In this 2021 NFL Draft mock draft, the Steelers make a move at QB.
The 2020 NFL season is getting close but there’s no guarantee that it will happen the way we expect it to. The league did recently come out with some new guidelines to help players stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic but most of their ideas — which included eliminating the jersey swap — led to more criticism than anything.
No matter what the league says about the season going on as planned, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the air right now as we deal with the unknown of this virus. Still, we hope that the season will happen simply for the fact that we love the game and want to see not only the returning stars take the field, but the rookies as well who just came in via the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins are expected to help turn their franchises around. Other players such as Chase Young of Washington and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys are anxious to make their presence felt in the pros.
As much as those players are wanting to get on the field, the fans are just as excited to see the new crop of rookies as they bring a lot of hope with them. With all that being said, we now look ahead to the upcoming class of collegiate players who are eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft and try to predict which teams they can land with in this first-round mock draft.
And with that, let’s get to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is owned by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the order is determined by our latest NFL Power Rankings.
This one feels like the easiest prediction to make. The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to be in full tank mode this season as they have started to unload a lot of veteran talent — they also already moved on from one younger player who was set for a new deal while possibly having another heading out soon.
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Last year, they traded away Jalen Ramsey who then signed a big extension with the Los Angeles Rams. Jacksonville now has a contract situation to deal with when it comes to edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue who was hit with the franchise tag but wants to be traded now.
If he leaves, he will join players such as Ramsey, defensive end Calais Campbell, quarterback Nick Foles, and cornerback A.J. Bouye who have all been either traded or released as they have gone through a big change.
While all those players who have left were talented, none could turn this team into a winning franchise. The reason for that is simple — the Jaguars have yet to get the quarterback position right. As long as that’s the case, they’re going to struggle.
In this first round mock of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jaguars do get the most important position on the field figured out as they land Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick.
Lawrence has been the clear favorite to be the top pick in the upcoming draft for more than a year now and it would be a surprise to see anyone else take this space. Jacksonville needs someone to lead their offense and landing Lawrence would be like winning the lottery for them.
As was mentioned in the opening, Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020 to lead the Cincinnati Bengals in a new direction. The first overall pick out of LSU comes in with a lot of hype after he put together what was arguably the greatest single season in NCAA history.
Burrow who is from Ohio, started with Ohio State but didn’t blossom into a star until after transferring to LSU. Even then, it took time as he started tom come on near the end of 2018 but really broke out in 2019.
He led the Tigers to a championship and in the process threw for 5,671 yards with an unbelievable 60-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. None of that even seems real when you really think about those numbers and consider that he played in the SEC and faced elite defenses for many of his games. For that reason, the Bengals have a lot of hope that Burrow will be the guy to finally turn them into a contender in the AFC. All they have to do now, is surround him with the talent he needs.
They already went for a No. 1 wideout in this recent draft by taking Tee Higgins who will work alongside A.J. Green. Assuming Higgins proves to be a good target for them, they now turn their attention to the offensive line as they take Oregon’s Penei Sewell at No. 2 overall.
Putting Sewell on one side of the line opposite Jonah Williams gives Burrow a great set of bookends to help him reach his full potential.
There are two ways the New York Giants can go with the No. 3 pick in this 2021 NFL Draft. One is to go for a pass rusher since they don’t have a whole lot of talent on the edge. The other is to add more help at wide receiver for quarterback Daniel Jones.
As tempting as the edge is, the move here ends up being on offense. This is, after all, a pass-happy league and the best way to get the most from a young quarterback is to make sure he has great pass protection and a top-tier wideout.
For the Giants, they have done what they can to give Jones the protection on the offensive line. They traded for Kevin Zeitler last season and then drafted Andrew Thomas out of Georgia this year. They add them to a line that already has Will Hernandez and suddenly, things are looking much better for them.
The same could be said for their receivers with Darius Slayton coming on strong as the 2019 season ended. They also saw Golden Tate start to play more like himself later in the season.
Having said that, Slayton has yet to prove he can be a long-term No. 1 option and Tate will be 32-years old this season. With that being the case, New York adds LSU wideout Ja’Marr Chase with the No. 3 overall pick.
Chase was a monster in 2019, catching 78 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was remarkable when it came to the deep ball, averaging 21.2 yards per catch. Should he continue to evolve this season, he could ensure he becomes the first wideout off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Washington is another team that needs to surround their young quarterbacks with the weapons he needs to have success. However, they have several ways to go on that one side of the ball as they hope to give Dwayne Haskins what he needs to make it in the NFL.
One option is to address the offensive line, which took a major hit this offseason when they traded Trent Williams to San Francisco. Of course, we all saw that move coming as Williams had been asking for a trade since last season but his loss is still not an easy one to replace — I mean, they didn’t really excel without him in 2019.
Another position they need to improve is at wide receiver. Terry McLaurin did a great job as a rookie and should be a long-term starter but he can’t do it all on his own. With that being the case, they could consider a No, 1 wideout here.
In the end, they go with the receiver as there’s hope former LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles could develop into a legit NFL left tackle. Assuming he looks decent as a rookie they decide to go for Jaylen Waddle out of Alabama to give Haskins a No. 1 threat.
Waddle is averaging 18.1 yards per catch and has 13 touchdowns in two seasons. With Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy now in the NFL, he’s expected to become the No. 1 target and should see a huge uptick in his stats. That leads to him coming off the board really early here as Washington’s offense suddenly looks much more explosive.
This is a huge season for Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patrica but it could be just as big for their quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Patricia, the former New England Patriots defensive coordinator, has had a rocky start to his NFL head coaching career. He went from 6-10 in his first season to 3-12-1 in 2019. He’s also rubbed some people the wrong way with his tough approach, which is forgiven when a team wins but magnified when they lose.
Should he again struggle in year three, there’s a real possibility that the front office could move on from him. And if they do, a new head coach is likely going to want his own quarterback rather than continuing to go with Matthew Stafford who will be 32 years old by the time the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around. Heck, even if Patricia does stick around, he could be ready to turn the page and go with a younger player.
With that being the case, the Lions decide to get younger and more dynamic under center as they take Justin Fields out of Ohio State with the fifth pick in this mock. Fields was nothing short of phenomenal in his first season with the Buckeyes, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,273 yards with an unbelievable 41-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
He added another 484 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns with his legs. He’s already a top-5 talent and still only has one full season of experience.
With the sixth pick in this mock draft, the New York Jets get themselves an excellent edge rusher as they take Miami’s Gregory Rousseau. Listed at 6-5 and 260 pounds, Rousseau appears to have been molded into the perfect defensive end frame.
And according to Joe Marino of The Draft Network, he knows exactly how to use his long arms to his advantage when working against opposing offensive linemen.
"“Exceptional length and he knows how to use it. Does a terrific job playing with extension, keeping his pads clean and positioning himself to disengage from blocks to finish. So many of his level plays are him doing just that while taking advantage of his massive tackle radius to get the quarterback/ball carrier down. Hand placement, extension and length helps keep his pads clean and you rarely see blockers working into his frame. Miami uses him in a variety of ways, primarily as a traditional edge defender but he gets reps rushing the passer on the interior in addition to some coverage drops where he looks fluid and natural working to his landmarks.” — Marino, The Draft Network"
Marino also says there’s still room for Rousseau to get better as he is entering his redshirt sophomore season. To this point, he has been relying on his physical gifts to get the job done but as he improves his technique, he’s only going to become more of a threat off the edge.
The Miami Dolphins had three draft picks in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and walked away with a quarterback, offensive tackle, and defensive back. At No. 5 overall, they took Alabama’s Tua Tagovailo, followed by USC’s Austin Jackson at No. 18 and then Noah Igbinoghene out of Auburn at No. 30.
While all three of those players are expected to be key pieces in their latest rebuild, none are more important than the quarterback. Tua comes in with a lot of pressure on him as the Dolphins have been struggling for years to find their next star under center. He has all the tools to be the guy, but there are legitimate concerns about his durability considering he struggled at Alabama to stay healthy.
For that reason, the Dolphins need Austin Jackson to develop into a quality starter sooner, rather than later. They also need to see players such as Robert Hunt, the Louisiana-Lafayette guard they took in the second round, step up as well as they hope to keep Tua as clean as possible in the pocket.
That’s the thought process with this pick as well with Samuel Cosmi from Texas being the selection. He might not be an overly powerful offensive tackle but he is a guy who wins with great intelligence and can get it done in the second level as well in the run game.
The ceiling for Cosmi is high but he still has enough to start right away while developing into a potential Pro Bowl-caliber player.
Another team that found their franchise quarterback in this past draft is the Los Angeles Chargers. They took Justin Herbert from Oregon with the No. 6 overall pick, but he might not be starting right away for them. While the team would be fortunate to transition straight from Philip Rivers to Herbert, they don’t have any intentions of rushing him onto the field.
Instead, they seem content with allowing Tyrod Taylor to enter 2020 as the starter, although it wouldn’t be too shocking to see Herbert eventually unseat him during his rookie campaign.
Herbert was once considered a possible first overall pick in the 2019 class but fell behind Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailo in the 2020 class after he returned to Oregon for his senior season. For him, it was worth it as he spent time on that roster with his brother and he also finds himself on a team that doesn’t have a terrible offensive roster — although they can use some help on the offensive line.
In an effort to find that help, they go to Alabama for Alex Leatherwood, a 6-6, 310-pound left tackle who would have likely been a top-15 pick had he entered the draft this year. Like Herbert, he decided to return for his senior season which gives him a little more time to prove himself worthy of being selected in the top-10.
Back in 2004, the NFL saw some of the best young quarterbacks all enter the draft. At No. 1 overall, the San Diego Chargers took Eli Manning but then traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers — who they had just taken at No. 4. Then with the 11th pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ben Roethlisberger, out of Miami (Ohio).
All three went on to have incredible success in the NFL, with both Manning and Roethlisberger winning two Super Bowls. Heading into 2020, two of the three are making a big transition. Manning has decided to call it a career and move onto the next chapter in his life after losing his job to Daniel Jones and Rivers headed to Indianapolis after the Chargers decided not to re-sign him.
This leaves Big Ben as the only remaining member of that historic class to be with the team that he played for back in 2004. However, there are starting to be some questions in regards to how long he can hold that job down.
Roethlisberger is coming off elbow surgery which caused him to miss all but two games in 2019. He was 0-2 in those starts and has a mark of just 2-6 in his past eight starts. Of course, we all know how great he can be when he’s healthy but at 38, there’s a chance his best health could be behind him.
Knowing this, Pittsburgh makes a huge change as they decide to go with Trey Lance out of North Dakota State to be the next franchise quarterback in the Steel City. Sure, Mason Rudolph had some good moments in relief of Big Ben last season but he doesn’t have near the ceiling Lance does. He’s dangerous with both his arm and legs and as long as he declares early, someone will jump on him in the opening round.
The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas this season and they were supposed to kick that off by hosting the NFL Draft, but that didn’t happen. Due to concerns about COVID-19, the NFL had to pull the plug on the event being held live and instead had the picks announced virtually.
It was a good move to put safety first and if we’re being honest, it was actually a really cool thing to watch. Roger Goodell announcing picks in his basement was more laid back and the look inside player’s and coach’s homes was actually very entertaining.
Las Vegas will end up hosting the event in 2022 to make up for missing this past season, but for 2021 they will head to Cleveland with the rest of the league to make their selections. Here, we have them rounding out the top-10 with Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson Jr. who is not only a force in the middle of the Seminoles line but Spin Zone‘s own Cody Williams (who also mocked Wilson to the Raiders) also points to his character and leadership being a big part of what makes him special.
"“This offseason amidst the ongoing civil rights movement, he proved his character and leadership with the Seminoles with how he spoke up for his team and perceived injustice. That only makes him a more valuable prospect in my mind and he’s the type of force the Las Vegas Raiders could use to pair with Maurice Hurst on the interior.” — Williams, NFL Spin Zone"
Head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have been focusing on teams such as Clemson and Alabama in recent seasons but Wilson is a talented enough prospect to catch their eye and land with them via the No. 10 overall pick.
Over the past two drafts, the Denver Broncos have been nothing short of fantastic. They moved down in the 2019 NFL Draft and found a way to land Iowa tight end Noah Fant in the first and then still get Kansas State offensive lineman Dalton Risner and quarterback Drew Lock in the second.
Lock missed much of his rookie season but then when he was on the field in the second half of the year, he started to prove he has the tools to be a success. Denver understood he can’t do it all on his own though, which is why they doubled up on wide receivers in this past draft.
General manager John Elway added Jerry Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy at No. 15 overall and they at No. 46, they took K.J. Hamler, the Penn State deep threat receiver. They also added LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry at No. 83 as well as Lock’s former teammate at Missouri, tight end Albert Okweugbunam.
With all those additions, there’s not going to be a need for a skill player on offense this season so they instead decide to address their problem on the offensive line by adding Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little.
Injuries have slowed Little’s hype some but as long as he can prove his problems are in the past, he should be in the mix early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are back on the clock with the No. 12 overall pick, which is the second first-rounder they received in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. With Ramsey gone, as well ad A.J. Bouye, who they traded to Denver, the Jags need to get themselves their next lockdown corner, which is what they hope to have found here in Shaun Wade.
Coming into 2020, Wade has primarily played in the slot as the Buckeyes have boasted some of the better corners in the NCAA — which has been proven by the fact that Denzel Ward, Jeff Okudah, and Damon Arnette have all been drafted very high.
With Okudah and Arnette heading. to the pros this season, Wade is going to get an opportunity to show he can take on the opposing team’s No. 1 wideout. As long as he handles that, which every indication points to him doing exactly that, he will get his name mentioned among the best corners in the class.
In fact, succeeding at that level as well as performing well in the slot will only make him more valuable. His ability to line up anywhere in the secondary will make him quite the chess piece for a team that prides itself on playing excellent defense.
Following the 2019 season, there were two iconic names that left the Carolina Panthers. The one that got the most headlines was Cam Newton, which is often the case when a franchise moves on from a quarterback. And when it came to Newton, he was no ordinary quarterback for Carolina.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2011, Newton had a ton of success in Carolina and won an MVP award in 2015 while nearly leading them to an NFL title. His punishing style of play was fearless but he also sustained a lot of injuries that factored in his release.
As for the other departure, that too had a cloud of injuries around it as Luke Kuechly retired after just eight seasons in the NFL. Neither player will be easy to replace but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.
At quarterback, they’re going with Teddy Bridgewater and at linebacker, Shaq Thompson will be relied upon more than ever. However, he can’t serve as an entire linebacking corps so Carolina gets him some help with this pick by taking Penn State’s Micah Parsons.
Penn State has often been referred to as linebacker university and Parsons should be the next Nittany Lion to carve out a long NFL career. He’s been a great defender for Penn State and is excellent in the middle linebacker role as the vocal leader of the defense, much like Kuechly was for so long.
Heading into this past draft, it was pretty clear that the Atlanta Falcons were going to be going with a defender. The question was whether or not it was going to be a defensive back or a defensive end. They were then on the clock at No. 16 overall and had a decision to make with several cornerbacks available as well as LSU edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.
Atlanta ended up passing on Chaisson as they preferred Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell. The pick wasn’t unanimously loved but that doesn’t mean it was wrong — clearly we won’t know this until the two players have proven how they stand in the NFL.
What we do know is that they still could use some help on the defensive line. While they are comfortable with the newly-signed Dante Fowler, there have been questions about Takkarist McKinley. Unless he completely sheds all concerns, the Falcons address the depth there and take Patrick Jones II here.
As a redshirt junior, Jones had 11.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks for the Panthers. He then decided to come back for his final season of eligibility which could be what catapults him from a possible day two pick to a top-15 selection in 2021.
There’s a big temptation for the Chicago Bears to go with a quarterback here given Mitchell Trubisky’s inconsistent play but there’s also a chance that between him and Nick Foles, they might find someone who is capable of leading them into the playoffs. And considering the talent they have on defense, either one of those players could be better options for them to try and capitalize with.
The fact is, Chicago has about as good of a defense as you could ask for, and adding Robert Quinn this offseason only makes them more dangerous. What they have to try and avoid is leaning too heavily on a rookie quarterback and wasting the defense they have right now.
So with that in mind, they stick with whichever quarterback they feel gives them the best chance to win and they add another weapon for them in Purdue’s Rondale Moore.
While he’s listed at just 5-9 and 180 pounds, Moore has been a game-changer for the Boilermakers. Or at least he was in 2018 when he had 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns receiving and 213 yards and two rushing touchdowns as a freshman.
In 2019, he missed all but four games so 2020 is going to be huge for him. Should he return to his freshman form, he’s going to be a very early pick and will open an offense up.
One area the Miami Dolphins could have gone in the draft this season would have been to add an edge rusher, but they felt good with their veteran options. In the offseason, they signed Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah both of whom are good players but neither has truly lived up to their potential
With their second pick in this first round, they add some youth with Carlos Basham, Jr. from Wake Forest. Basham had a strong season in 2019 but elected to return for 2020, a move which was praised by Sam Penix from With the First Pick, who says it could push him into the first round.
"“He most likely made the right decision, as even though 2021’s EDGE class should be deeper overall, Basham could become a first-round lock if he can repeat last season’s production. He tallied 57 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles. We’ll of course need to wait for official testing numbers, but Basham appears to be a very good athlete for his size (6-6 275 pounds). Basham has shown the ability to win with speed and power, both inside and outside. He needs to become a more consistent player, but he certainly has the physical tools to become a first-rounder.” — Penix, With the First Pick"
Miami continues their overhaul under head coach Brian Flores with another talented young player who can serve as a centerpiece for his positional group.
This season is going to be interesting for the Indianapolis Colts as they will be turning their offense over to Philip Rivers — who would have thought he would still be playing in the NFL after Andrew Luck retired. Rivers is coming off a frustrating final season with the Los Angeles Chargers but believing he’s completely washed could be a mistake.
He’s only one season removed from one of his best campaigns ever as he led the Chargers to 12 wins while throwing 32 touchdowns and just 12 picks. This past season, he had more yardage (4,615) but struggled with efficiency as he threw 20 interceptions and just 23 touchdowns.
Moving into a domed stadium will help get the most out of his remaining years and we all know he can still sling it. The question is whether or not this defense can help keep them from having to play in shootout after shootout.
The truth is, general manager Chris Ballard has done a fantastic job re-tooling this side of the ball and they’re much more competitive than they were just a few years ago. He continues to make improvements with this selection by grabbing Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II.
One of the highest-rated corners in this class, there’s a chance he could be the first defensive back off the board but he comes in just a bit behind Shaun Wade in this mock simply because Ohio State corners seem to continually get the edge in recent drafts.
No team has made as many headlines as the Cleveland Browns over the past few seasons, and not all of it has been good. They’ve been a struggling franchise that owned the No. 1 overall pick in both the 2017 and 2018 NFL Draft after a 1-31 stretch under Hue Jackson.
They started to improve under general manager John Dorsey but then his hiring of Freddie Kitchens un-did all his work which led to his departure. New GM Andrew Berry and first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski bring new hope and they’ve done a great job re-tooling the roster this offseason.
Cleveland added two starting offensive tackles with free agent Jack Conklin and rookie Jedrick Wills. They also picked up tight end Austin Hooper and safety Karl Joseph, giving them a pretty solid starting 11 on both sides of the ball.
The biggest question remaining though is clearly linebacker. After letting Joe Schobert leave in free agency and releasing Christian Kirksey, they look ready to lean heavily on Mack Wilson and rookie Jacob Phillips.
In this mock, they add more help with the selection of Dylan Moses here. A former teammate of Wilson’s at Alabama, Moses returned for one final season to hone his skills — something Wilson decided not to do which led to Nick Saban criticizing his formal player publicly.
Moses is one of the more well-rounded linebackers in this class and will be a day one starter for a defense that can use some serious help at the position.
This past draft, the Arizona Cardinals had to make a tough call. They were on the clock at No. 8 overall and could have really used an offensive tackle to help keep Kyler Murray clean in the pocket. There were some good names that included Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Louisville’s Mekhi Becton, and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.
Any of those three would have been a great selection there but the Cards had Clemson linebacker/safety as the top player on their board — and that was another huge need for them. It did mean they were taking a risk though since they didn’t have a second-round pick due to their acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins (totally worth it by the way).
Still, they stuck to their board and that worked out well as they were able to land Josh Jones from Houston with the 72nd pick. He’s not exactly plug-and-play ready but he gives them someone to develop into a starter. Now with their first pick in this draft, they get a player who could start on the opposite side of the line in Liam Eichenberg.
The Notre Dame product comes from a long line of successful offensive linemen and he should be an instant starter who has many years of success in the NFL.
For whatever reason, the New England Patriots have struggled when it comes to drafting wide receivers. Even their most recent first-round pick, N’Keal Harry, has yet to truly break out. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder had just 12 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns but he’s already putting in work this offseason with new quarterback Cam Newton.
Perhaps the switch from Tom Brady to Newton will have a positive impact on players such as Harry. Brady was a cerebral quarterback that worked on precision and timing, something young wideouts struggle with at times. As for Newton, he’s all about the physical gifts and is willing to take more chances with his throws — which is great for a player such as Harry who doesn’t create separation but can win the 50-50 ball.
Even if he does improve and become a No. 1 wideout, the Pats could still use more help on offense in their post-Brady era. That leads to them selecting another wideout in the first round here in Devonta Smith from Alabama.
Smith broke out in 2019 with 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns and can be even better with Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy now in the NFL. There are some concerns due to his slight frame but Smith is a deep threat who averages nearly 18-yards per catch and could be a great complement to the physical style Harry possesses.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has built a strong roster that has been competitive for years, even though they can’t get over the hump. After going 7-9 as a rookie coach, he has never finished worse than 8-8 and overall is 57-38-1. However, his inability to get to the Super Bowl had rumors swirling about his job status this past season.
He put those to rest by going 10-6 and getting another playoff win. His ability to stay winning has a lot to do with the fact that he’s put together a world-class defense. Having said that, there have been some departures in recent seasons, especially on the defensive line.
This past year especially they saw some big change with the release of Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph. Of course, this is how the business side works as teams have to release high-priced veterans often and Minnesota has been good about knowing when to say goodbye and replace their star with young talent.
With that being the goal here, they add another young stud for their D-line with Alabama’s Christian Barmore. No draft would feel right without an Alabama defensive lineman garnering a ton of attention and Barmore looks to be their next big name.
He hasn’t been a full-time starter yet but with the departure of Raekwon Davis this past season, Barmore is the next in line to anchor this dominant defense. He flashed a lot this past season and will quickly become a household name in 2020.
There were a lot of eyebrows raised when the Philadelphia Eagles took Jalen Hurts with their second-round pick in this draft because they just paid Carson Wentz more than $100 million guaranteed less than a calendar year before the draft. Clearly, they have a plan but it was still interesting to see.
It also overshadowed their first-round pick of Jalen Reagor which was a good one since it gave them a player with deep speed on an offense that needs wide receivers in the worst way. While Reagor should help, they can’t pretend they’re set here which is why they look for a wideout once again in this draft.
At pick No. 22, the Eagles snatch up Rashod Bateman from the suddenly surging Minnesota Gophers. Listed at 6-1 and 210 pounds, Bateman has the size to match up on the outside, which makes him a great fit opposite Reagor who is on the smaller side for a wideout.
In his first two seasons, Bateman has 1,923 yards and 17 touchdowns with 1,219 and 11 of those coming last season. Now with Tyler Johnson in the NFL, there’s a chance Bateman will increase his already impressive numbers, making him an enticing pick at this point.
The Seattle Seahawks once had the defensive backfield of every team’s dream. Known as the “Legion of Boom”, they featured Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Byron Maxwell, and Brandon Browner and they made life miserable on opposing passers.
Over the past couple of seasons, that unit split up and the only two still playing are Thomas and Sherman but they’re both on different teams now with Thomas playing for the Baltimore Ravens and Sherman on the San Francisco 49ers.
They’ve done a good job trying to rebuild the defense but they do need more help which is why they look to Stanford here and get their star cornerback Paulson Adebo. Ironically enough, their biggest star during their most dominant stretch was Sherman, who also played for Stanford.
A physical man-corner, Adebo has eight picks and 27 pass defenses in his two seasons for Stanford and shows a willingness to get physical in both the passing game and in run defense. He has 97 tackles with 64 of those coming in his sophomore campaign of 2018.
Adebo nearly entered the 2020 NFL Draft and likely would have been selected near the end of the first round. Of course, with the studs in that class, he might have slid into the second. Going back helps ensure he gets taken in the opening round this season and he couldn’t have found a better landing spot.
The Tennessee Titans were expected to be one of the teams in the market for Tom Brady once he became a free agent but that never happened. Tennessee made sense considering they were just one game shy of a Super Bowl appearance last season after relying on the running attack led by Derrick Henry and a stifling defense.
Adding Brady seemed to be the missing piece but they clearly felt different. The Titans decided that Ryan Tannehill was their guy and while it’s hard to argue against the difference on the field once he took over for Marcus Mariota, it’s still hard to fathom his contract that pays him roughly $30 million per season.
Of course, Tannehill’s job isn’t to be like Brady since they run through Henry but he does have the ability to threaten defenses with his arm. And he can be even more dangerous the more weapons they surround him with.
For that reason, Tennessee goes with a tight end at the 24th spot here, snatching up Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth. Nicknamed ‘Baby Gronk’, Freiermuth could have gone into the draft this past season but decided to return for his junior campaign. So far, he has hauled in 69 passes for 875 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He’s a weapon in the passing game and draws massive mismatches. He could be a great complement to Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, and Corey Davis in a Tennessee offense that could look suddenly explosive.
The Green Bay Packers overcame some early rumblings of unrest as they introduced a new head coach in Matt LaFleur. There were rumors that Aaron Rodgers was less than thrilled with not being asked about his thoughts on LaFleur and then he even questioned some of LaFleur’s practices publicly — mainly the kickoff drills he had the team doing.
Rumors about their relationship got even more intense when the Packers moved up for Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft, but both maintain they’re good and have a strong relationship. However, Rodgers also acknowledged that he might not be able to finish his career with the team that originally drafted him.
While he can’t control that, he can control how they do over the next few seasons while he is there. Or at least he can control some of it.
Over the past couple of seasons, Rodgers hasn’t had the same huge numbers we are used to seeing and a lot of that has to do with the team not doing enough to surround him with receiving threats.
As great as Davante Adams is, there wasn’t a legit No. 2 wideout since they released Jordy Nelson and then let Randall Cobb walk in free agency. This season they added Devin Funchess but that won’t be enough, which is why Chris Olave is the pick here.
Olave came on strong in 2019 with 840 yards and 12 touchdowns. His addition will make life so much better for Adams since he won’t have to do all the heavy lifting alone.
The Buffalo Bills won 10 games last season but were unable to get past the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. That’s a frustrating feeling for the team but in all honesty, they made a ton of progress and are headed in the right direction. And so far in 2020, they seem to be making some solid moves to improve.
With Josh Allen struggling to find consistency under center, Buffalo decided to send their first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Stefon Diggs. The move was brilliant as it gives Allen a true No. 1 threat rather than someone who needs to develop. This will allow them to get a true gauge of whether or not he’s the answer going forward.
The good news is, he doesn’t have to be elite for them to win either thanks to their stout defense — which got even better with the selection of A.J. Epenesa in this past draft. He joins a unit with some big names but the leader of the defense is clearly Tre’Davious White who has become one of the best corners in the NFL.
In this draft, they decide to try and get another stud corner to play opposite White by taking Georgia’s Tyson Campbell. Standing 6-2, Campbell is the prototypical outside corner who can battle the taller receivers but he’s also got the long speed to stick with the deep threats. Buffalo’s rich defense only gets richer here.
For years now, the Dallas Cowboys have been in need of a safety. They have had their opportunities to draft some of the best draft prospects in recent season but have gone in other directions. This year, it made sense considering how the draft fell and the value they got with every selection. As for their reasoning for skipping on players such as Juan Thornhill in the 2019 draft, we will probably never be able to understand what the logic was there.
The good news is, they did at least get themselves a starter for this season in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix who will be playing opposite Xavier Woods. The problem is, both players are set to be free agents in 2021 meaning Dallas has to figure something out, and chances are they won’t re-sign both.
With that being the case, they use their selection in this mock on Florida State safety Hamsah Nasirildeen, who is just about everything they need on the back end of their defense. Listed at 6-4 and 215 pounds, he can match up with some of the taller pass-catchers in the game and he has no problem getting physical when going after the ball carrier.
Even with his size, he’s not a stiff player whatsoever. He moves with grace and does a good job finding the ball. He could use a few more turnovers but he has been trending upward in that department as he had two picks and forced three fumbles last season for FSU.
It would be tempting to go for a quarterback here for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and with someone such as Tanner Morgan still on the board, that could be where they go. I mean, it isn’t exactly a secret that Tom Brady isn’t the long-term answer under center considering he will turn 43 before the 2020 season kicks off.
Of course, Brady hasn’t exactly aged like a normal person so there’s still a very good chance we could be preparing for the draft next season and be talking about how they need to surround him with just a couple more weapons to be able to pull off a Super Bowl run.
With that being a major possibility, we add a huge playmaker for them in Travis Etienne, who is head and shoulders above the rest of the running back class. A big-play threat, Etienne can take it to the house on any play and has more than 1,600-yards in each of the past two seasons and 62 total touchdowns in his three seasons.
It was a bit of a surprise that Etienne returned to Clemson for his senior season since he would have been a lock to go either in the first round or early second in the 2020 draft. It ends up working out for him though as he joins an offense ready to take off.
The New Orleans Saints took some criticism this offseason for signing Taysom Hill to a pretty hefty contract, but the truth is head coach Sean Payton must really believe in him as the heir to Drew Brees. There’s also a chance that Hill could end up giving way to Jameis Winston, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who joined New Orleans this offseason.
The point is, the Saints have plenty of options under center going forward even with Brees being on the wrong side of 40. What they don’t have are enough receiving threats to complement Michael Thomas.
This offseason they tried to correct that as they signed veteran Emmanuel Sanders. Him and tight end Jared Cook will be the second and third targets in the passing game outside of Thomas but they can use some youth as well.
For that, they go with Kyle Pitts, the Florida tight end, at No. 29. Pitts broke out in 2019 as a sophomore, gaining 649 yards and scoring five touchdowns on 54 receptions. His ability to stretch the field from the tight end position is invaluable and he could assert himself as the No. 1 tight end in the class should he have another season similar to what he did in 2019.
The San Francisco 49ers boast one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. This unit was the main reason for them making it to the Super Bowl and even looking for a while to be headed to the title before seeing Patrick Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a comeback win.
As good as the defense is for San Francisco, they need to get younger in the secondary. They have a lot of youth in the front seven with Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw and Fred Warner but it’s time to get someone who can take over for Richard Sherman who is 32 years old entering this season.
There are still several good options on the board for the Niners to consider at this point but they decide to go with Israel Mukuamu who is similar to Sherman in size and physicality. Mukuamu is listed at 6-foot-3 and 205-pounds and has no problem getting his hands on receivers and fighting them for the ball. Mukuamu is also a great tackler which is important for a defensive back who hopes to succeed in the 49ers defense.
He broke out this past season recording 59 tackles and four interceptions. He might not be the top name on boards right now but look for him to continue to climb, especially if he shows even more improvement this season for the Gamecocks.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Baltimore Ravens have started to make a shift in their team make-up. Once considered a dominant defensive team, this club is now one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL. This is thanks mainly to Lamar Jackson, their star quarterback who won the MVP last season after leading them to a 14-2 record.
Jackson was solid with his arm but really destroyed teams with his running ability. Paired with Mark Ingram, they had the best rushing attack in the NFL but that could be even more dangerous now that they added Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins to the mix.
With all that going on, it’s easy to forget that they still have one of the best defenses in the NFL. And that should continue as well with the addition of defensive lineman Calais Campbell and the selection of LSU’s Patrick Queen in the draft. Queen is a talented linebacker who could give them a lot of what they were missing when C.J. Mosely left in free agency.
Now, they get back to the drawing board here and continue to add young talent to the defensive side of the ball with the selection of Quincy Roche — a Temple transfer who will now be playing for the Miami Hurricanes.
Roche is built perfectly to play in the 3-4 defense and completely dominated for the Owls. Should he continue to put up big numbers in Miami, there’s no doubt he will be in the mix to be a day one pick — and in this mock, the Ravens are thrilled to see him stick around for them.
The Kansas City Chiefs made some big news this offseason as they agreed to a new contract with their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After he led them to a Super Bowl win, the team decided they wanted to give him a new contract that guaranteed he would be under center for the next decade.
Kansas City ended up giving Mahomes an unprecedented contract as he signed a 10-year deal that’s going to potentially be worth more than a half-billion dollars. Now, it’s worth if for Mahomes who is clearly the best quarterback in the game right now. The one concern is whether or not they can keep him healthy the entire time.
Sure, there’s no injury history to be concerned with for Mahomes but 10 years is a long time so there’s a bit of a risk being taken — of course, considering how high quarterback contracts are rising, the risk is worth it as he could end up being a steal by the end of the contract.
With that being said, the Chiefs use this draft to continue to bolster their offensive line as they try to protect their most important player — and biggest investment.
The player they select is Oklahoma guard Creed Humphrey who could have been a top pick had he declared in 2020. He didn’t do that as he decided to return for one more season but all that does is ensure he’s taken in the first round this year.