NFL Free Agency, trades and NFL Pro Days are all in full effect, making the 2021 NFL Draft process chaotic. All 32 teams have to evaluate their potential prospects carefully without full physical evaluations. One month away from the draft, there have been several trades from teams moving up likely to select some of the top quarterbacks. The biggest move, so far, is the San Francisco 49ers trading from the 12th-overall pick to third overall. The Miami Dolphins also made big moves to help their franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. More transactions should be anticipated going into late April.
Michael Hanich’s 2021 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 – Two Rounds
Round One
1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)
Jacksonville securing Lawrence with the first overall pick seems like it is a 99.9% lock.
2. Atlanta Falcons – Quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU) *trade
The Falcons will make the trade for their new franchise quarterback of the future with the New York Jets. They will give two first-round picks (2021 & 2022) and two second-round picks (2021 & 2022) to give the Jets more talent.
3. San Francisco 49ers – Quarterback Justin Fields (Ohio State)
San Francisco takes a big risk trading from 12th overall to the third pick. This will likely be their new franchise quarterback for head coach Kyle Shanahan to groom.
4. New York Jets – Tight End Kyle Pitts (Florida)
Rather than start completely over, general manager Joe Douglas has a chance to develop the Jets into a potential playoff contender. This means giving quarterback Sam Darnold actual weapons.
5. Cincinnati Bengals – Offensive Tackle Penei Sewell (Oregon)
Bengals franchise passer Joe Burrow took too many hits during the 2020 NFL season. They need to protect him from another major injury.
6. Miami Dolphins – Wide Receiver Ja’Marr Chase (LSU)
The Dolphins made two moves this pre-draft process to get more first-round picks and still have a number-one receiver for Tagovailoa.
7. Detroit Lions – Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
With Jared Goff as their new quarterback, the Lions will need a reliable pass-catcher, especially with Kenny Golladay gone.
8. Carolina Panthers – Quarterback Mac Jones (Alabama)
While Jones may not be the best quarterback remaining in this draft, the Panthers feel comfortable with him considering they coached him in the 2021 Senior Bowl.
9. New England Patriots – Quarterback Trey Lance (North Dakota State) **trade
With high-profile quarterbacks off the board, the Patriots have to make a trade for their quarterback of the future.
10. Dallas Cowboys – Cornerback Patrick Surtain II (Alabama)
The Cowboys had one of the worst deep passing game defenses in the NFL this past season. A number-one cornerback will solve this problem.
11. New York Giants – Linebacker Micah Parsons (Penn State)
The Giants made one of the biggest splashes in the entire NFL Agency market so far this offseason. They could use more support in the middle of the defense.
12. Philadelphia Eagles – Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle (Alabama)
While Philadelphia pushes their quarterback concerns for next season, they still need a number-one receiver.
13. Los Angeles Chargers – Offensive Tackle Rashawn Slater (Northwestern)
The offensive line is the biggest concern left for their potentially-explosive offense in 2021.
14. Minnesota Vikings – Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC)
Minnesota has a serious void of talent in the interior of the offensive line.
15. Denver Broncos – Offensive Tackle Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech) **trade
While the Broncos are potentially in the quarterback market, they need to address their offensive line that gave up 32 sacks last season.
16. Arizona Cardinals – Cornerback Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech)
Farley will be the replacement for Patrick Peterson for the Cardinals new electric secondary.
17. Las Vegas Raiders – Defensive Tackle/End Kwity Paye (Michigan)
The Raiders once again continue to make moves to address their defensive line.
18. Miami Dolphins – Running Back Najee Harris (Alabama)
Miami needs a legitimate first-string running back as well as more weapons for their offense.
19. Washington Football Team – Offensive Tackle Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State)
Ryan Fitzpatrick is a reliable short-team quarterback, but their offensive line gave up 50 sacks last season, tied for third-most in the league.
20. Chicago Bears – Offensive Tackle Jalen Mayfield (Michigan)
The Bears have a serious problem at quarterback, but they have a much bigger issue with their offensive line.
21. Indianapolis Colts – Edge Rusher Jaelen Phillips (Miami)
Defensively, the Colts have some serious piece to make a top-five defense but one more piece on the edge should help.
22. Tennessee Titans – Cornerback Jaycee Horn (South Carolina)
With the pass rush taken care of, the Titans must replace the departing free agents in the secondary.
23. New York Jets – Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Notre Dame)
The absence of middle linebacker C.J. Mosley was highly significant for the Jets this past season.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Running back Travis Etienne (Clemson)
Pittsburgh had the least-productive running game this past season as James Conner is now a free agent.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars – Wide Receiver Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)
The Jaguars have their franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. They can upgrade their passing game by giving him another dominant wide receiver in Rashod Bateman.
26. Cleveland Browns – Linebacker Nick Bolton (Missouri)
Defensively, the Browns could use more support in the middle of the defense, especially in zone coverage schemes.
27. Baltimore Ravens – Wide Receiver Kardarius Toney (Florida)
The Ravens will give Lamar Jackson a unique and dynamic weapon that helps their other receivers play deep routes.
28. New Orleans Saints – Defensive Tackle Christian Barmore (Alabama)
The defensive scheme for the Saints along with the departing interior defensive linemen makes Barmore a potential instant starter.
29. Green Bay Packers – Wide Receiver Rondale Moore (Purdue)
The Packers need to give their quarterback Aaron Rodgers his wish of more reliable receivers to contend for a Super Bowl title.
30. Buffalo Bills – Cornerback Tyson Campbell (Georgia)
The Bills made significant free-agent signings this offseason. The secondary is one of the last pieces they need to address for them to make that last hurdle for a Super Bowl appearance.
31. Kansas City Chiefs – Guard/Tackle Alex Leatherwood (Alabama)
Kansas City’s Achilles Heel was the lack of solidity of the offensive line in Super Bowl LV. While they added efficient new starters, they still need more solid first teamers.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Linebacker Zaven Collins (Tulsa)
With Deone Bucannon as a free agent, the Bucs can add a versatile player in the middle and outside of the defense.
Round Two
33. Jacksonville Jaguars – Offensive Tackle Dillon Radunz (North Dakota State)
After selecting a quarterback and a receiver, the Jaguars need to address their offensive line. The Jaguars surrendered 44 takedowns this past season (tied for seventh-most in the league).
34. New York Jets – Edge Rusher Jayson Oweh (Penn State)
The Jets need to add talent at every position possible. The defense only accounted for 31 sacks this past season.
35. New York Jets – Cornerback Greg Newsome II (Northwestern)*trade
Their trade with the Falcons in the first round gives them more room to make high-level picks. Last season, the Jets had their 28th-ranked passing defense (275.6 yards per game) in the league.
36. Miami Dolphins – Edge Rusher Azeez Ojulari (Georgia)
Miami was not able to retain some of their more consistent pass rushers at the outside linebacker position. They can address this early in the second round.
37. Philadelphia Eagles – Safety Trevon Moehrig (TCU)
The Eagles are at a point where they have to draft the best player available. Moerhrig will address immediate support in the secondary.
38. Cincinnati Bengals – Guard Wyatt Davis (Ohio State)
The offensive line for the Bengals is more inconsistent in the interior of the offensive line. It was the terrible play of left guard Michael Jordan that injured Burrow.
39. Carolina Panthers – Offensive Tackle Samuel Cosmi (Texas)
Whoever is under center for the Panthers in 2021 will need solid protection from opposing defenses.
40. Denver Broncos – Linebacker Cameron McGrone (Michigan)
The Broncos need help in the middle of the defense as they were ranked 25th in the league in rushing yards, allowing 130 yards per contest.
41. Detroit Lions – Cornerback Eric Stokes (Georgia)
Detriot only has three cornerbacks on their active roster. They lost their starting cornerback in Desmond Trufant as well.
42. New York Giants – Edge Rusher Gregory Rousseau (Miami)
The Giants added support at the middle linebacker and retained defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Now they will garner support on the edge.
43. San Francisco 49ers – Linebacker Jabril Cox (LSU)
The 49ers have one middle linebacker on their active roster and need versatile talent in the middle of their defense.
44. Dallas Cowboys – Defensive Tackle Levi Onwuzurike (Washington)
Placing 31st in rush defense for the 2020 campaign, Dallas will need solid run stoppers at the interior defensive line area.
45. Jacksonville Jaguars – Safety Jevon Holland (Oregon)
Jacksonville made significant upgrades on the offensive side of the ball. Now they have address concerns on defense.
46. Denver Broncos – Guard/Center Landon Dickerson (Alabama)**trade
The Broncos still need to address huge concerns with their offensive line despite drafting a tackle in the first round.
47. Los Angeles Chargers – Edge Rusher Joseph Ossai (Texas)
The Chargers need to find a replacement for their main edge rusher Melvin Ingram with him going to free agency.
48. Las Vegas Raiders – Linebacker Baron Browning (Ohio State)
The Raiders have more concerns on defense at the linebacker and need to select the best defensive player available.
49. Arizona Cardinals – Tight End Pat Freirmuth (Penn State)
Quarterback Kyler Murray continues to accelerate to a new level of productivity with a new dynamic tight end.
50. Miami Dolphins – Edge Rusher Joe Tryon (Washington)
Having two excellent edge rushers can add depth and versatility to the veterans that were let go in free agency.
51. Washington Football Team – Quarterback Kyle Trask (Florida)
With Fitzpatrick as the starting quarterback, Washington can bring in a potential project for him to train.
52. Chicago Bears – Wide Receiver Terrace Marshall (LSU)
The Bears could use any significant boost on the offensive side of the ball as possible.
53. Tennessee Titans – Offensive Tackle Jackson Carman (Clemson)
Even if Taylor Lewan completely recovers from his torn ACL injury, the Titans need solid protection at the edge.
54. Indianapolis Colts – Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (Florida State)
Last season, the Colts had the 20th-ranked pass defense (241.6 passing yards allowed per game). They will need more consistency in the secondary.
55. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cornerback Aaron Robinson (UCF)
Cornerback is the biggest position need available on the defensive side of the ball for Pittsburgh.
56. Seattle Seahawks – Edge Rusher Carlos Basham Jr. (Wake Forest)
With only five picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Seahawks need several big splashes including a significant pass rusher.
57. Los Angeles Rams – Offensive Tackle Walker Little (Stanford)
The Rams allowed 25 sacks last season and will face more aggressive pass rushers in the NFC West in 2021.
58. Baltimore Ravens – Safety Richie Grant (UCF)
With a depleted backfield, the Ravens fill a need of depth and talent with a versatile defender.
59. Cleveland Browns – Wide Receiver Elijah Moore (Ole Miss)
Adding a dynamic playmaker like Moore will help relieve the pressure off the Browns main receiver corp.
60. New Orleans Saints – Wide Receiver Tylan Wallace (Oklahoma State)
With the Saints having to release Emmanuel Sanders due to salary cap hell, they need a reliable number-two target.
61. Buffalo Bills – Defensive End Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma)
Buffalo will fill the void of departed free agent pass rushers with fresh, young players.
62. Green Bay Packers – Offensive Tackle Liam Eichenberg (Notre Dame)
There are three offensive tackles on the active roster as a result of managing the salary cap.
63. Kansas City Chiefs – Linebacker Jamin Davis (Kentucky)
The lack of depth and youth at the middle linebacker position was highlighted in Super Bowl LV.
64. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Guard/Center Creed Humphrey (Oklahoma)
Depth isn’t a huge concern for the Buccaneers as it is with consistency.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
