The Senior Bowl was in the past, and soon there will be a slew of pro-days in this strange draft process. This year’s NFL Draft the season will be peculiar as there is no formal NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February. With some prospects possibly not working out at all, teams of medical examinations may give preference over anything else. Things get weird in a weird year in my 2021 NFL Mock Draft for 4 rounds.
Note that all compensatory actions are projected and are not official. If you have read this ridiculous concept, take a look at the PFN Mock Draft Simulator with Free Trade, including sim-to-sim, sim-to-user and user-to-sim functions.
2021 NFL Mock Draft | 4 rounds | Round One
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Pencil this one in humans. The Jaguars, including head coach Urban Meyer, were at the Trevor Lawrence Pro-day on Friday. Lawrence is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the quarterback class with special arm talent and agility.
Proposed | NFL Draft Prospects 2021: Pauline’s Updated Big Board, Player Rankings
Lawrence does not walk in a completely arid landscape with weapons like DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. around him not. The Jaguars will have to work the rest of the draft to surround him with the best talent, but Lawrence is a possible choice for Jacksonville.
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
The Jets are currently a tough team to read. It is logical that they will want to return as a new coaching system. However, they have many other needs and Joe Douglas has talked about his confidence in Sam Darnold before.
Nevertheless, in this 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft, the Jets take a quarterback, BYUs Zach Wilson. With dazzling throws on the fly and a phenomenal 2020 season, Wilson is stuck as the “QB2” on many draft boards throughout the league. With Wilson on board, the Jets can use their plentiful concept capital to build around him and build a competitive team.
3. Miami Dolphins (via HOU): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
The Dolphins apparently had their young gun in Tua Tagovailoa. So, get the band back together, and give him one of the best pure separators to get out over a good time. DeVonta Smith know the Dolphins, and they know him well thanks to their time together at the Senior Bowl.
Miami had lacking high weapons for Tagovailoa to throw the ball to this year, and as such, he makes sense here for the Dolphins.
4. Atlanta Falcons: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
One of my personal favorite fits. Justin Fields and the Falcons are a good mesh. Fields fits so well in the Arthur Smith offense because you can ask a guy to fit it.
He can push the ball vertically. His physical arm talent combined with the polished stuff he brings to the table is second best in class behind Trevor Lawrence. Fields can also open the ground game with his legs. He may see his stock falling at some people, but Fields and Atlanta are a game made in heaven.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
The Bengals are big winners in this 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft as they get their ideal pick Penei Sewell.
The Bengals know they need to protect Joe Burrow after what has happened over the past year, and Sewell has the perfect combination of play readiness and upside down to satisfy the Bengals’ needs here. He will intervene on the first day and be an integral part of the Bengals’ plans for the present and future.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
I may not like the pass in between Ja’Marr Chase and the Eagles, but it seems a bit redundant to place Jaylen Waddle with Jalen Reagor. I personally still have a lot of hope for Reagor, even after struggling a bit during his rookie season.
Chase is one of the best bouncy ball receivers I have ever researched. The Eagles need someone who can catch the tough grip in traffic, and there is no one better than Chase to do it.
7. Detroit Lions: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
After Jared Goff was acquired by the Rams, the Lions’ front office looks exuberant about his prospects in the Motor City. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see the Lions addressing the offense around their quarterbacks. The moment Kenny Golladay is injured, the Lions wide receiver falls off a cliff.
Jaylen waggel can get in there and be the number one guy. He will still be a headache for defensive coordinators for years to come, as they have to play cover just to slow him down.
8. Carolina Panthers: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota
Matthew Stafford had a difficult time for the Panthers. Since they could not get him, they could very well look at the concept of acquiring their next quarterback.
Trey Lance holds a risk, but that’s the advantage the Panthers are betting on here. If he reaches and reaches his full potential, the league is in trouble. Furthermore, Lance can elevate a team around him to a Super Bowl. It’s all about development, but being around Matt Rhule and Joe Brady is a nice pillow to land on Lance.
9. Denver Broncos: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
The Broncos just released AJ Bouye this week, and there’s a gaping hole on the corner. Tap in Caleb Farley, which is an uber-athletic, tough corner for human coverage, with good enough instincts and a fast short area to work in zone coverage.
The adjustment in a Vic Fangio defense makes sense for both sides, which is why the Broncos get Farley in this 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft.
10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
At this point, the Cowboys only need bodies in the secondary. With the top corner of the board in Farley, they’ll take it Patrick Surtain with joy.
The length and discipline with which Surtain plays is something the Cowboys lack in their secondary direction. Curtain can be the top corner of Trevon Diggs and can excel at high level in men’s coverage.
11. New York Giants: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
The Giants have some directions to get here, but they need a place to sleep. Evan Engram is apparently not working, and Golden Tate is probably on his way out the door.
Kyle Pitts is the best of both worlds for the Giants. Not only can he be the primary weapon in this offense, but Pitts can also work online. He has proven to be an underrated blocker in 2020, and Pitts could be a Darren Waller-like target for Daniel Jones.
12. San Francisco 49ers: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwest
With all the backs of the board, the 49ers get one of the best offensive lineouts in this draft. Approach is not the great need for the 49ers, but the value here is unmistakable.
San Francisco is a strange place where Slater can actually work from within. It would come as no surprise to include Slater at the guard or center, given the needs along this offensive line. Slater’s athleticism and balance fit perfectly with Kyle Shanahan’s zone-heavy scheme.
13. Los Angeles Chargers: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
This is the third offensive suit off the board in this 2021 NFL Mock Draft Series for 4 rounds. The Chargers must protect Justin Herbert. Their situation at the moment is ongoing, and frankly, it’s a bit of a mess.
Christian Darrisaw changes the outlook on it fairly quickly. With his athleticism and average streak, Darrisaw will be a bruise and the franchise suit to protect Herbert.
Minnesota Vikings: Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan
The Vikings’ defense is a hot mess. However, they were at their best when they could trust their pass-rushers to get to the quarterback. Aside from Danielle Hunter, however, there are only a handful of guys in edge rusher in Minnesota.
Kwity Paye comes in and gives the Vikings a tall man with explosion and a growing repertoire of moves, despite not having the ideal length.
15. New England Patriots: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
Joe Thuney may be going out the door, and with Michael Onwenu slipping in as a result, the Patriots need a tackle or a plug-and-play guard. Alijah Vera-Tucker proved he could both be at USC.
With perhaps the best hand use in class and natural athletics, Vera-Tucker could be an appetizer for a decade in New England. This reinforces the offensive line for a unit that gets a few hits.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
It looks like Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals are going their own way, leaving a huge vacancy for Arizona across from Byron Murphy. Jaycee Horn brings the type of swing and is the pure lid angle that the cardinals need on the border.
He has the explosiveness and fluency to play in zone coverage or press-man coverage. Therefore, he is the definition of a litter dog that is supported.