2021 YDL NFL Mock Draft – Our ‘Expert’ Predictions for Round 1

WARREN, Pa. – A sense of normalcy will return to the NFL Thursday when the league holds its annual draft live in Cleveland. Unlike the 2020 iteration, which was virtual, players will be in attendance to receive their jersey, team cap and hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

And what would be more normal during draft season than a mock draft? We held a random drawing and assigned our panel of “experts” the corresponding picks. Each “GM” was permitted to pick any player available or swing a trade with any other team based on what they felt was the right move for that team. The rationale was given for each pick or trade, and there were some doozies.

Before we get to the picks, let’s introduce our panel: Your Daily Local reporters/sports broadcasters Andy Close and Brian Hagberg, YDL and D9and10Sports contributors/broadcasters Cody Elms and Dave Sherman, and former Warren football assistant coach (now on the staff at Cambridge Springs) Andrew Morrison.

Without further ado, with the first pick in the 2021 YDL NFL Mock Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select . . .

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson, The 21-year-old Tiger is athletic enough to take over games and mentally he is a leader who is well equipped to handle the rookie season bumps that may come his way. – Cody Elms
2. New York Jets  – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU – The Sam Darnold era officially ended in New York with his trade to Carolina. Wilson, who has long been linked to the Jets, is the pick, as GM Joe Douglas looks to build around the young signal caller. – Andy Close
3. San Francisco 49ers (from Miami Dolphins via Houston Texans) – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State – The 49ers were aggressive this offseason in pursuing a top QB and it pays off here. Fields has long been considered the No. 2 QB in this draft behind Lawrence and Kyle Shanahan now has the type of QB he’s long craved. – Brian Hagberg
4. Atlanta Falcons TRADE to New England Patriots – With loaded offensive skill position players all over the place and a still serviceable SB QB in Matt Ryan, the Falcons need help everywhere on defense and will gladly stockpile five picks over the next two years from the Patriots in order to shore up a leaky defense. The Falcons trade the #4 overall pick in 2021 for numbers 15, 96 and 139 in 2021, and also NE’s first and second round picks in 2022.  – Dave Sherman

Patriots selection: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State, On the surface, this seems like an anti-Belichick move to give up several assets to move up. But Belichick isn’t getting any younger (turned 69 this month) and I don’t see him putting himself through another year of watching Cam Newton underthrow everyone. Lance is a high-ceiling dual-threat who needs some polishing, but this is as good a destination as he could hope for. If Belichick and Josh McDaniels can get Lance going, this could spell trouble in the future of the AFC. Fields would have been the pick here if he were available. And I don’t see The Hoody trading up this far for Mac Jones. – Andrew Morrison

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5. Cincinnati Bengals – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida – The Bengals are in a great spot here. There is going to be a brawl in front of them to get in a position to draft a QB. This should allow the Bengals to have their choice of either a top lineman or a top skill player. I think Pitts is too much of a sure thing for them to pass up. He is a matchup nightmare who can play outside, in the slot, or lined up tight. He’s 6’6 240 and runs a 4.4 40 yard dash. Good luck guarding that. – AM
6. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles)  – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU – It’s officially OFFICIALLY Tua Time! Despite the Dolphins have a plethora of receivers they lack one that will elevate Tua’s game as Chase will. The pick also opens up the door for collecting mid to late round picks by trading off some of the current receiving talent. – CE
7. Detroit Lions – Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon – If Sewell gets to this point, the Lions should snatch him up. The highest rated offensive lineman in the draft gets new QB Jared Goff some much needed protection. He’s a plug-and-play guy. – AC
8. Carolina Panthers – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama – The Panthers would love to see Sewell fall to them, but with him off the board they get new QB Sam Darnold an exciting playmaker on the outside. With Waddle and dynamic RB Christian McCaffrey as his new weapons, it’s put up or shut up time for Darnold. – BH
9. Denver Broncos – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State – With the 9th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft “Mahomes hits Tyreek Hill for 15 and a first down” the Denver Broncos “Mahomes scrambles for 11 yards before stepping out of bounds.” select Penn State LB “Justin Herbert throws his 35th TD pass of the season and puts the Chargers up 35-13 over the Las Vegas Raiders” Micah Parsons.   “Micah, meet Travis Kelce.  Travis, this is Micah Parsons.”  There isn’t a need on offense in the first round for the Broncos and they will sink or swim in 2021 with Drew Lock at QB…there is a need for playmakers on defense, however, and Micah…Parsons…will…make…plays. – DS    
10. Dallas Cowboys – Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama – After locking up Dak Prescott, the Cowboys need to shore up their D. Basically any position on the defense could use help. This is a classic Cowboys pick; flashy name, big school, and a guy who runs quicker than a 4.4 40. Surtain will be the second Crimson Tide corner picked by Dallas in the last two years. – AM
11. New York Giants TRADE with Cleveland Browns –  OBJ is going home! The star wide receiver has always felt too big for Cleveland and his first love was and is New York. With OBJ the Giants will have a lot invested in the position but if they want Jones to succeed under center, they need to give him weapons talented enough to push him to the next level. Along with OBJ, the Giants will receive the Browns first round pick (26) and also 2021 picks 89 and 110. The Browns receive the Giants 2021 first rounder (11) and a 2022 3rd rounder. In short, this is a salary dump for Cleveland with some upside.

Cleveland Browns (from New York Giants) – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame – The versatile LB/Hybrid can play all over the field for the Browns who have been plagued by injuries and lack of talent on defense in recent seasons. JOK allows Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods to get creative with his defensive looks and will only increase the ability to have newly signed Clowney to play more inside. – CE

12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins via San Francisco 49ers) – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina – The Eagles have needs at both corner and receiver. Horn, the son of former Pro Bowl receiver Joe Horn, has good size, is athletic and very aggressive. He could end up being the best defensive back in this class. – AC
13. Los Angeles Chargers – TRADE: Chargers trade pick 13 to Bears for 20th overall pick and 2021 and 2022 second round picks

Chicago Bears selection – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama – The Bears swoop in and take the last consensus first round pick available before any of the teams in the late teens can get a shot at him. The Bears are entering the 2021 season with Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback, which should mean they are looking to draft a QB because Dalton stinks. Jones is a polarizing prospect. He has great pocket presence and footwork and is as accurate as any QB in the draft, but he had unbelievable weapons and the best coaching staff in the country. I think the Bears will gamble on him if he’s still available here. – AM

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14. Minnesota Vikings – Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State – Want to make Kirk Cousins better?  Don’t answer that.  Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson…all recognizable names at the skill positions.  Who are the anonymous grunts that allow the skill position players to shine?  Players such as the #14 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft:  Wyatt Davis, OG from THE Ohio State University.  Arguably the best interior lineman in the country in 2021, Davis has the NFL lineage (Willie Davis, HOF cornerback with the Oakland Raiders is his grandfather) and the measurables to step in and start from Day 1. – DS  
15. Atlanta Falcons via New England – Trevon Moehrig, DB, TCU – Edge Rusher or DB?  Needs at both places as the Falcons face Tom Brady twice a year for the next 10-20 years in Tampa Bay.  The choice here is ball hawking safety Trevon Moehrig out of TCU.  He led the nation in pass breakups last season.   And the season before.  He’ll earn his money with Michael Thomas, Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones, Mike Evans, et al in his division.   Did we mention Tom Brady too? – DS  
16. Arizona Cardinals  – Caleb Farley CB, Virginia Tech – Farley’s aggressiveness, athleticism, and natural size for the position will help the Cardinals in the NFC West on the defensive side of the ball. Despite some injury concerns and Farley’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 season, the Cardinals desperately need to fill the void left by Patrick Peterson. – CE 
17. Las Vegas Raiders – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern – If I’m Vegas GM Mike Mayock, I can’t get this pick in fast enough. I thought Slater would go in the top 10. The Raiders get a steal at 17 and a replacement for Trent Brown. – AC
18. Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami – After bolstering the offense with the sixth pick, the Dolphins find a compliment to Emmanuel Ogbah at 18. Phillips has some questions after retiring from football in 2018 only to return to the game in 2020, but his athleticism and explosiveness off the edge are too much for the Dolphins to pass up. – BH
19. Washington Football Team – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa – All five first round quarterbacks are gone?  Fitzmagic time for the WFT for at least 2021.  Let’s go defense then and Bronco Nagurski-award winning linebacker Zaven Collins out of Tulsa.  From obscurity to solid mid-major linebacker, to All-American, award-winning, first round pick from the Golden Hurricane…Zaven Collins. – DS     
20. Los Angeles Chargers (from Chicago Bears) – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech – The Chargers have spent most of their offseason adding interior protection for Justin Herbert and now get a tackle to protect their young signal caller. LA could think defense here given some of the available options at corner, but protecting Herbert is the priority this year. – BH
21. Indianapolis Colts – Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas. – You’ve got Frank Reich, you’ve got Carson Wentz, and you’ve got a gaping hole at tackle. With Anthony Castonzo retiring, and Wentz having nightmares of last season still fresh in his mind, it is crucial for the Colts to start the confidence building with their new man under center. This is where Sami Cosmi comes into the fold. At 6’6″ and over 300lbs, the former Texas big man should be able to plug right into a starting role for the Colts given his patience and solid fundamental play that many rookies have to develop over time. Cosmi may be a risky pick here, but the Colts have a quarterback who needs maturity and stability around him. Cosmo needs to be fine tuned but his upside is huge and he has the potential to be viewed years from now as one of those guys, 20 other teams passed on. – CE
22. Tennessee Titans – Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss  – The Titans struck gold with an Ole Miss receiver, AJ Brown, in 2019, and they go back to the well this time to take Moore. Outside of Brown, the Titans are thin at receiver, even with the addition of Josh Reynolds. Moore has reportedly been rocketing up draft boards. He’s a home run threat every time he touches the ball and will serve as a great compliment to Brown. – AC 
23. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks) – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama – The Jets can’t believe the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is still on the board here, but waste little time in giving new QB Zach Wilson an uber-talented receiving threat. Smith’s official measurements (6’0″, 166 pounds) may have scared other teams away, but the Jets are willing to take the gamble on the most complete WR in this draft. – BH
24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris, RB, Alabama – The Steelers gasp, look at each other, rub their eyes, look again, and submit their draft card in a record breaking 2 nanoseconds as they select 6’ 2” 230 pound, 57 touchdown scoring, 4600+ yards from scrimmage accumulating, running back of their wildest dreams for 2021, Najee Harris out of Alllla BAMA!!   Roll Tide. – DS    
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams) – Alijah Vera-Tucker, G, USC – The Jaguars need to protect their shiny new QB. Vera-Tucker is the highest ranked lineman available at this point. The Jaguars could use this pick to move down and stockpile more assets, but if not a lineman makes the most sense – AM 
26. New York Giants (from Cleveland Browns) – Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan – The Giants took a risk trading back, and subsequently missed out on Surtain and Parsons, however, the G-Men got lucky and Kwity Paye was still on the board for 26. The former Wolverine is an extraordinarily versatile edge rusher, that can be somewhat of a DE/LB Hybrid. New York needs someone opposite Leonard Williams, and Payne fits the bill. The NFC East will be up for grabs again this year, and with Paye, the Giants may just end up taking over. – CE
27. Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota: The Ravens are definitely targeting receiver with one of their two first round picks. Behind Hollywood Brown, there isn’t a ton, and surrounding Lamar Jackson with as much talent as possible is the priority. Bateman had Top 10 talent, and at 6-2, 210, he’s the perfect compliment to the smaller speed demon Brown. – AC
28. New Orleans Saints – Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern – The Saints need to find a replacement for Janoris Jenkins at corner and though Newsome has some health concerns, is the last corner available with few on-field question marks. – BH
29. Green Bay Packers – Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama – Aaron Rodgers is desperately looking for first-day help at wide receiver to compliment Davante Adams and with the 28th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Rodgers will continue that search as the Packers add to their defensive line talent with Alabama Defensive Tackle Christian Barmore.  With the Pack only a game away from the Super Bowl last season, they can afford to take a shot at the boom or bust 6’ 4” 310 pound defensive lineman who took away defensive MVP honors vs. Ohio State in the 2020 CFP Championship Game.  Roll Tide. – DS  
30. Buffalo Bills  – Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State, It will be tempting for the Bills to take a running back such as Clemson’s Travis Etienne here. Adding him to an offense that already includes Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, and others would make an already great offense even better. However, if you pay attention to GM Brandon Beane’s moves in the past few years, it’s evident that he takes an analytics-based approach more often than not. These analytics will point him away from a running back and toward Samuel, who could pair up with Tre’Davious White to form one of the best corner tandems in the league. There are plenty of talented RBs for the Bills to target later in the draft, and adding Samuel in the first round would be a huge get for Buffalo. – AM 
31. Baltimore Ravens (from Kansas City Chiefs) Azeez Ojulari, DE/LB, Georgia – The Ravens are in one of the best divisions in the NFL in 2020. Big Ben and the Steelers have something to prove, the Browns are gearing up for a legitimate run behind Chubb and Hunt, and the Bengals have a lot of spoiler potential. So for Baltimore, it’s all about what they know best, defense. Adding Ojulari will provide burst off the edge and keep division rival QBs on their toes. At 6’3″ 240lbs Ojulari isn’t the biggest but he makes up for it with amazing body control. – CE
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami: If there’s ever been a team that truly means it when they say ‘best player available,’ it’s the Bucs with this pick, after returning all 22 starters from last season’s Super Bowl team. Rousseau is a long, rangy edge rusher. He is still developing, but his best days are ahead of him and he has the potential to be an elite edge rusher in the NFL. – AC