reunite him with his college quarterback. Some may have Kyle Pitts and his upside here, however, I believe Cincinnati makes the smart choice and go with familiarity (at least for Burrow) here and try to recapture that LSU magic.

Miami Dolphins — Micah Parsons, Linebacker This may be my boldest pick of this draft. The narrative right now for Miami is to surround Tagovailoa with as much talent as they can so he can be successful, right? Though I argue, did he not have success? Now it may not be to the insane statistical standards, but as just a pure quarterback, he preformed well in spurts. One of the biggest needs for Miami, before offensive playmakers, is a defensive playmaker. People tend to forget that defence is what takes you over the top, just look as recently as the Super Bowl, and within that Super Bowl what did Tampa have that completely floored Kansas City? Playmakers at the linebacker position. Parsons is an elite linebacker with range and pass rushing ability. Flores had great players at the linebacker position in New England, now it’s time for him to start building that in South Beach.

Detroit Lions — Jaylen Waddle, Wideout Detroit is in need of outside talent for the offence. With newly acquired quarterback, Jared Goff, the best way to maximize his skillset is to surround him with talent. Goff’s best season came when he had a deep threat in Brandin Cooks at his disposal, enter Jaylen Waddle. Waddle has drawn comparisons to Tyreek Hill minus the off-field issues. With his playmaking ability and top gear speed, this is a pick worth investing in.

Carolina Panthers — Kyle Pitts, Tight End With newly acquired Sam Darnold, Carolina opts to help out their young quarterback (crazy that he is still just 23) than give him competition. Pitts is the pick here as the tight end is the quarterbacks best friend, and with how Darnold played the last couple of years, he’ll need all the friends he can get. Pitts is by far and wide the best tight end in this years class, but count me out as one of the believers that think he is one of the best players in this years draft. He has the size, wingspan and ability to be a great tight end, I’m just not ready to say he is the best non-quarterback in this years class, and I am especially not ready to call him the next Megatron. But hey, I’ve been wrong before!

Denver Broncos — Kwity Paye, EDGE Probably one of my more shocking picks here as Denver elects to pass on both Fields and Jones here. The reasoning, Denver has gone pretty heavy on the offensive side as of late, which is a bit shocking considering Vic Fangio is an old school defensive minded coach, well, with John Elway relinquishing some of his power and pulling a back a bit on player personnel, the pick here is Kwity Paye, arguably the top edge rusher in the draft. With Von Miller and Bradley Chubb already in place, Paye has the ability to perfect his craft, learn and contribute to a Denver defense that has reloaded quite quickly.

Dallas Cowboys — Jaelan Phillips, EDGE I know the infatuation Jerry Jones has with making splashy picks on offense and that we’ve heard him say how Kyle Pitts would be great to have on his team, but Dallas needs to go back to those unflashy, bland, boring picks. Tyron Smith wasn’t flashy but was the best left tackle for years, Travis Frederick wasn’t flashy, but was arguably the best centre before injury, Zach Martin wasn’t flashy….look, you see my point. Dallas got cute last year with drafting Ceedee Lamb when they should have been rebuilding their defense. In drafting Phillips they get a player who is just scratching the surface of his potential. Teaming him up with Demarcus Lawrence gives Dallas the pass rush that will severely help out a secondary that has been one of the worst, statistically.

New York Giants — Caleb Farley, Cornerback Farley is in the conversation as the top corner in this years draft with his blend of speed and size, the main factor holding him back is his lengthy injury history, having dealt with an ACL tear and herniated disk. If he can find away to stay out of the trainers office and remain on the field, New York will be set in the secondary for years to come – just imagine if Deandre Baker had worked out…

Philadelphia Eagles — DeVonta Smith, Wideout Raise your hand if you’ve heard this one before, but the Philadelphia Eagles needs playmakers at the wideout position. This is a team that has blown it multiple times in successive years at the wideout position. I mean, could you image if this team had drafted DK Metcalf AND Justin Jefferson?! Could have been unreal, but instead, it’s back to the drawing board for Philadelphia. Some can argue that DeVonta Smith is the best wideout in this years class, and with the year he just put up at Alabama I wouldn’t blame you, but since winning the Heisman concerns over his size have grown, and to be fair, yes, he is bit too small (weight wise), but to quote (paraphrase) Kyler Murray a couple of years ago, “I have always played at this size, it’s nothing new to me”, can be used for Smith. Will he sacrifice a few yards if it means staying healthy? It worked for Marvin Harrison..

Los Angeles Chargers — Rashawn Slater, Offensive Tackle The Chargers have shown their hand a bit too much in this years draft process with them being vocal that they need an upgrade at the tackle position, and you know what, it’s not hard to see why, they absolutely hit a grand slam in Justin Herbert last year, and the best way for them to finally make it back into the playoffs is to protect that young man, I mean, also not blow late game leads, all their defensive stars getting injured, all their offensive stars (sans Herbert) getting injured, etc., etc.. Slater is this years second best offensive tackle after Sewell. Slater can be an absolute mauler in the trenches and immediate contribute at the left tackle position.

Minnesota Vikings — Justin Fields, Quarterback Minnesota hits the absolute jackpot with Justin Fields inexplicably falling. Though the Vikings may have Kirk Cousins under contract they need to start thinking about the future and building around their already young stars in Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook. Cousins is an average quarterback at best, with Fields they could be catching lightning in a bottle twice with similarities to what they had in the early 2000s with Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and Michael Bennett. Fields is the second best quarterback in this years draft, and the only quarterback in this years draft who has beaten the unquestioned number one quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Fields offers the arm strength, the mobility and the toughness that you want in todays NFL.

New England Patriots — Christian Barmore, Defensive Line There may be some reading this that are scratching their heads with New England passing on Mac Jones, but I just don’t see it. I feel Cam Newton will have a much better year this year, especially being in the McDaniels system for a second consecutive season, plus New England needs to get better on the defensive side of the ball to be in the closer games they will now be accustomed to. Belichick trusts Nick Saban, and Alabama doesn’t mess around when it comes to defense. Barmore is the top defensive tackle in this years draft, and getting him in the middle of the first round seems like a dream scenario for the former powerhouse that is New England.

Arizona Cardinals — Patrick Surtain II, Cornerback Surtain II to me is the best corner in this years draft, not only does he have NFL bloodline, but put simply, he just passes the eye test. He has the size, height and speed to play along any wideout in todays NFL, he can also play any scheme a defensive coordinator will throw at him. Arizona had a great run with Patrick Peterson, and with the Surtain II pick, they can hopefully transition without skipping a beat.

Las Vegas Raiders — Mac Jones, Quarterback Some may view this too low for the former Alabama quarterback, but midway through the first round just seems right. Jones is an average quarterback that made the absolute best out of his situation in Alabama; he has great adaptability, which is something NFL teams should be ecstatic about. Las Vegas has always seemed like they are flirting with Derek Carr, they like him enough but aren’t in love with him. Gruden and Mayock ultimately want to groom their own quarterback from the start, with Jones they (finally) get THEIR quarterback of the future.

Miami Dolphins — Kadarius Toney, Wideout After getting their playmaker on the defensive side, it’s time to address the offensive side. Miami currently has an offense that is middle of the pack, but doesn’t have the one player that defenses have to plan around. Kadarius Toney is that game changer the Dolphins have been searching for. He doesn’t have the prototypical size but he does have the ability to break games wide open. Think of him as a hybrid between Percy Harvin and Deebo Samuel minus the always being broken part.

Washington Football Team — Zaven Collins, Linebacker If anyone knows the importance of having a leader at the linebacker position it’s Ron Rivera. In being a linebacker himself and having one the best at the position at Carolina in Luke Keuchly, Washington cements another defensive cornerstone in Collins. Collins has the skillset to be a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, plus he has the size be a real difference maker. The biggest challenge for Collins will be honing in these challenges and realizing his full potential.

Chicago Bears — Jaycee Horn, Cornerback Chicago is at their best when their defense can say the same. Chicago wasn’t able to retain the very hot and cold Kyle Fuller, which leaves them with a need at the cornerback position. Jaycee Horn gives the Bears the perfect running mate alongside Jaylon Johnson. The knock on Horn is that he can be a touch aggressive, but with Chicago having the elite safety help in the backfield, those aggressive plays will look more like positives than negatives.

Indianapolis Colts — Christian Darrisaw, Offensive Tackle With Indianapolis banking on getting 2017 Carson Wentz and not 2020 Carson Wentz, the Colts realize they need to keep him upright and a strong run game. Darrisaw provides both those and can be slotted immediately in to the left tackle position with Anthony Castonzo recent retiring.

Tennessee Titans — Rashod Bateman, Wideout Bateman is one of the more under-the-radar wideouts in this years class. He has natural catching and playmaking ability, and though he may lack the elite size at the position, only 6ft, that didn’t stop AJ Brown from being the game breaker he is. Wideout became more of a position of need for Tennessee as Corey Davis left in free agency, but with teams keying in on Derrick Henry, now is the time to break in a new receiver to hopefully take off the pressure of Henry.

New York Jets — Greg Newsome II, Cornerback The Jets have a plethora of needs but have slowly chipped away at it in free agency. With their quarterback of the future already in tack they start to address the defense. Saleh is a master at getting the most out of his defensive line, but to further the development you need a strong secondary. Enter Newsome II who can play any style of coverage; will fit perfectly into whatever scheme the Jets roll out.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Travis Etienne, Running Back There are some that believe that the running back position doesn’t belong in the first round, I am not one of those believers. Though they may have one of the shortest shelf life of any position, they also provide the most immediate impact, which is a perfect segue into the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is in win now mode, and for however long Ben Roethlisberger is under centre. Etienne can excel at every level a running back needs to excel in; he can run, he can catch, he can block. Aside from that one year from James Connor Pittsburgh severely misses Le’Veon Bell, with Etienne they gain a player that’s fits the new motto for Pittsburgh, speed.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Teven Jenkins, Offensive Tackle Jacksonville has done a great job building a respectable offense since their near Super Bowl berth a few seasons ago. Though it may not show in the win column, the Jags could have a sneaky good offense this season with Lawrence at the helm. To ensure that, potential success Jacksonville invests into their offensive line, enter Teven Jenkins who has the raw power to hold up in this league. Only issue may be his footwork, but with Lawrence’s savvy and quick realize, that can be fixed on the fly.

Cleveland Browns — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker Would you believe that Cleveland doesn’t really have a true weakness on their team? I know that it’s hard to believe, but with how their roster has been built since their 0-16 season there hasn’t been that many questionable draft decisions. Owusu-Koramoah gives them the range at the linebacker position that would put them over the top. With the ability to cover backs, tight ends and even the odd receiver, Owusu-Koramoah has the potential to be something special, in Cleveland of all places.

Baltimore Ravens — Trevon Moehrig, Safety It feels like every since Ed Reed retired Baltimore has been looking to fill the void at safety; they tried Matt Elam (bust), Eric Weddle (short term fix), and most recently Earl Thomas (still blocking for Derrick Henry). Nothing has stuck, until Trevon Moehrig. Moehrig is at the top of a very shallow safety class, after him there is a sharp drop off. With him Baltimore gains a do-it-all safety that can support against the run and have the deep coverage skills that have severely been missing in the Ravens backfield.

New Orleans Saints — Azeez Ojulari, EDGE With it looking more and more like a questionable pick in Marcus Davenport, New Orleans quickly reloads in drafting Ojulari who has had a bit of a fall in this mock. Average height for the position, but terrific burst will help in getting to the quarterback quickly, though he may need to add a bit more to his frame to hold up in the run game. New Orleans is in a bit of transition on the offensive side, so if the defense can make more strides to make sure the fall in the wins column may not be as great as some may be predicting.

Green Bay Packers — Jamin Davis, Linebacker I know, I know, everyone was hoping for a skill position, more specifically a wideout for Green Bay, and to be honest I did have Rondale Moore in initially but ultimately, the Packers don’t love Aaron Rodgers like the rest of us do. Jamin Davis is the pick here as the Packers defence is still weak against the run and he is a tackling machine. With Davis in the middle and the Smith brothers on the edge, the defense will start to win the Packers games, meaning Rodgers doesn’t always have to play hero ball.

Buffalo Bills — Joseph Ossai, EDGE Buffalo continues to bolster their defensive line; with players like Ed Olivier, Harrison Phillips and others, Ossai joins in the rotation in giving Buffalo more and more pass rush. This will be beneficial for Ossai as he hasn’t been around football as long as his fellow draftees. With the physical tools to be a great pass rusher, Buffalo needs to bring him along slowly to reap the rewards.

Baltimore Ravens — Levi Onwuzurike, Defensive Line With the trading of Orlando Brown netting Baltimore an additional first round pick, the Ravens look to continue their infusion of youth on the defensive side. Though wideout would make sense here, Baltimore is hoping some of the prospects still left on the board fall to them in the later rounds. Onwuzurike gives them more depth along the defensive line as well as a player who can learn alongside Calais Campbell. Onwuzurike has the explosive first step you want in a man his size, but needs to improve on his pass rushing ability, a feat that has been learned by many in the Baltimore system.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Asante Samuel Jr., Cornerback Tampa hit on a second generation defensive back in Antonie Winfield Jr. why not go to the well one more time with Asante Samuel Jr.? Samuel Jr. has a lot of similar traits to his father, he’s an undersized scrappy player that jumps breaks to make game changing plays. With this pick, Tampa continues its steps in becoming an elite defense.

And there you have it!

Thank you everyone who has made it to the end!

Can’t believe that I have been writing these mocks for a decade – the world was a very difference place 10 years ago, I mean, we could go outside freely, malls, sporting events, shake people’s hands, not wait in massive lines, oh wait… that was just 14 months ago…

I hope that your teams gets the player you want or fills the position of need, unless you’re an Eagles fan like me, then prepare to be disappointed and look at your screen in disbelief when Howie Roseman drafts a late second rounder with the 12th pick because new head coach Nick Sirianni liked the competitiveness they brought to their rock/paper/scissors bout. I’m not bitter, just confused!

Enjoy the 2021 Draft everyone!

#NFL #NFLDRAFT

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