6 takeaways from Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft 2.0

Greogry Rousseau scouting report

ESPN NFL Draft senior analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s second mock draft of the 2021 NFL Draft season is here, and as always, we have some observations.

Kiper took a unique approach to his latest mock draft. He included trades — which is something he usually doesn’t do — so there are a few player-team combinations that we haven’t seen thus far in mock draft season.

Here are six takeaways from Kiper’s Mock Draft 2.0.

Kyle Pitts Florida tight endJets commit to Sam Darnold, grab Florida TE Kyle Pitts

Kiper has the Jets swapping picks with the Falcons — they trade back from No. 2 to No. 4 overall — and they use that pick on Pitts. This would be an exceptional move by New York, assuming there’s enough buy-in on Sam Darnold within the organization.

Darnold hasn’t been great through his first three seasons with the Jets, but he’s been limited by an underwhelming supporting cast as well as what might be the worst head coach — Adam Gase — in the NFL over the last decade.

Every young quarterback needs a bailout option, and Pitts will be that and then some. He’s a three-level threat as a receiver and is the kind of target who’s open even when he’s covered. We saw what Darren Waller did for Derek Carr last season in Las Vegas. Pitts would do the same for Darnold in New York.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL