Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season is upon us, which means we’re nearly halfway through the regular season and the 2021 NFL draft landscape is slowly but surely beginning to sort itself out.
We know the top of Round 1 will likely feature both teams from New York. Talk about drama. The Jets and Giants have used recent first-round picks on quarterbacks but could be staring at upgrades at the position in the first round. That’ll be fun.
The Jaguars, Falcons, and Vikings are also near the top of the draft order and could use upgrades under center as well.
How will it all shake out? Here’s a new 2021 NFL Mock Draft to get an idea:
1. New York Jets
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Giants
Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
Spotlight: Fields will be ranked as QB2 in this year’s draft class, but the Jaguars land a QB1 in a ‘normal’ year that doesn’t include a generational talent like Lawrence. This is a home run for a Jaguars franchise that’s shown how desperate they are for a player to rally around with the way the city’s reacted to Minshew Mania.
4. Atlanta Falcons
Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami
5. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans)
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
6. Minnesota Vikings
Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
7. Cincinnati Bengals
Patrick Surtain Jr., CB, Alabama
8. Dallas Cowboys
Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
9. Washington Football Team
Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Spotlight: Bateman has a chance to be the first wide receiver drafted in 2021. He’s a lot like Keenan Allen in how he can do everything well. He’s a masterful route-runner, can win in contested-catch situations and has enough juice to chew up yards after the catch.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama
11. New England Patriots
Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
Spotlight: Parsons is a true linebacker prospect who brings a similar level of athletic ability as a guy like Cardinals rookie Isaiah Simmons. The difference with Parsons is we know where he’ll play from Day 1 of his career. He’s a perfect fit for the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick.
12. Denver Broncos
Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
13. Carolina Panthers
Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State
14. Dolphins
Creed Humphrey, iOL, Oklahoma
15. Las Vegas Raiders
Wyatt Davis, iOL, Ohio State
16. Detroit Lions
Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
17. San Francisco 49ers
Josh Meyers, iOL, Ohio State
18. New Orleans Saints
Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
19. Philadelphia Eagles
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Spotlight: Waddle’s unfortunate ankle injury will push him further down Round 1 than he should go, but there’s a chance he can still end up a top-20 pick like he is in this mock draft. The Eagles selected Jalen Reagor in 2020’s first round but need to continue investing in the position in 2021. Waddle is exceptional value here (assuming he’s healthy).
20. Indianapolis Colts
Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
21. Cleveland Browns
Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
Spotlight: The emergence of Ronald Jones could make this pick a bit of a reach, but Etienne is Alvin Kamara-like in what he brings to an offense, and with how well-rounded the Buccanneers are in 2020, this is the ideal luxury pick.
23. Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
24. Buffalo Bills
Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
25. Chicago Bears
Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State