2021 Final NFL Mock Draft

2021 Final NFL Mock Draft

This is a predictive mock draft of what I think the teams will do in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29th. I included trades that I thought are likely. Please enjoy my 2021 Final NFL Mock Draft!

2021 Final NFL Mock Draft

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson – You take the generational quarterback when he’s there. Urban Meyer didn’t come out of retirement to coach just anybody. Lawrence is the best quarterback prospect we’ve seen in over a decade.
2. New York Jets – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU – A bit of an injury history has created an up and down career at BYU for Wilson but you can’t ignore his arm talent. The Jets must continue to build around him though.
3. San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State – Kyle Shanahan has his eye on one particular quarterback. I still have a hard time believing that the 49ers gave up three first-round picks for Mac Jones so I am leaning towards Trey Lance as of right now.
4. Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida – Atlanta is in quite the predicament between taking a player that can help your team right now or taking the quarterback of the future. Since the Falcons restructured Matt Ryan’s contract and pushed guaranteed money a few years down the road, that tells me that they are committing to him for a few more years. Pitts in Arthur Smith’s offense has the ability to dominate the league.
5. Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU – Chase or Penei Sewell? That is the decision for the Bengals. Despite the scar and multiple torn ligaments in Joe Burrow’s knee, Burrow has been advocating for Chase for quite some time now. In a talented offensive line class, you can take this luxury pick now.
6. Denver Broncos (via Mia) – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State – Denver has a talented roster but they are greatly lacking at quarterback. Drew Lock hasn’t taken the necessary steps to prove he’s a legitimate franchise quarterback. Justin Fields can take this offense to another level with the weapons that are available to him.
7. New England Patriots (via Det) – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama – Bill Belichick makes a bold move to jump up ahead of Carolina as the Panthers have put out word recently that they are still in the market for a quarterback. New England gets the guy they covet and if Cam Newton looks like the player he was last year, the Patriots can make the switch to Jones with ease.
8. Carolina Panthers – Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon – The Panthers’ quarterback smokescreens leading up to the draft worked as they get the number one offensive tackle to fall into their arms.
9. Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama – The top two Miami targets (Kyle Pitts and Ja’Marr Chase) were off the board by the time of their selection so Miami has a deal done before the start of the draft to move back and still get a talented offensive weapon in Waddle.
10. Dallas Cowboys – Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama – Surtain II is a fantastic cornerback that fits the cover 3 scheme that new defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, will run.
11. New York Giants – Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan – Much is made about how the defensive end class doesn’t have a top-tier talent and while that may be true, Paye is quite a talent at a position of great need for the Giants.
12. Philadelphia Eagles – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina – A true press cover corner is something that the Eagles are greatly lacking. Darius Slay did not play like the shutdown corner they paid him to be and could very well be a cap casualty after the 2021 season. 
13. Los Angeles Chargers – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern – This pick came down to a top corner or a left tackle to protect Justin Herbert’s blindside. The Chargers opt to protect their QB of the future and find Brandon Staley’s press man corner in the second round.
14. Minnesota Vikings – Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami – Mike Zimmer knows that he needs to fix the defense from last year and it doesn’t help that Danielle Hunter has requested a contract extension or a trade. Phillips is the best edge rusher in this class and without medical concerns could have been a top 10 pick.
15. Detroit Lions – Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT/G, USC – Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are tasked with rebuilding this depleted depth chart so after trading back and accumulating more picks, they take a versatile offensive lineman to plug in immediately.
16. Arizona Cardinals – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech – Despite medical concerns, the Cardinals take the next best cornerback on the board. Farley’s fall is warranted but Arizona is looking to win now, not in 5 years. 
17. Las Vegas Raiders – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State – Parsons has some major character concerns but his talent is hard to pass on. Gruden will fall in love with his versatility and athleticism.
18. Baltimore Ravens (via Mia) – Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama – Smith’s slide down the draft is based solely on his weight and Baltimore, with two first round picks now, makes a jump to grab him. Smith has the ability to transcend Lamar Jackson’s passing attack.
19. Washington Football Team – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB/S, Notre Dame – The Football Team’s defense is already one of the best in the league but they need more speed, explosiveness and coverage ability from their linebacker position.
20. Chicago Bears – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech – Andy Dalton needs all of the pieces to be perfect to take this team back to the playoffs in order to save Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy’s job. Darrisaw will come in as an instant upgrade at left tackle over Charles Leno Jr.
21. Indianapolis Colts – Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas – The Colts elect to take an experienced tackle over some other raw tackle prospects. Cosmi comes in as the undisputed left tackle right away to protect Carson Wentz’s blindside.
22. Tennessee Titans – Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami – The Jadeveon Clowney experiment blew up in the Titans’ face and even after signing Bud Dupree, edge rusher is still a major need for Tennessee. Rousseau could have benefited from an extra year of playing but decided to opt out of 2020.
23. New York Jets (via Sea) – Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State – The Jets know that they need to protect their new quarterback, Zach Wilson, especially with his injury history, so they grab the best right tackle in the draft. Jenkins and last year’s first round pick, Mekhi Becton, will create a mean offensive tackle duo.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame – Pittsburgh has major needs at left tackle, center, running back, cornerback and they need to find a successor to Big Ben. So they take the best player available on their big board at a position of need and Eichenberg fits that bill.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU – I could see Jacksonville going a few different directions with this pick. They desperately need another edge rusher and a tight end but they elect to take the best safety in the draft. Moehrig can play the single high safety that Urban Meyer utilized from his previous college experiences.
26. Cleveland Browns – Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern – Very quietly the Browns have put together one of the most well built teams in the league. They still have some depth questions at cornerback so they select a very talented cornerback in Newsome.
27. Miami Dolphins (via Bal) – Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia – Chris Grier trading back and still landing a top 20 player at pick 27 would be a fantastic get for the Dolphins. Brian Flores can be quite creative in lining up Ojulari all over the field.
28. New Orleans Saints – Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia – Sean Payton recently stated that the team needs to address the cornerback position. They will have their pick of the next tier of corners and Stokes is near the top of it. 
29. Green Bay Packers – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota – Aaron Rodgers gets what he wants and this time he gets a creative and special route runner in Bateman. Finding a number two receiver opposite of Davante Adams is a must and having those two in the same receiver room would create massive headaches for opposing defenses.
30. Buffalo Bills – Jayson Oweh, Edge, Penn State – The Bills are another talented roster that has few needs so why not take a shot on the potential of an athletic freak with tremendous upside. Oweh’s pro day was one of the best we have ever seen and he won’t be thrust into the lineup immediately but will be utilized in the right situations.
31. Baltimore Ravens (via KC) – Joseph Ossai, Edge, Texas – After losing Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Jihad Ward, the Ravens now have an issue getting after the quarterback. Insert Ossai and allow him to flourish in that defense.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama – Looking forward to 2022, Ndamukong Suh may not be on the team so having Barmore waiting in the wing to plug in next to Vita Vea would be smart drafting.

Thanks for the read-through of my 2021 Final NFL Mock Draft! I hope you enjoyed my final mock draft. I love paying attention to draft coverage and watching film on prospects so I hope you take this mock draft and make some solid bets on it! Follow me and discuss my selections on Twitter @jrazzle81. Make sure to check out the rest of Win Daily for all the DFS, Season-long, and betting content you need.