Pick #1 – Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence: QB / Clemson / 6’6” / 220 lbs.
Put it in sharpie. The odds right now, according to Draft Kings, of Lawrence going #1 are -10000. Taking out all your life savings and throwing it on him heading to Jacksonville would be advisable. It’s free money. In all seriousness he has the ideal build for a star QB and has produced on the biggest stage for almost 3 years. Most QBs coming out of college never have the experience that he has. He is being compared to Andrew Luck out of college, I would not go that far but he is as much of a sure thing you can have at a QB coming out of school.
Pick #2 – New York Jets – Zach Wilson: QB / BYU / 6’3” / 210 lbs.
Before shipping off Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2nd, 4th, and a 6th round pick, they had teams calling them looking to trade up to their spot and told teams they are not interested, guaranteeing that they will go QB with the 2nd overall pick. All signs so far have led to them leaning towards Zach Wilson and the betting odds would agree. Wilson, shot onto the scene this year with incredible throws off any platform which has led to comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. He is miles away from Mahomes but the plays he can make do remind you of him. He does have some concerns with ball placement, and many speak about the lack of competition he played but the upside is too much to turn down if you are the Jets.
"That's the throw of the Pro Day season right now."
Zach Wilson showing off 🤫
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Xz2cWdlJV1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2021
Pick #3 – San Francisco 49ers (via Miami) – Mac Jones: QB / Alabama / 6’3” / 214 lbs.
The 49ers should not take Mac Jones. Jones is a high-floor, low-ceiling player and is not someone you trade future first round picks for. But with that being said, all the reports as of now lead to Mac Jones being the favorite to go to the 49ers. Ian Rappaport reported that the 49ers appear to be down to Trey Lance and Mac Jones and with Kyle Shanahan going to Alabama’s pro day instead of Ohio State’s to see Justin Fields he seems dialed in on Jones at #3. The 49ers are a team that can win now, and Mac Jones is very similar to Garoppolo and does not put them over the top. Taking a high ceiling QB here should be the pick and Jones is far from that.
Trade: Denver Broncos trade up with Atlanta to grab their franchise QB
Pick #4 – Denver Broncos – Justin Fields: QB / Ohio St. / 6’3” / 228 lbs.
Drew Lock has been bad in his few years as their starting QB. If Justin Fields slips past the 49ers, Denver would be right to move up and grab him and not look back. The Broncos would still have the option to develop him under Lock, but he is much better than him and would most likely win the job out of camp. Fields has been getting a bad wrap recently in the media for reasons many are not sure of. He played in the CFP semifinal after taking a huge blow and continued to throw dots. He has potential to be the best QB in this draft and shouldn’t have fallen this far. Denver would be ecstatic to draft Fields.
Justin Fields putting on a show at pro day 💣
(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/I4cgaiDf1N
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2021
Pick #5 – Cincinnati Bengals – Kyle Pitts: TE / Florida / 6’6” / 240 lbs.
Teaming up LSU teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow would be an awesome story, but they already have young studs at receiver in Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. Adding Kyle Pitts to that receiving core would be incredible. Kyle Pitts is not just a TE, he is a versatile weapon who can line up anywhere and make plays. His route tree is superb as he can run any route with precision and efficiency and is a massive mismatch for any LB that tries to line up across from them. You could argue O-Line has to be the pick here, but this draft class has great depth at OT and the Bengals can find one at the top of the second round. Passing on a generational TE here would be tough to pass on. With his massive catch radius and speed at his size he will instantly be one of the better tight ends in the league.
Pick #6 – Miami Dolphins (via Philadelphia) – Ja’Marr Chase: WR / LSU / 6’0” / 208 lbs.
The Dolphins would be wise here to consider QB here but giving up on Tua this early would be a shame. But getting him some weapons to help him out should be the only option here. Signing Will Fuller gives them an elite deep threat but he is often injured, and Devante Parker has not quite lived up to his expectations as the X receiver in this offense. They have an out after this year on his contract and can bring in Chase to replace him. Ja’Marr Chase sat out this year, but his game tape was unbelievable the year prior. 50-50 balls for him are almost guarantees and combing that with his elite speed and separation, his ceiling is a Julio Jones like player.
Trade: New England Patriots trade up with Detroit to grab their future franchise QB
Pick #7 – New England Patriots – Trey Lance: QB / North Dakota St. / 6’4” / 226 lbs.
If Trey Lance went to a Power 5 school, he would have much more talk of being up there with Wilson and Fields. The Patriots have been looking for the heir to Tom Brady and Lance is the exact opposite of Brady. If the Patriots want Lance they will need to jump over the Panthers and the Lions seem to be content with Goff and would like to pile up assets for the future. Lance can learn under Newton, who has a very similar play style, for a year. Lance has elite traits, arguably the best arm in the draft and an incredible runner at the position. Saying he has not played any competition is fair, but he made incredible throws and it can translate to the NFL level especially paired with Belichick.
Trey Lance in action at his second pro day yesterday ⬇️
— Sky Sports NFL (@SkySportsNFL) April 20, 2021
Pick #8 – Carolina Panthers – Penei Sewell: OT / Oregon / 6’6” / 330 lbs.
Protecting Sam Darnold would be ideal. Darnold was running for his life in New York and for him to prove he’s the Panthers guy, you have to protect him. Passing on arguably the best offensive lineman in the draft would only be arguable if it was for a stud receiver but Carolina has a solid receiving core. Sewell is an incredible athlete and a menace in the run game but there are concerns considering he sat out last year. Darnold has had a long run of having awful protection but he will now have incredible weapons in DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and Christian McCaffery. Adding a stud OT to protect him would lead the Panthers to know quickly if he is their franchise QB.
Trade: Atlanta Falcons trade back with Denver Broncos
Pick #9 – Atlanta Falcons – Jaylen Waddle: WR / Alabama / 5’10” / 182 lbs..
Rumors are swirling this weekend about a possible Julio Jones trade and with his massive contract and his age it is not out of the realm of possibilities that they are looking for another WR. Waddle can be argued as the best receiver in this class. He has elite speed (4.37 40-yard dash), elite separation and when he gets the ball in his hands, good luck. He has a small frame but still is a great jump ball receiver and has a large catch radius. Injury concerns are real considering he missed a good chunk of last season with a broken ankle but there is no muscle damage which is optimistic. He is too good to pass up on even if they have bigger needs at other positions. Defensive coordinators will have nightmares game planning how to stop Julio, Ridley and Waddle.
Whoever drafts Jaylen Waddle is getting a dynamic speedster 🔥 (via @chad_reuter)
📺: 2021 #NFLDraft – 4/29 to 5/1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/llxQs3NObg
— NFL (@NFL) April 22, 2021
Pick #10 – Dallas Cowboys – Patrick Surtain II: CB / Alabama / 6’2” / 203 lbs.
Besides Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars, Surtain to Dallas seems like the most obvious pick of the first round. He seems to be the best bet for the first defensive player off the board. He has great size for the position and will match up incredibly with another team’s X receiver. Dallas’s defense has many holes which were clear to see when teams were consistently putting up 30+ points against them. After losing Chidobe Awuzie this offseason, pairing Surtain with Trevon Diggs would solidify the corner position for the Cowboys.
