What the first round of 2021 will look like NFL Draft shake according to Pro Football Network’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator? In this Simulated NFL Draft for the first round of 2021, we’ll see where the best players can end up and what needs the teams decide to meet.
Simulated NFL draft of the first round of 2021 | Picks 1-16
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
According to the expectation, the Jaguars take the best defender available to start the reconstruction. Trevor Lawrence is considered an elite NFL contender since he was a 17-year-old high school player in Georgia. He has excellent physical tools, high football acumen, natural accuracy and an elite aesthetic.
Urban Meyer has a no-brainer with the first general selection, and it is difficult to imagine a reality in which Jacksonville goes anywhere else with this choice.
Expect Lawrence to be the holder of the first day and the winner of the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. I also wouldn’t be totally shocked if the Jaguars were fighting for a playoff spot already next season. The Jaguars started this first round of 2021 NFL Mock Draft by selecting their QB franchise.
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
Despite the previous choice of first round Sam Darnold still on the Jets list, it seems more and more likely that New York will take BYU QB, Zach Wilson. Wilson was one of the most exciting players in college football last season. He led BYU in its highest national ranking since 1996.
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Wilson has a knack for great moves. He loves to push the ball across the field, save time with his legs and place the ball in an impressive way where only his boys can catch it. However, I am concerned about his ability to win out of pocket and I believe he has the lowest roof of the top four defenders.
3. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans): Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
Dolphins are commonly associated with a receiver with the third selection, but I don’t think Sewell’s talent can be underestimated, and Will Fuller’s hiring puts the receiver in the background. Sewell is an elite player who has dominant playing strength and the necessary athletic ability, but he will be one of the youngest players in the entire recruiting class.
Penei Sewell never played college football at age 20 and is designed as an elite offensive NFL tackle. With Tua Tagovailoa currently the long-awaited defender of the franchise, it might make sense to move Sewell to the right and protect Tua’s blind side while Austin Jackson continues to develop on the left.
4. Atlanta Falcons: Trey Lance, QB, NDSU
It is not yet clear what the Falcons will do with the fourth team, but the defender remains an option. Falcons may decide that one of the defenders available to them is too good to risk passing on as a contingency plan for Matt Ryan in the long run.
Trey Lance arguably has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the NFL’s 2021 Draft. He has a world class arm, is a superbly developed runner and makes “wow” pitches regularly. Concerns about your level of competition and experience are justified. Still, a team like Atlanta is a perfect situation for Lance to sit down for a season and learn the inner workings of the NFL behind a consummate professional on Matty Ice.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
With Penei Sewell off the board, this is my favorite selection for Cincinnati. They have a hole in the tight end and could use another talented receiving option for Joe Burrow. I’m sure the Bengals will also consider Rashawn Slater, Christian Darrisaw, Ja’Marr Chase and even negotiate back.
However, unless a large commercial package is offered, Kyle Pitts it would be a perfect fit for Cincinnati. He is the best player available and plays a position of need for the team.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
This selection will be a hot spot for containment. Will the Eagles play with Jalen Hurts or will they take the QB that fits them in the 2021 NFL Draft? The simulator decided to send Fields to them this time, and I don’t blame that. Justin Fields it is my QB2, and it is not personally close. I think he is the most accurate passer in the class and has the physical tools to master the NFL both as a passer and as a runner.
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He is risk averse, although he is also willing to push the ball across the field. The Eagles still have some work to do to build a contender around him, but Fields is an excellent quarterback in the franchise to start his rebuilding.
7. Detroit Lions: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
After losing Kenny Golladay to the Giants at the free agency, Lions select a prospect with similar skills in Ja’Marr Chase. Chase dominates his defensive back at the receiving point, beating them and using his elite hands to knock out the disputed balls. He has a decent size and medium to slightly above average athletic ability. He has some work to do to develop as a route runner, but he exhibits elite flashes of vertical separation, despite not having an impressive speed.
With new coach Dan Campbell coming from the Saints, it may also make sense to see Detroit deploy Chase in the same way that the Saints use Michael Thomas.
8. Carolina Panthers: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
After Patrick Surtain IIIn the robust pro day test, he seems close to making it into the top 10. With Carolina losing the top four quarterbacks and Kyle Pitts, taking his top cornerback is logical. The Panthers desperately need more talent in the defensive field and Surtain could be the CB1 Matt Rhule is looking for in his defense.
Surtain is a high IQ player who always plays with his head level and has the size, length and long speed to be an elite limit cornerback.
9. Denver Broncos: Gregory Rousseau, DL, Miami
Gregory Rousseau, normally considered an EDGE, can be used across the defensive front in Denver’s 3-4 defense. With Von Miller apparently nearing the end of his term at the Broncos, Rousseau could run as a rotary dowel both on the inside and on the edge until he is ready to take the position of full-time external linebacker opposite Bradley Chubb.
Rousseau did not play in 2020 after finishing second in the country in sacks last year, behind only an eventual second overall choice and Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young. Here, the Broncos are betting on the positive and waiting for it to develop and become what it can be.
10. Dallas Cowboys: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
It seems that the race for CB1 is reduced to two players: Patrick Surtain II (elaborated in eighth overall in this mock) and Jaycee Horn. Horn has the ideal attitude and mindset to be a CB1. He is very confident and talkative. Horn loves to get into the skin of the receivers and sticks to them like glue from start to finish.
He exceeded expectations for his professional day test and fulfills a huge need for a Cowboys team preparing to fight in an improved NFC East in 2021.
11. New York Giants: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
The first shocking choice of the simulator is the Giants taking Christian Darrisaw. Although the 11th choice is a good overall value for Darrisaw, the Giants already have two new quality tackles that they hope to become longtime starters. However, if they see Darrisaw as a dramatic improvement over Thomas in the left tackle, the selection may make sense.
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The left tackle is one of the premium positions in the league and is essential to make sure you are comfortable with whoever you are sending out every week. In this situation, one of Thomas or Peart probably moves to the guard.
12. San Francisco 49ers: Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama
San Francisco continues to invest in the defensive line, although the trenches are already a strength of the team. Christian Barmore now he joins Kinlaw, Bosa and Armstead as first-round players recruited by the 49ers on the defensive line. San Francisco missed several important games in the secondary, so doubling the pass may be the plan to cover some holes in the roof.
You can never have too many pass-rushers, and San Francisco now has one of the most frightening and deepest pass-rush units.
13. Los Angeles Chargers: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Although I hope the Chargers will attack here, namely Rashawn Slater, it is difficult for me to criticize the simulator for giving them my best-rated receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft. DeVonta Smith was the best player in college football last year and was rightly named the winner of the Heisman Trophy.
The only real blow to his game is that he weighs 170 pounds, which, to be fair, would make him one of the most extravagant in NFL history. However, Smith is a baller, and the Chargers surround Justin Herbert with one of, if not the best, NFL reception trios.
14. Minnesota Vikings: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
In an era of space-based attack, it is a requirement to have players who can guarantee coverage of men both in the secondary and in their linebacker unit. Here, Vikings invest heavily in the idea of versatility, adding Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to a room that already has Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.
With Barr as SAM, Kendricks as MIKE and JOK as WILL, the Vikings could realistically perform their base defense without sacrificing any cover. It is not a likely outcome, but I am certainly interested.
15. New England Patriots: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
With the choice of New England, they continue their tendency to update the offensive weapons around Cam Newton. I like what they did in this off-season and I believe they will be competitive at AFC Leste. As Rashod Bateman selection, New England offers that true # 1 receiver that it has been missing for years.
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Bateman is instantly the most talented receiver the Patriots have had since Randy Moss was dominating at Foxborough. Newton can have a massive season if that choice becomes a reality.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Scoring more points than the opponent is the only method with a 100% success rate for winning football games. The simulator knows this and that is why it chose to give Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray, arguably the most dynamic player in the 2021 NFL Draft. Jaylen Waddle would stand out playing with DeAndre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald.
Operating as Z, dominating from below, creating yards after the reception and taking the top off the defense a few times per game, Waddle would be a perfect fit for Arizona’s attack. With this selection, the Cardinals now have one of the most lethal offenses in the NFL. Arizona makes one of the scariest selections in 2021 First Round NFL Mock Draft.