2021 NFL Mock Draft: Texans trade Deshaun Watson to Panthers, land Justin Fields
A new 2021 NFL mock draft has the Houston Texans trading Deshaun Watson to the Carolina Panthers but then making more moves in the first round.
Super Bowl LV is upon us but, outside of the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the attention has turned to the offseason. Whether it’s looking ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft, free agency or an already busy trade market, things are shaping up for a wild offseason.
While Matthew Stafford being traded from the Lions to the Rams doesn’t affect the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it does affect the third round. However, with rumors continuing to swirl around Deshaun Watson, that deal will undoubtedly affect the first round. But the big question is where he’ll end up and what the Houston Texans will get in return.
As we come into a pre-Super Bowl 2021 NFL mock draft. We’re going to explore exactly that. Not only do we have Watson being traded but then the Texans use their newfound ammo to make another move. So let’s get started with this new full first-round NFL mock draft to see how things could shake out.
QB. Jacksonville Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence. 1. player. 52.
Amid the Deshaun Watson rumors, there have been people exploring the notion of the Jacksonville Jaguars trading the first-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in exchange for the Texans quarterback. But that’s not going to happen. Even getting past the likely desire in Jacksonville to retain their draft ammo to execute a full rebuild, there’s the small fact that the Jags and Texans are in the same division. That trade isn’t happening.
Lucky for the Jaguars, they can not trade for Watson and still get a potentially generational quarterback prospect in Trevor Lawrence. Slated as the top pick for as long as we can remember, the Clemson product is as advertised. He checks every box at the position and should be able to stabilize the Jaguars offense immediately, even if that doesn’t necessarily translate to wins right away.
player. 30. . QB. New York Jets. Zach Wilson. 2
Once Lawrence goes off the board, if the New York Jets retain their pick, there is plenty of debate about what they should do. Some support giving Sam Darnold a shot without Adam Gase and taking a non-quarterback at No. 2. Others love Justin Fields. Another section loves Zach Wilson. And really, there’s merit in any direction that Gang Green could go with this selection.
In this 2021 NFL mock draft, they elect to go with Wilson as the second quarterback off the board. The BYU quarterback rapidly ascended draft boards this season and offers a ton of promise. He’s extremely accurate to all levels of the field and posseses impressive creativity and mobility when asked to improvise. He may not have the pedigree of Fields but his upside could be just as high.