2021 NFL Mock Draft: Third Edition

  Here is the third 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- Zach Wilson, Quarterback, BYU: With the trading of Sam Darnold and supposedly turning down offers for the number two pick, all signs are pointing to the Jets taking a quarterback with this selection. Wilson is the hot name thrown around for this selection and Vegas even believes so with the strong odds they have. That said, this feels like the second most surest bet of the entire draft.

3. San Francisco 49ers (from Houston Texans via Miami Dolphins)- Mac Jones, Quarterback, Alabama: With the 49ers moving up to the third spot, all signs point toward them picking a quarterback that will eventually replace Jimmy Garappolo in the long run. The guy that is the perceived target is Mac Jones, who's stock is absolutely rising with a few weeks to go until the draft as many people have apparently told ESPN's Adam Schefter that The Mac will be The Guy.

4. Atlanta Falcons- Kyle Pitts, Tight End, Florida: The Falcons are a super obvious trade down candidate and they could potentially get Pitts at the spot they may end up at. Pitts is someone that has been a monster in college the past few years and is the best tight end to come out maybe since Rob Gronkowski. He would really help extend Matt Ryan's career and will make that Falcons offense better.

5. Cincinnati Begals- Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle, Oregon: This would be a tremendous selection for the Bengals, who needs desperate help on their offensive line. I know Joe Burrow would love the team to select his former teammate Ja'Marr Chase to be his top wideout, but the bigger need lies on the line, to help protect Burrow from getting injured again.

6. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles)- Ja'Marr Chase, Wide Receiver, Alabama: My last mock draft that I did, I thought that the Dolphins were the frontrunner to trade for Houston's DeShaun Watson, but with Watson's off court issues taking center stage, the trade rumors have died. It looks like the team is sticking with Tua Tagovailoa and getting him a top wideout in his former SEC opponent in Chase would do him wonders.

7. Detroit Lions- Justin Fields, Quarterback, Ohio State: Yes, the Lions acquired Jared Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade, but that shouldn't prevent them from snagging a quarterback with this selection. Fields has a ton of upside, but wasn't consistent in the shortened Big-10 season last year. I would not be surprised if Goff ends up being traded within the next year due to the fact that the Lions are in a rebuild.

8. Carolina Panthers- Rashawn Slater, Offensive Tackle, Northwestern: With the acquisition of Sam Darnold, it looks like the Panthers are out of the quarterback derby. Slater has a chance to be a franchise tackle that the Panthers have lacked for sometime now and what Darnold did not have with the Jets.

9. Denver Broncos- Trey Lance, Quarterback, North Dakota State: The Broncos have apparently sniffed around the quarterback market and don't seem thrilled with Drew Lock. Enter Lance- who many folks have not watched due to him placing FCS football who has shown tremendous upside in college and helped lead the Bison to big things.

10. Dallas Cowboys- Patrick Sutain III, Cornerback, Alabama: The Cowboys should go defense with this selection as they have needs in the secondary and in the pass rush. Sutain is someone that's been linked to the Cowboys for some time now and he would instantly become their number one corner as they finally replace Byron Jones.

11. New York Giants- DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver, Alabama: The goal of the Giants offseason is to help surround Daniel Jones with the proper talent to help him succeed in the league and also be sure if he will be their franchise guy going forward. Selecting the reigning Heisman winner in Smith here would fulfill that goal even further as he would become another big weapon to go with Kenny Golladay in the Giants offense.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins via San Francisco 49ers)- Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Alabama: The Eagles are handing the reigns to Jalen Hurts after the trading of Carson Wentz. Selecting Hurts's former teammate in Waddle would give Hurts a much needed top option after getting rid of Alshon Jeffery.

13. Los Angeles Chargers- Christian Darrisaw, Offensive Tackle, Virginia Tech: The Chargers have some options with this selection and their biggest need is at the tackle position. Insert Darrisaw, who I think would be a solid pick here to help protect Justin Herbert.

14. Minnesota Vikings- Jean Phillips, Defensive End, Miami: This pick would make a ton of sense for the Vikings, who want to re-make their defense back to what it was a few seasons ago. Phillips is arguably the most consistent edge rusher in the draft and if there had not been some versatility issues, maybe Phillips would be projected to go higher than this.

15. New England Patriots- Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Penn State: If Parsons did not opt out this season, he would have been a projected top ten or even top five pick. Parsons is someone that is super versatile and would fit in very nicely with Bill Belichick's defense.

16. Arizona Cardinals- Alijah Vera-Tucker, Guard, USC: The Cardinals have some choices here, but they go with Vera-Tucker to help protect Kyler Murray. Vera-Tucker will vastly improve this offensive line with his athleticism and versatility.

17. Las Vegas Raiders- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker, Notre Dame: This would be a solid selection for Jon Gruden and Company as they select a position of need pick with Owusu-Koramoah. He will provide exactly what new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley would like- speed, athleticism, and cover ability.

18. Miami Dolphins- Kwity Paye, Defensive End, Michigan: Snagging Paye with this pick could end up being a steal for the Dolphins. Paye is someone that was always a steady player under Jim Harbaugh in college and he will certainly come in and help the Dolphins pass rush perhaps right away.

19. Washington Football Team- Alex Weatherwood, Offensive Tackle, Alabama: Washington has some options here and I think could be a trade down candidate as well. Weatherwood would be a solid pick here as he can come in and be a solid starter from the gecko and would finally have a good tackle since Trent Williams.

20. Chicago Bears- Greg Newsome II, Cornerback, Northwestern: The Bears now have a hole at the cornerback position with the release of Kyle Fuller. Newsome is a great talent and he could be an impact starter immediately.

21. Indianapolis Colts- Tevin Jenkins, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma State: Jenkins is one of the fastest risers as the draft is a few weeks away. One of the Colts weaknesses lies on the offensive line with the retirement of Anthony Costanzo and Jenkins can come in and have an impact with his framework and balance.

22. Tennessee Titans- Caleb Farley, Cornerback, Virginia Tech: Farley is someone who's stock has dropped since I did my last mock draft as mocks had him projected in the top ten. With the free agent loss of Adoree Jackson, Farley would be a solid replacement.

23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)- Azeez Ojulari, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Georgia: This would be a tremendous selection for the Jets as they come away with a potential building block. Ojulari would fit nicely with Carl Lawson on new coach Robert Saleh's defense.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Jayson Oweh, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Penn State: The Steelers have some choices here, but here I have them taking the in-state edge rusher in Oweh. He provides versatility that the team lacks and would help replace the free agent loss of Bud Dupree.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)- Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU: The Jaguars can go offense here to help out Trevor Lawrence or defense to add yet another young building block to that unit and here I chose the latter. Moehrig is a very solid and clean player that would help improve a weak secondary.

26. Cleveland Browns- Jamin Davis, Linebacker, Kentucky: The Browns can go in a numerous amount of directions with this selection and here I have them taking the rising prospect in Davis. He really impressed in his Pro Day with his performance and would fill a need for the Browns as well.

27. Baltimore Ravens- Elijah Moore, Wide Receiver, Purdue: The Ravens signing of Sammy Watkins should not prevent the team from taking another offensive weapon for Lamar Jackson with this pick. Moore is someone who doesn't get the attention of Chase, Smith, or Waddle, but has some serious potential to be a top wideout.

28. New Orleans Saints- Asante Samuel Jr, Cornerback, Florida State: Samuel is another prospect that is rising up mock drafts of late. The Saints could use a corner to go opposite of Marshon Lattimore and Samuel is someone that has the speed and could make plays on the ball.

29. Green Bay Packers- Landon Dickerson, Center, Alabama: The Packers go with a position of need with Dickerson, who would replace the departed Corey Linsley. An ACL injury might keep him out of the first round pick, but word on the street is that the recovery is going well.

30. Buffalo Bills- Tyson Campbell, Cornerback, Georgia: The Bills can go in a number of directions here, but I have them going with Campbell. He is super solid and would be a nice fit opposite Tre White to help the Bills in the secondary.

31. Kansas City Chiefs- Christian Barmore, Defensive Tackle, Alabama: The Chiefs would get a potential steal here with Barmore, who was projected as high as tenth to Dallas in some mock drafts. Barmore would be great next to Chris Jones on that defensive line.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Travis Etienne, Running Back, Clemson: The Buccaneers really don't have much needs and the theme of the offseason was bringing the band back together. Etienne would be a solid fit here due to his explosiveness on the field and with LeSean McCoy getting older and Leonard Fournette being injury prone to some degree.