2021 NFL Mock Draft: Cowboys surprise with Micah Parsons, 49ers land Mac Jones

The Cincinnati Bengals have their future quarterback in Joe Burrow. The No. 1 overall pick in 2020 has been great so far and looks nothing like a rookie. The scary part is, he’s only going to get better especially as the Bengals surround him with talent. With Burrow in mind, they go to the board here and select Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood.

One of the better left tackles in this class, Leatherwood would be paired with Jonah Williams and while they both play on the left side, there’s no doubt one of them could flip sides. Doing so would give Cincinnati two capable starters, which would go a long way toward keeping Burrow upright. And as long as they keep him from being beaten up, he should be able to turn their franchise around.

There’s a good chance the Detroit Lions could be blowing things up this offseason. Matt Patricia continues to sit on hot seat and the team continues to struggle. There are also concerns about Matt Stafford going forward. Still, they don’t go too crazy here as they refrain from making a move under center and instead, take Dylan Moses from Alabama. A quarterback of the defense, Moses will help the struggling Lions defense get back on track.

The Carolina Panthers started reeling off some wins but have come back down to earth. They’re outperforming expectations, which is a testament to the way they have all bought in on Matt Rhule. Now, Rhule lands more talent on his roster to continue his rebuild by taking Alabama’s Patrick Surtain. A potential shutdown corner with NFL bloodlines, Surtain would be the best corner they have had since Josh Norman broke out several years ago.

Heading into Week 10, the Atlanta Falcons decided to pull the plug on Takk McKinley, waiving their disgruntled former first-round pick. McKinley landed in Cincinnati and now the Falcons need to replace him. They do that as they are able to get Gregory Rousseau here, which is actually a steal at this point in the draft.