Nason’s Way Too Early 2021 Mock Draft

After taking some time to decompress from the 2020 NFL Draft season, I’m ready to get after 2021! This year’s draft gave us a Heisman winner and national champion taken number one, a franchise changing pass rusher taken second, and a generational defensive back taken third, and all three of them happen to be former Ohio State Buckeyes (the fan in me had to point that out). Next year features some incredibly talented quarterbacks, another strong and deep wide receiver class, and talent all over the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With that being said, here’s my first mock draft of the 2021 cycle!

(Draft order courtesy of The Draft Network)

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
2. Washington Redskins: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
3. Cincinnati Bengals: OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
4. Carolina Panthers: WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
5. New York Jets: Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami
6. New York Giants: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
7. Detroit Lions: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
8. Miami Dolphins: OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas
9. Miami Dolphins: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
10. Denver Broncos: OT Walker Little, Stanford
11. Atlanta Falcons: QB Jaime Newman, Georgia
12. Arizona Cardinals: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
13. Chicago Bears: OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
14. Las Vegas Raiders: DL Marvin Wilson, Florida State
15. Cleveland Browns: LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
16. Tennessee Titans: WR Justyn Ross, Clemson
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
18. Minnesota Vikings: Edge Xavier Thomas, Clemson
19. Los Angeles Chargers: CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State
21. Indianapolis Colts: TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
22. New England Patriots: WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
23. Buffalo Bills: Edge Quincy Roche, Miami
24. Green Bay Packers: WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
25. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
26. Seattle Seahawks: OT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DL Tyler Shelvin, LSU
28. Dallas Cowboys: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
29. New Orleans Saints: WR Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
30. San Francisco 49ers: IOL Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
31. Baltimore Ravens: IOL Trey Smith, Tennessee
32. Kansas City Chiefs: IOL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma

Notes:

The Quarterbacks: 

The 2021 class has a ton of star power at the top, starting with Trevor Lawrence, who is the greatest prospect I have seen in recent memory, and will surely go number one unless a team with an established franchise quarterback is picking there. Justin Fields and Trey Lance are college stars and make up a strong 2nd tier of signal callers for this year, and Newman and Purdy offer traits and production that will intrigue teams and will keep them in 1st round conversations. This class is leaps and bounds better and deeper than the 2020 class.

The Pass Catchers: 

The 2020 wide receiver class was historically talented and deep, but the tight end class left a lot to be desired. The 2021 wideout class features some studs at the top, starting with LSU star Ja’Marr Chase, the Alabama duo of Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman, and Clemson’s Justyn Ross, and there are a lot more after that. The tight end position features 3 studs in Pat Freiermuth, Kyle Pitts, and Miami’s Brevin Jordan. If your team needs offensive weapons, 2021 will be good to them.

The Linemen:

Pass protection will be at a premium as well. This class will be headlined by Penei Sewell, a surefire top 3 pick who is the best left tackle prospect in recent memory. Samuel Cosmi, Walker Little, Alex Leatherwood add to the talented depth at the position, and the guards/centers start strong with Wyatt Davis, Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey.

Image: (Getty Images)