2021 NFL Mock Draft. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)
The 2020 college football season has just ended with the decimation of the Ohio State Buckeyes at the hands of Alabama Crimson Tide. And now? It’s time for the NFL 2021 draft. Better yet, it’s 2021 from the NFL Mock Draft.
Players are evaluating their options. April is approaching, and many have already opted for the draft, renouncing the rest of the 2020 college football season – and therefore also renouncing any eligibility they had left.
Get ready for a complete first round of 2021 NFL Mock Draft
This 2021 NFL Mock Draft is being compiled based on the section of the draft in which the order of choices has already been determined, as well as expert predictions about where the final draft choices will fall. This draft also takes into account that no negotiations will be made because, well, that cannot be predicted with precision.
So now, in the words of Anakin Skywalker, “This is where the fun begins”.
Here is my first 2021 NFL simulation sketch for the first round.
Choice 1: Jacksonville Jaguars – QB Trevor Lawrence – Clemson
He is simply the best and the Jaguars are simply the worst.
Listen, Minshew is not the answer. Nobody claimed he was, anyway. The Jaguars dominated the season almost perfectly to ensure they had a legitimate chance to find the best quarterback since Andrew Luck.
Lawrence is the real deal. If it ends up as a bust, all will have to eat crow on this one. He will end up as the biggest draft failure of all time. Period. The end.
Lawrence is a 230 lb 6’6 statue of a QB with wheels solid enough to reach the first downline when fighting between tackles in a failed move. He can get out of his pocket and anchor his feet in position to launch a rocket over his shoulder anywhere in the field, if necessary. Although he is not yet much Russell Wilson, he is also a superior improviser and can make most of the pitches in the race, specializing in side darts.
The only problem he has is that he needs to learn to go through his progressions more naturally. He sometimes stares at the receivers and fails to make the correct reading fast enough. However, a little training at the next level will do him a lot of good in that department. He is the most physically talented defender to enter the NFL draft in possibly a decade.
He’s a more mobile Peyton Manning. If that doesn’t scare you, then I don’t know what will.
Choice 2: New York Jets – QB Justin Fields – Ohio State
The courage to do the job.
Justin Fields has a heart. He showed this in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson. He’s a competitor, and that’s the kind of guy you want as a defender.
Fields’ draft stock fluctuated throughout the year, but not by large margins. He entered and exited the 2020 college football season as the second best potential defender in the recruiting class.
At 1.83 m tall and about 225 pounds, Fields is a solid size for an NFL quarterback. He has had what some consider a bleak final season in Ohio, but he has the tools to be a quarterback in the franchise. The Jets seem to be craving one.
If I were the Jets, I would look to swap for an acquisition and build around Sam Darnold, but fans and some experts believe he needs a change of scenery. With the hiring of a new coach approaching, the Jets target a quarterback who can fight in planned race moves, as well as decimate blitzes of man cover on third downs when given the chance. Oh, and his arm is spectacular, although at times he seems to trust him too much. He needs to learn to be more thorough with his readings, instead of sometimes panicking and carrying bags, which could inhibit his effectiveness as an NFL passer early in his career if he doesn’t change his game.
Fields is not who the Jets really wanted all season, but he is someone they should be excited to get.