ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay published his pre-free agency 2021 NFL Mock Draft on Friday and it got started with an even bigger run at the quarterback position than we’ve seen up to this point in mock draft season.
McShay’s mock draft begins with four-straight quarterbacks, highlighting a top-10 that features nine-straight players on offense.
Let’s dive into McShay’s mock with our six biggest takeaways.
Quarterbacks make up the first four picks
There’s a good chance that the first three picks in the 2021 NFL Draft will be a quarterback. At least, three of the first four picks could come from the position. But in order for this to happen, a trade must take place, as McShay predicts will be the case in his mock.
He has the Panthers leapfrogging the Falcons and trading with the Dolphins to land the third overall pick, which they use on Ohio State’s Justin Fields. That leaves Atlanta with North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, which would be a perfect landing spot for the young and inexperienced passer who can sit behind Matt Ryan for a season or two while learning the NFL game.
One thing seems abundantly clear from McShay’s mock draft: the top-five picks are going to be a wild breeding ground for trades, which always makes the NFL draft more fun.
