2021 NFL Mock Draft: First Edition

 Here is the first edition of my 2021 NFL Mock Draft.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Clemson: If there wasn't any doubt. Lawrence is perhaps the best quarterback prospect to come out since Peyton Manning and there is no chance that the Jaguars, with Urban Meyer now in town, entertain offers for this pick let alone consider another player with this pick. Lawrence will certainly be someone who will make his teammates better, but the Jags still have other holes to fill on this roster.

2. New York Jets- Justin Fields, Quarterback, Ohio State: The Jets have many options on the table here whether it's to package this pick to Houston for DeShaun Watson, take an offensive tackle or a wide receiver or take a quarterback. Here I have them taking the guy who many expected to be the second overall pick at this time six months ago in Fields, who was erratic this past season in college. If Fields is the guy we saw help the Buckeyes defeat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, then this is a major hit.

3. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans)- JaMar Chase, Wide Receiver, LSU: This pick is certainly the most fascinating of perhaps the entire draft. The Dolphins are a team on the rise and they have been in the Watson trade rumors and could offer this selection (which the Texans previously owned) and Tua Tagovailoa plus more assets to acquire Watson. Lets say things remain as they are now and they go with the talented receiver in Chase, who did not play a snap this past season as he opted out. The Dolphins are desperate for a top receiver and Chase has serious potential to be that.

4. Atlanta Falcons- Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle, Oregon: Many experts have the Falcons grabbing a quarterback with this pick, but the team is insisted on keeping Matt Ryan around for a little while longer. Here I have them getting much needed protection for Ryan with selecting the best tackle in the draft class in Sewell. The Falcons have drafted offensive lineman in the first round with a pair of first rounders a few years ago, but Sewell is an upgrade to this offensive line and has a chance to be in the league for a long time.

5. Cincinnati Bengals- Rashawn Slater, Offensive Tackle, Northwestern: With Sewell off the board, the Bengals snag another solid offensive lineman in Slater, who opted out last season. Slater has shown the versatility to play anywhere on the offensive line and he would provide much needed protection for Joe Burrow on what was perhaps the leagues worst offensive line a season ago.

6. Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver, Alabama: The Eagles biggest weakness last season was perhaps at wide receiver due to the age and injuries of the receivers they had. Smith had one of the greatest seasons ever for a receiver in college football and won the Heisman Trophy in result of it and he would instantly become the Eagles WR1.

7. Detroit Lions- Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Alabama: Smith's teammate Waddle goes one spot later here in this mock draft. Whether it's Jared Goff or a different quarterback under center, the Lions need playmakers on their roster other than TJ Hockensen as Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are going to be free agents.

8. Carolina Panthers- Trey Lance, Quarterback, North Dakota State: The Panthers have an interesting roster as Matt Rhule heads into his second season as coach. Teddy Bridgewater is only under contract for two more seasons and he's not the long term solution for the Panthers. Enter Lance, who showed a ton of potential in his college career and unfortunately for him, he only played in one game this fall.

9. Denver Broncos- Patrick Sutain II, Cornerback, Alabama: The Broncos can go in a number of directions here with this selection. Here, I have them selecting the talented corner in Sutain, who has shown ability to cover elite receivers in college and the Broncos can use some youth in their secondary going forward.

10. Dallas Cowboys- Caleb Farley, Cornerback, Virginia Tech: The Cowboys defense was the worst in the league this past season and they can use any reinforcements and upgrades they can get. Farley is someone that can come in and be a CB1 immediately for the Cowboys.

11. New York Giants- Gregory Rousseau, Defensive End, Miami: The Giants can go in a number of directions here as well. Rousseau is someone who many thought would be a top five pick before the season so this could wind up being a steal of a pick with his ability to get to the passer. This would be a wise selection regardless of Leonard Williams returning or not.

12. San Francisco 49ers- Jaycee Horn, Cornerback, South Carolina: The 49ers have some options with this selection. This would be an excellent pick for a 49ers team that has a handful of blue chip players on defense. Richard Sherman is not getting any younger and Horn can come right in and make an immediate impact.

13. Los Angeles Chargers- Alijah Vera-Tucker, Offensive Tackle, USC: This may seem like a stretch of a selection here and I feel that a trade down from this spot is certainly in play. Vera-Tucker provides versatility as he can play both tackle and guard and he would provide much needed protection for Justin Herbert.

14. Minnesota Vikings- Christian Barmore, Defensive Tackle, Alabama: The Vikings demise this past season was largely due to the regression of their defense which lost a ton of pieces from their pass rush due to injuries and trades. Barmore excels at stopping the run and really showed a ton of potential down the stretch of the season.

15. New England Patriots- Micah Parsons, Outside Linebacker, Penn State: This is perhaps the steal of the first round in this mock draft as Parsons was thought out to be a top five pick six months ago and then he opted out of the season, which hurt his stock. Parsons has shown versatility and elite playmaking in his time in college and the Pats would have themselves a player on defense that they've lacked for sometime now.

16. Arizona Cardinals- Kyle Pitts, Tight End, Florida: Pitts is the best tight end thats been drafted since TJ Hockenson and him falling to the Cardinals would be a steal. Kyler Murray needs more around him to succeed outside of DeAndre Hopkins and Pitts can come in and be an impact player immediately.

17. Las Vegas Raiders- Kwity Paye, Defensive End, Michigan: The Raiders weakness since they dealt away Khalil Mack has been rushing the passer. Enter Paye, who would be a steal at this point and will help the Raiders improve their pass rush with his great athleticism and ability to rush the passer.

18. Miami Dolphins- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker, Notre Dame: The Dolphins, despite having a great season a year ago, have a ton of weaknesses that they must address in order to make that jump to the postseason. Owusu-Koramoah is someone that showed great playmaking and athleticism on an Irish defense that had some fine moments this past season.

19. Washington Football Team- Mac Jones, Quarterback, Alabama: With the releasing of Dwayne Haskins, Washington now has a need for a quarterback that can turn the franchise around. Despite a promising showing from Taylor Heinicke in the playoff defeat, he is not the answer. Jones had a fantastic season at Alabama in which his stock rose and it is to be determined whether its a product of the great talent around him or not.

20. Chicago Bears- Christian Darrisaw, Offensive Tackle, Virginia Tech: Say all you want about the Bears quarterback situation, but their biggest weakness relies on their offensive line and they need reinforcements in the worst way. Darrisaw is someone that has great blocking skills and can come in and start at left tackle right away.

21. Indianapolis Colts- Zach Wilson, Quarterback, BYU: The Colts can go in a number of directions here, but I have them taking the young passer in Wilson, who is coming off a career year in college. Even if they bring in a veteran for the short-term, I can see them taking a chance with Wilson here as he'd be in a red shirt situation before taking over in the long haul.

22. Tennessee Titans- Azeez Ojulari, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Georgia: This would be a solid pick for the Titans, who need reinforcements on their pass rush badly. Ojulari has shown great athleticism in college and can come in and help the Titans pass rush as they have failed to replace Jurell Casey.

23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)- Najee Harris, Running Back, Alabama: The Jets have options with this selection and here I have them snagging the longtime Crimson Tide back in Harris. The running back situation with the Jets was not great last season and Harris can come in and produce for Gang Green, regardless of who's at quarterback.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Levi Onwuzurike, Defensive Tackle, Washington: The Steelers can go in a number of ways here. Onwuzurike opted out last season, but showed great ability to stop the run in the trenches of the defense while in college and in the Senior Bowl. He would make that pass rush better alongside TJ Watt.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)- Nick Bolton, Linebacker, Missouri: The Jaguars have a ton of holes on their roster, even with Trevor Lawrence presumptively being the number one overall pick. Bolton has shown a ton of flashes in college with his playmaking ability and would be a nice fit in their front seven along with Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson.

26. Cleveland Browns- Zaven Collins, Inside Linebacker, Tulsa: Collins had an excellent season as a senior in college to improve his stock. The Browns can use some linebacking help as we saw throughout the season and Collins can help that unit with his great size and athleticism.

27. Baltimore Ravens- Jaelen Phillips, Defensive End, Miami: Phillips is someone that was always overshadowed in college due to the presence of Gregory Rousseau. With Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue being free agents, this would be a wise selection here.

28. New Orleans Saints- Jayson Oweh, Defensive End, Penn State: Oweh is someone that was underrated in college on a Penn State defense that was solid at times. The Saints can use someone on the edge alongside Cameron Jordan and Oweh has a ton of potential to be a player in the league.

29. Green Bay Packers- Jalen Mayfield, Offensive Tackle, Michigan: The Packers offensive line was exposed in the postseason, largely due to the injury to David Bakhtiari. They can also use some youth on that offensive line to keep Aaron Rodgers upright as Mayfield can come in and provide that.

30. Buffalo Bills- Carlos Basham Jr, Defensive End, Wake Forest: The Bills defensive line got exposed in the postseason by the Chiefs and at times during the regular season against good offenses. Basham is someone that is fast and has great hands and could come in and have a nice impact.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Joseph Ossai, Defensive End, Texas: With Shaq Barrett set to be a free agent, the Bucs may have a need for an edge rusher. Ossai showed some flashes in college with the Longhorns the past few years and he can learn from some great veterans that the Bucs have on their pass rush.

32. Kansas City Chiefs- Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Purdue: The Chiefs land a possible steal here with Moore, who doesn't get the attention of the top three receivers in this class. With Sammy Watkins set to be a free agent as well as Byron Pringle and DeMarcus Robinson, this selection feels right.