2021 NFL Mock Draft: Steelers bank on Mac Jones, Dolphins land Jaylen Waddle

New 2021 NFL mock draft with the Steelers looking to Alabama for their future QB.

Fans who watch college football with eyes for the 2021 NFL Draft this season are watching every single week with eyes for the best prospects in the country and where they’ll slot into each new 2021 NFL mock draft, whether they move up or down. However, there’s no denying that the biggest matchups tend to show us more than other games and that’s what we have before us heading into Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season and Week 7 of the college season.

On Saturday night, the Georgia Bulldogs travel to face the Alabama Crimson Tide, a matchup between the No. 3 and 2 teams in college football, respectively. And it figures that both teams boast a slew of 2021 NFL Draft prospects considering that both schools have been factories for pro talent.

Come April, it wouldn’t be a shock for nearly 10 players combined from Alabama and Georgia to go in the first round of the 2021 draft. And in fact, we come close to that number in this 2021 NFL mock draft. But where do those players fall and who fills in the gaps? Let’s take a look with a new mock draft going into Week 6 of the NFL season. The draft order was determined by our latest NFL Power Rankings.

Full first-round 2021 NFL mock draft entering Week 6

First and foremost, the New York Jets need to fire Adam Gase. The head coach is the biggest issue right now and nothing will be fixed with him still in charge.

Once that inevitably happens, though, the next move is to select Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. The Clemson quarterback has everything NFL teams want from a top-tier prospect at the position and, though the Jets took Sam Darnold in the first round in 2018, the truth is that the scar tissue is too abundant to imagine him turning it around in New York. Lawrence should be the guy to guide Gang Green into a new era.

Speaking of head coaches getting fired, Dan Quinn is out in Atlanta. And there have since been talks about trading Matt Ryan or cutting ties with the quarterback. But he’s not the issue — the defense is. The Falcons need a pass rush and Gregory Rousseau can give them that. The Miami product opted out this season but he was extremely productive in 2019 despite limited experience. He has all the physical tools and, with prep and NFL coaching, he can develop into a nightmarish pass-rushing force.

Make no mistake, the New York Giants have a bad defense that needs its share of help. But the offense is abysmal right now. They are devoid of bonafide top-tier weapons outside of Saquon Barkley, who is out for the year. That’s why Ja’Marr Chase is the pick here. Another opt-out for the year, the LSU product caught 20 touchdowns last season and is a matchup nightmare with the ability to win at every level and against any type of defender with a diverse skill-set.

Gardner Minshew is a fun player and a great meme — but he’s not a franchise quarterback, which the Jacksonville Jaguars are learning by the week this season.

That’s why Justin Fields gets the nod here. Fields isn’t the elite tools player that Lawrence is but his athleticism and arm are elite in their own right. If he can take the field for Ohio State again this year and tear it up in all facets of the game, he’ll solidify his status as the QB2 in the 2021 draft class, making Jacksonville the likely landing spot for him.