The 2021 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday, April 29, in Cleveland, Ohio. With all 32 NFL franchises making their final adjustments to their draft strategy, our staff sat down to discuss the first round. Karlton Atkins, Stephen Hayes, Keynon Atchison, Dylan Holt, and Dylan Jespersen divided the teams up to devise this NFL First Round Mock Draft.
The Setup
Each TV Sports staff member was assigned NFL teams to make draft picks for. Below, we have each staff member listed, along with the teams they were assigned in the first round.
Karlton– Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Football Team, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stephen– Atalnta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers
Keynon– New York Jets, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and Baltimore Ravens
Dylan Holt– Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans
Dylan Jespersen– San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and New Orleans Saints
NFL 2021 Mock Draft
Team | Player | Position | School |
---|---|---|---|
Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence | QB | Clemson |
Karlton– “We know, at the end of the day, Urban Meyer took the job in Jacksonville. Everyone in Jacksonville is moving in one direction, and that is taking the best quarterback in the draft,” | |||
New York Jets | Zach Wilson | QB | BYU |
Keynon– “You are going to need a big personality that can sit there and handle the bright lights and things of that nature.” | |||
San Francisco 49ers | Justin Fields | QB | OSU |
Dylan J– “There are rumors this week that the 49ers are targeting either Mac Jones or Trey Lance with the 3rd overall pick… if you know anything about NFL Draft Coverage, that means neither of them are going be drafted 3rd overall.” | |||
Atlanta Falcons | DeVonta Smith | WR | Alabama |
Stephen– “With Julio Jones getting up in age, you need another No. 1 receiver out there, and DeVonta Smith definitely can be that guy.” | |||
Cincinnati Bengals | Penei Sewell | OT | Oregon |
Dylan H– “There might be some flashier picks but I think that is the way to go. I think that is what they will do and protect their investment in Joe Burrow.” | |||
Miami Dolphins | JaMarr Chase | WR | LSU |
Dylan J– “He was the best receiver on that LSU (Championship) team, and Justin Jefferson came in and did what he did last year.” | |||
Detroit Lions | Jaylen Waddle | WR | Alabama |
Karlton– “The Lions have the worst wide receiver situation in football. Kenny Golladay, gone. Marvin Jones, gone. Danny Amendola, gone. Jamaal Agnew, gone. Mohamed Sanu, gone.” | |||
Carolina Panthers | Alijah Vera-Tucker | OT/OG | USC |
Stephen– “I’m going to go with protection upfront. That’s what you need whether you got Sam Darnold or you got Teddy Bridgewater at the helm.” | |||
Denver Broncos | Trey Lance | QB | North Dakota State |
Dylan H– “I don’t think they are sold on Drew Lock, and I think they are going to look at a quarterback in the top ten.” | |||
Dallas Cowboys | Patrick Surtain II | CB | Alabama |
Dylan J– “If Patrick Surtain II is there at 10, you take the ‘Bama corner and roll with him.” | |||
New York Giants | Rashawn Slater | OT | Northwestern |
Keynon– “The Giants need a lot of O-Line help, and it is crazy that the No. 2 overall tackle is still on the board.” | |||
Philadelphia Eagles | Kyle Pitts | TE | Florida |
Dylan H– “I think the Eagles might try to get creative. We know how much the Eagles have loved bigger receivers and tight ends in recent years.” | |||
Los Angeles Chargers | Christian Darrisaw | OT | Va Tech |
Karlton– “They feel like they found their franchise quarterback. They really want to build around Justin Herbert.” | |||
Minnesota Vikings | Mac Jones | QB | Alabama |
Dylan J– “Mac Jones has been rumored to go as high as 3rd overall. I think the Vikings need a gunslinger like that to put back there.” | |||
New England Patriots | Micah Parsons | LB | Penn State |
Keynon– “New England normally has really good linebacker play and has been a staple of Bill Belichick’s defense.” | |||
Arizona Cardinals | Jaycee Horn | CB | South Carolina |
Dylan H– “I think their biggest hole is probably at corner with Patrick Peterson leaving this offseason.” | |||
Las Vegas Raiders | Greg Newsome II | CB | Northwestern |
Stephen– “Defense is still a big need for them, with the secondary…I think they need a wide receiver, but I think the secondary for them is a little more important.” | |||
Miami Dolphins | Najee Harris | RB | Alabama |
Dylan J– “The Dolphins are going to upgrade the offense again… the trio of Tua, JaMarr Chase, and Najee Harris is going to be an electric trio for years to come.” | |||
Washington Football Team | Azeez Ojulari | EDGE | Georgia |
Karlton– “They have a really good defense, and if the draft is falling this way, they really sure up this defense and having one of the best units.” | |||
Chicago Bears | Teven Jenkins | OT | Oklahoma State |
Keynon– “The Bears need some offensive line help. Especially on the right tackle side of things and someone who might move inside and play guard as well.” | |||
Indianapolis Colts | Samuel Cosmi | OT | Texas |
Keynon– “Anthony Castonzo just retired, so they have a gaping hole on the left-hand side of the line.” | |||
Tennessee Titans | Elijah Moore | WR | Ole Miss |
Dylan H– “I think the decision-maker for this pick is both this guy having great skill and the chemistry.” | |||
New York Jets | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | LB | Notre Dame |
Keynon– “Knowing that they need a little help all over, I’m going with a linebacker that has fallen a little bit.” | |||
Pittsburgh Steelers | Trey Sermon | RB | Ohio State |
Stephen– “The Steelers are known for running that football, and that is an area that they lacked last year and an area they needed significant help in.” | |||
Jacksonville Jaguars | Christian Barmore | DT | Alabama |
Karlton– “I think they are going to have to take a look at defense because they have a lot of needs there.” | |||
Cleveland Browns | Kwity Paye | EDGE | Michigan |
Stephen– “Looking at their situation and looking at their depth, they need an edge rusher.” | |||
Baltimore Ravens | Rashod Bateman | WR | Minnesota |
Keynon– “Baltimore is definitely in need of a wide receiver. Someone in the middle of the field that Lamar Jackson can trust and has a reliable set of hands.” | |||
New Orleans Saints | Jamin Davis | LB | Kentucky |
Dylan J– “In our original draft a few months back, I was able to get Davis in the 3rd or 4th round. Since he has shot up every draft board as is now a projected 1st round pick.” | |||
Green Bay Packers | Amari Rodgers | WR | Clemson |
Stephen– “Wide receiver is still a huge need for them, and with him still on the board, I think he would be excited as well.” | |||
Buffalo Bills | Asante Samuel Jr. | CB | Florida State |
Stephen– “They got some guys on the defensive end, but the secondary is somewhere they really need to tighten up.” | |||
Baltimore Ravens | Joseph Ossai | EDGE | Texas |
Keynon– “We could go a number of ways here. We could either go with offensive line help or find us a good edge rusher.” | |||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gregory Rousseau | EDGE | Miami |
Karlton- “William Gholston, Ndamukong Suh, and Jason Pierre-Paul are all free agents after 2021. You are going to need an edge down the road.” |