The day is finally here. Tonight is the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. With the deep quarterback class, elite pass catching weapons and a strong offensive tackle class, after the Jaguars and Jets make their first picks, it’s truly hard to say what will happen. Will there be a ton of draft day trades? Will more teams stay put with the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to the player evaluation process this year? There is so much uncertainty surrounding the quarterbacks landing spots, player’s medicals, and much more. Here is my last, best guess at what will happen tonight, along with my final top 5 positional rankings. Don’t worry, I have some new names in there, and for you Patriots fans out there, I have a quarterback for you who isn’t Cam Newton.
Happy draft day everyone. If you need me, I’ll be drinking and screaming at my television.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
- New York Jets: QB Zach Wilson, BYU
- San Francisco 49ers: QB Mac Jones, Alabama
- Atlanta Falcons: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
- Cincinnati Bengals: WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
- Miami Dolphins: OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
- Detroit Lions: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
- New England Patriots: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State*
- Denver Broncos: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
- Dallas Cowboys: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
- New York Giants: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
- Philadelphia Eagles: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- Los Angeles Chargers: CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
- Minnesota Vikings: OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
- Carolina Panthers: OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC*
- Arizona Cardinals: CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern
- Las Vegas Raiders: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
- Miami Dolphins: Edge Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- Washington Football Team: OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
- Chicago Bears: OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
- Indianapolis Colts: Edge Jaelan Phillips, Miami
- Tennessee Titans: WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
- New York Jets: Edge Kwity Paye, Michigan
- Pittsburgh Steelers: RB Najee Harris, Alabama
- Jacksonville Jaguars: TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
- Cleveland Browns: DL Christian Barmore, Alabama
- Baltimore Ravens: WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
- New Orleans Saints: WR Terrace Marshall Jr, LSU
- Green Bay Packers: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
- Buffalo Bills: CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia
- Baltimore Ravens: Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State
Draft Day Trade*: Patriots send pick 15, CB Stephon Gilmore, and a 2022 1st round pick to Carolina for pick 8
Teams Most Likely to Trade Up
- New England Patriots
- Denver Broncos
- Washington Football Team
- Chicago Bears
- Baltimore Ravens
Teams Most Likely to Trade Down
- Detroit Lions
- Carolina Panthers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Atlanta Falcons
- New England Patriots
Final Positional Rankings
Quarterbacks
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
- Justin Fields, Ohio State
- Zach Wilson, BYU
- Trey Lance, North Dakota State
- Mac Jones, Alabama
Running Backs
- Najee Harris, Alabama
- Javonte Williams, UNC
- Travis Etienne, Clemson
- Michael Carter, UNC
- Trey Sermon, Ohio State
Wide Receivers
- Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
- Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
- DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
- Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
Tight Ends
- Kyle Pitts, Florida
- Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
- Hunter Long, Boston College
- Tommy Tremble, Notre Dame
- Brevin Jordan, Miami
Offensive Tackles
- Penei Sewell, Oregon
- Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
- Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
- Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
- Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State
Interior Offensive Linemen
- Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
- Landon Dickerson, Alabama
- Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
- Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
Edge Rushers
- Jaelen Phillips, Miami
- Kwity Paye, Michigan
- Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- Gregory Rousseau, Miami
- Joseph Ossai, Texas
Defensive Linemen
- Christian Barmore, Alabama
- Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
- Daviyon Nixon, Iowa
- Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech
- Tommy Togiai, Ohio State
Linebackers
- Micah Parsons, Penn State
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
- Zaven Collins, Tulsa
- Jamin Davis, Kentucky
- Jabril Cox, LSU
Cornerbacks
- Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
- Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
- Greg Newsome II, Northwestern
- Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
- Tyson Campbell, Georgia
Safeties
- Trevon Moehrig, TCU
- Jamar Johnson, Indiana
- Jevon Holland, Oregon
- Richie Grant, UCF
- Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech
Image: (Jamie Schwaberow – Getty Images)
