2021 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots, Washington trade up for QBs, first eight picks are on offensive side

Lawrence has reportedly had the Jaguars’ playbook for weeks. Guessing that’s because the team plans on drafting him on Thursday night. Call it a hunch.

It’s somewhat interesting that we’ve all just penciled Wilson in at No. 2 but this appears to be the direction the Jets are going.

We have no idea what happens here but Kyle Shanahan was at his best when he was calling plays for Matt Ryan. That doesn’t mean he isn’t having visions of doing even more with a talent like Trey Lance, we just don’t know because the 49ers have been tight-lipped about their intentions.

The Falcons appear to be ready to continue rolling with Matt Ryan so trading down may be option No. 1, but Atlanta could stay put and take Pitts if the price proves too steep for teams looking for a QB.

The Bengals need to protect Joe Burrow, but we’ve heard that they could instead take Ja’Marr Chase. Perhaps the thinking is that they can just circle back early in Round 2 to get offensive line help. Put another way: Cincy prefers WR1 plus OT5 over, say, OT1 plus WR5.

The Dolphins shipped Ereck Flowers back to Washington, perhaps indicating that they’ll target offensive line here … except the team signed D.J. Fluker this offseason. We still think they’ll go with a game-changing talent like Jaylen Waddle, giving Tua Tagovailoa a much-needed deep threat.

If we’re the Lions we’re taking Justin Fields all day long, but new GM Brad Holmes — who came from the Rams — may think that Jared Goff can make it work (related: if Goff couldn’t make it work in Sean McVay’s system then we don’t have high hopes for him in Detroit). If that’s the case, the Lions could entertain trade offers — this feels like the most likely spot to get the most trade-up action from QB-needy teams — or go about protecting Goff. We have them doing the latter.

We got a trade, y’all. The Patriots filled every need on their roster in free agency except quarterbacks. Yes, Cam Newton signed a one-year deal but, well, it was a one-year deal. A seven-win season didn’t sit well with Bill Belichick and he’s going after his next franchise QB here.

Some teams like Horn more than Patrick Surtain II, so it won’t be a huge surprise if he goes off the board first. The Broncos traded for Teddy Bridgewater, just like Jason La Canfora reported last week, which presumably puts them out of the QB race, at least in this spot. Instead, Horn gives coach Vic Fangio a playmaker in the secondary.

Surtain and the Cowboys have been a popular marriage in a lot of mock drafts and the Alabama cornerback is as close to a sure thing as you’re going to get from this class.

It’s almost impossible to know what GM Dave Gettleman might do here though we do know he’s partial to big guys — which would explain why he might choose to pass on DeVonta Smith. This EDGE class isn’t expected to start going off the board until the middle of the round but Kwity Paye has the athletic traits to go slightly higher than that, and New York has to get better at getting after the QB.

The Eagles traded out of No. 6, presumably because they’re out of the QB market. They’d love to get a cornerback here but with Horn and Surtain gone, they give Jalen Hurts a big-play weapon, reuniting him with former Alabama teammate, DeVonta Smith — who, by the way, would be the first WR drafted if he weighed 186 instead of 166.

We’d imagine the Chargers would be ecstatic about Slater still being on the board here. There have been reports that Justin Herbert would love to reunite with former Oregon teammate Penei Sewell but Slater is OL1 on some teams’ boards.

Washington has Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke but neither is considered the long-term answer at QB. Lance, who could be off the board by No. 3, will garner plenty of interest should he slip outside the top 10.

Carolina forgoes a QB at No. 8, trades down to the middle of the round, stockpiles picks and still gets a much-needed cornerback in Greg Newsome II, who is coming off an impressive 2020 campaign at Northwestern.

The Cardinals would love a cornerback, but the top three are gone, and wide receiver could be an option too — but again, the top three are off the board — so they turn to defense. The team has been linked to Collins in recent days so we have Arizona bolstering its defense in Round 1 for the second straight year.

We’ll repeat what we’ve been saying on a weekly basis: any prospect that plays on the defensive side of the ball is a good start. Moehrig is the best safety in this class — he can patrol centerfield, play in the slot, and be an asset in run support.

The Dolphins could target an edge rusher (only one is off the board) or even a running back (reuniting Tua and Najee Harris) but they take Micah Parsons, who is a top-five talent whose maturity concerns could see him slip to the middle of the round.

The Vikings have their pick of offensive linemen not named Sewell or Slater and they take Alijah Vera-Tucker, who played left tackle last season but will likely kick inside in the NFL. Wherever he ends up, he’ll give Minnesota position flexibility along the O-line.

The Bears could try to trade up for a QB or wait to get one in Round 2. Here they could target offensive line or wide receiver and we have them going with O-line to protect current QB1 Andy Dalton.

Anthony Castonzo announced his retirement this offseason and Jenkins — who plays with an edge — is athletic, has great feet, and moves well in space. He can also man the left or right tackle positions.

The Titans had 19 sacks last season. Even with the addition of Bud Dupree, Tennessee has to upgrade the group and Ojulari is coming off a solid season for the Bulldogs.

We love Basham and think he deserves to be in the first-round conversation. The Jets get a QB at No. 2, bolster their pass rush here, and can add more offensive playmakers with their second-round pick and two third-rounders.

The Steelers’ run game stunk last season. Harris, who has drawn comparisons to Le’Veon Bell, would obviously be an upgrade but the team still has to address plenty of needs, including offensive line, cornerback, linebacker, and — at some point — quarterback.

The Jags could go O-line, running back, safety, or cornerback here but with five picks inside the top 100 they target D-line. Barmore had an impressive final month of the season at Alabama and he’s only going to get better.

Our colleague Pete Prisco thinks Davis is the best linebacker in this class and while we’re not willing to go that far, he’s a legit first-round talent who has only been a starter for one year at Kentucky. The upside is enormous.

Jaelan Phillips is still on the board, and as a top-15 talent he would obviously make sense here for sure, but we wonder if his history of concussions could see him fall outside the top 32. Oweh has only been playing football since his junior year in high school but his measurables are off-the-charts impressive.

Farley underwent a back procedure last month that could scare some teams off from taking him in the top half of the round. But the Saints have needs in the secondary and if Farley is healthy, this pick becomes a steal.

The Packers have to draft a WR at some point and we feel Bateman — who was wholly impressive in 2019 but wasn’t quite the player last year during the pandemic — will return to his dominating form, especially with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball.

We’ve been high on Campbell for months, and some NFL teams like him in this range. We’ll find out together on Thursday night if he finds his way into Round 1, though the Bills could be targeting a running back here.

Jason La Canfora has reported that the Ravens are taking calls about trading down. But if they stay put it would be hard to pass on JOK, who can play linebacker or safety. The biggest issue is making sure he has a well-defined role, which will allow him to flourish sooner rather than later.

Tryon opted out in 2020 but, man, he has some special traits. We think there’s a chance he sneaks into Round 1 though it’s hard to identify one need the Bucs currently have.