DRAFT DAY 2021 NFL Mock Draft: First Round
1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Jacksonville goes with the obvious choice. Lawrence is one of the best QB prospects this decade, as he will bring a new era to the Urban Meyer-led Jaguars.
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
New York officially moved on from former USC QB Sam Darnold, and the Jets will transition into having Wilson as the new face of their franchise. Great arm talent with exceptional accuracy will help him fit into New York's new offense.
3. San Francisco 49ers (via Miami) - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it public that he wants Jones, and the young coach will get what he wants after the 49ers traded up. Jones is the most accurate QB in his draft class, and he put up record-setting stats during the 2020 season for Alabama.
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Atlanta isn't quite ready to move on from QB Matt Ryan, as they go with the best available player. Pitts is arguably the best prospect in the draft. He has tremendous speed, great hands, and thrives in the red zone. Expect him to be one of the best players from the 2021 class.
5. Cincinatti Bengals - Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU
While some may argue that Cincinnati needs an offensive lineman, the Bengals opt to give QB Joe Burrow another weapon in his former college teammate. Chase is an outstanding route-runner with good speed and hands. Expect his chemistry with Burrow to be off the charts.
6. Miami Dolphins (via Philadelphia) - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Miami needs a lot of talent. AllTrojans predicts that they go with the most dynamic athlete in the class, in Waddle. The Dolphins get Tua Tagovailoa some help from his former teammate, as the speedy WR will be a nightmare matchup for any opposing cornerback due to his quickness and acceleration.
7. Los Angeles Chargers (Projected Trade w/ Detroit) - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
The first trade of the mock draft occurs here, as the Chargers move up to take QB Justin Herbert's new tackle, who played with him while at Oregon. LA gets the best pure pass-blocker in the draft. Sewell has excellent feet and strong hands to block power and speed rushers.
8. Carolina Panthers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Carolina gets a new offensive lineman for QB Sam Darnold. Slater can play guard, center or tackle, and showed immense power on the front line. He played against some of the best defensive lineman in the country while in Evanston, which will help him in the league.
9. Denver Broncos - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota St.
Buckle up Denver. A three-way QB competition is about to take place. Even after trading for Teddy Bridgewater, and having third-year QB Drew Lock on the team, the Broncos take the upside QB prospect in Lance. He opted out of the 2020 season, but didn't throw an INT his entire 2019 campaign.
10. Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
The Cowboys have a glaring need at corner, and they get their starter here. Since Dallas will get former USC star Tyron Smith back from injury to protect QB Dak Prescott next, Jerry Jones will get the best DB on the board in Surtain II.
He's terrific in coverage with great hands. His quickness helps him do a great job at recovering.
11. New York Giants - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
The Giants could select a pass-rusher or offensive lineman here, but ultimately will take another wide receiver. Smith won the Heisman Trophy for a reason, as he is one of the best all-around players in his class.
Although he may be a bit under-sized, he has tremendous upside.
12. Philadelphia Eagles - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
With Smith off the board, the Eagles find another cornerback to pair on the opposite side of Darius Slay. Philadelphia's secondary has been a weakness, but Horn should help. He's a physical, big corner that works great in man and press coverage. Good at tracking the ball and deflecting passes as well.
13. Detroit Lions (Projected Trade w/ LAC) - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
The Lions get the guy they would've wanted with the No. 7 pick at pick 13. They gain trade assets and get the best linebacker in the class. Parsons shows great acceleration and is a superb tackler. He reads the field extremely well, and he will be an every-down defender for Detroit.
14. Minnesota Vikings - *Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
The wait for the USC faithful ends here when Minnesota selects Alijah Vera-Tucker at No. 14 overall.
The former Trojan is the most NFL-ready lineman in the draft. He plays with excellent strength, balance and awareness in pass protection, while showing power and being quick off of the ball in the run game.
His versatility and ability to play either guard or tackle at the next level makes him one of the safest picks in the draft. Expect him to help the Vikings offense take the next step, as he protects QB Kirk Cousins.
15. New England Patriots - Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
The Patriots decide against drafting a quarterback with Mac Jones gone, so they get a young dynamic receiver in Elijah Moore. Although New England signed former Trojan Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in the offseason, the Pats still need a viable No. 1 target.
Moore's numbers are insane, as he finished with 86 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games in 2020.
16. Arizona Cardinals - Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
The Cardinals may have some holes in the secondary and across the O-line, but with the top-tier of wideouts gone, GM Steve Keim elects to go for the speedy linebacker. Collins has been getting late draft buzz, and Arizona is rumored to be very high on him.
He has great speed, and is a great playmaker who secures tackles. He could make for a deadly duo alongside Isaiah Simmons in the middle for AZ.
17. - Pittsburgh Steelers (Projected Trade w/ Las Vegas) - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Well, Pittsburgh fills it's biggest hole on offense aside from the O-line, but have to trade-up in order to do so. With Miami being a possible destination for Harris, the Steelers don't take any chances, as they get their RB of the future.
Harris is a great all-around back who put up 26, yes twenty-six touchdowns in 2020. He replaces James Conner and gives the Steelers a great run-pass option.
18. Miami Dolphins - Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan
Miami misses on Harris, but gets arguably the best defensive lineman in the draft in Paye.
He has versatility to play any position up front, and the Dolphins defense has a lot of holes, so that will be important. To add, he played under defensive mastermind Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. Highly-skilled player with good leverage and strength.
19. Washington Football Team - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
No matter who Washington decides to start at QB, they'll need a tackle to protect him. And Ron Rivera gets his OT here with Darrisaw. An exceptional pass-blocker for VaTech last season, and has good quickness and agility. He earned second-team AP All-American and first-team All-ACC accolades for his play in 10 starts in 2020.
20. Chicago Bears - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
The Buckeyes' Justin Fields becomes the odd-man-out with four QB's going in the top-10. He falls to Chicago at No. 20 and GM Ryan Pace decides to pull the trigger on the young talented gun-slinger.
Fields is great with the deep-ball, and is an excellent dual-threat quarterback. He played in a pro-style offense in the BIG-Ten, and showed great touch around the goal-line. If he could start reading defenses at a pro-level, he can become the Bears QB of the future.
21. Indianapolis Colts - Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
One of the highest-rising tackles, Jenkins is a monster on the outside of the O-line. The 6-foot-6, 317-pound lineman has great upper and lower body strength, and has great control of his movements. He's great at adjusting to blocks and is very good in both run and pass blocking.
22. Tennessee Titans - Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
After losing WR Corey Davis in free agency, the Titans get his replacement in former Florida receiver Kadarius Toney. He has superb quickness and speed, which makes him a great route-runner. His cuts are smooth, and he's always open. He had a few drops while in college, so if he could clean that up, he'll be a tough cover for NFL corners.
23. New York Jets - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Despite injury concerns, Farley was one of the best cover-corners in the entire country during his time with the Hokies. He opted out of 2020 due to COVID-19, but in 2019, had four interceptions, 16 passes defended and was named first team All-ACC as a sophomore.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (Projected Trade w/ Pittsburgh) - Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
The Raiders need a lot of help on defense. Especially in the secondary. AllTrojans predicts Jon Gruden pulls the trigger Moehrig.
He's the best safety in the draft and he will enable new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to move Johnathan Abram to a pure strong safety role. The young DB can fly all around the field, and is a ball-hawk as well.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars - Jalen Phillips, DE, Miami
Phillips resurrected his college career after transferring from UCLA to Miami. Now he gets a chance to stay in Florida with the Jaguars. Jacksonville needs pass-rushers and Phillips would provide that to them.
He's also very good at sniffing out run plays and targeting the ball carrier.
26. Cleveland Browns - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
Tackling machine, Owusu-Koramoah was one of the best defensive players in the nation while at Notre Dame.
He's fast to the ball, plays with good vision, and is a great leader on defense. He will thrive in an already good Browns defense, as DC Joe Woods will have a beast at his disposal.
27. Baltimore Ravens - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
The Ravens have lacked a true No. 1 receiver throughout former MVP QB Lamar Jackson's tenure. So they'll need to draft another WR in the first round this year. Bateman was a matchup nightmare for opposing DB's while in college. He's a fast, big target that had a lot of production in the BIG Ten.
28. New Orleans Saints - Christian Barmore, DL, Alabama
The Saints lost Sheldon Rankins, so they could target an interior defensive lineman with this selection. Barmore has good length, quickness and awareness, as he projects to be a very good starter across the defensive line. His versatility will allow him to play end or tackle.
29. Green Bay Packers - Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
Although Dickerson has had some injury concerns during his collegiate career, he is a day-one-starter who would allow Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins to permanently settle in at guard, where he's dominant.
Dickerson would be the perfect Packers pick, as he could help Aaron Rodgers keep his jersey clean in the pocket.
30. Buffalo Bills - Gregory Rousseau, DE/LB, Miami
His elite production jumps off of the stat sheet. In 14 collegiate games, he has accumulated 59 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and 15.5 sacks.
31. Baltimore Ravens (via Kansas City) - Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky
The Ravens add one of the best linebackers in the draft at pick 31.
Head coach John Harbaugh could use the lengthy, 6-foot-4 frame in the middle of the field for his defense. He put up insane numbers in 2020 with Kentucky, finishing with 102 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. He will be a great fit in Baltimore purple.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
The defending Super Bowl champions can go anywhere here, but with Greg Newsome II falling out of the mid-first round, the Bucs beef up their defensive backfield.
Newsome's speed and athleticism is what helps him stay with his matchup on the outside. He's quick on routes, and can become a very good ball-hawk.
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