The NFL Draft is a little over a month away, but teams have been preparing for this upcoming draft since the start of last season.
The draft is one of the best ways to open the Super Bowl window for teams because it creates cap-friendly contracts with rookie deals. With that being said, it opens more room cap-wise in order to bring in big-name free agents and help a championship push.
The Jacksonville Jaguars own the first selection in the 2021 draft, and everyone seems to agree on a lock with the pick and ideally select Trevor Lawrence. After that, there’s really no saying what will happen.
The Patriots did re-sign QB Cam Newton meaning they could look to add to the offense at 15 instead of taking Mac Jones or Trey Lance if available.
Let’s take a look at the NFL Mock Draft 6.0.
1.) Jacksonville Jaguars
QB — Trevor Lawrence — Clemson
There’s really no doubt in any draft expert’s mind that the Jaguars will be taking Trevor Lawrence this draft. It’s an easy and obvious pick to immediately jump-start their rebuild, they just need to keep adding pieces around him to start the engine.
2.) New York Jets
QB — Zach Wilson — BYU
Sam Darnold is still a member of the New York Jets, but most predict his time there has come to an end and it is just a matter of who he will play for next. Zach Wilson makes the most sense for New York as the second-best quarterback in this draft class, and they can restart with their new coach Robert Saleh and new QB Zach Wilson.
3.) Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans)
OT — Penei Sewell — Oregon
Most want the Dolphins to grab one of the top receivers with their theirs overall selection but it doesn’t make much sense when there are bigger needs to fill. Penei Sewell will instantly shape up the Dolphin’s offensive line, and Miami can always grab a talented receiver with their second 1st-round pick.
4.) Atlanta Falcons
TE — Kyle Pitts — Florida
Instead of selecting a QB with their 4th overall pick, Atlanta should go all in on maximizing Matt Ryan and Julio Jones contracts. There should be no reason to hold onto the aging stars if you don’t want to win now, so add Kyle Pitts to an already explosive offense, and you could find yourself in a wildcard matchup.
5.) Cincinnati Bengals
WR — Devonta Smith — Alabama
If Penei Sewell were to fall to Cincinnati, it would be a lock at 5, but in this mock he is unavailable. The only receiver that seems to be valuable for the Bengals is Tee Higgins, but both AJ Green and John Ross are set to hit free agency as URFA’s. Adding a receiver for Joe Burrow would be nice, but this would be only if Cincinnati can secure some top-tier offensive linemen in free agency.
6.) Philadelphia Eagles
WR — JaMarr Chase — LSU
This is a pretty easy pick for the Eagles if he is available. JaMarr Chase has the best potential in the draft among the receivers and could be Philadelphia’s top guy for years to come. The Eagles have a lot to fix defensively as well, but grabbing the top available receiver is a no-brainer.
7.) Detroit Lions
LB — Micah Parsons — Penn State
Some scouts believe Micah Parsons could fall in the draft due to some prior history from his past, but that hasn’t stopped most prospects from still getting drafted in the first round. Parsons is the top linebacker in the draft and Detroit would heavily benefit from his talents.
8.) Carolina Panthers
QB — Justin Fields — Ohio State
Carolina would honestly be lucky to land any of the top five QBs, as there are a ton of rumors about some teams wanting to trade up for certain players. In this case, Carolina stumbles upon a QB who beat Trevor Lawrence to send his team to the National Championship game. The Panthers have the most interest in Deshaun Watson, but the Texans remain stout on keeping him, so drafting the next available QB is the best option for Carolina.
9.) Denver Broncos
QB — Trey Lance — North Dakota State
Denver is another team that would be lucky to land a QB with their first selection, and they are more than open to moving on from quarterback, Drew Lock, or at least just using him as their backup. Trey Lance is the perfect big-arm quarterback that Denver will need to compete with Patrick Mahomes and the AFC West. It always starts with a QB, which Denver hasn’t had in awhile.
10.) Dallas Cowboys
CB — Patrick Surtain II — Alabama
The Cowboys need to go defense-heavy drafting this year if they want to begin to dominate the NFC East as planned. The offense is pretty much set after selecting CeeDee Lamb last draft and re-signing Dak Prescott to a long-term deal. Surtain seems to be everyone’s favorite CB this draft, but Dallas could lean towards Caleb Farley. Either way, Dallas needs to address the secondary need.
11.) New York Giants
WR — Jaylen Waddle — Alabama
12.) San Francisco 49ers
OT — Rashawn Slater — Northwestern
13.) Los Angeles Chargers
CB — Caleb Farley — Virginia Tech
14.) Minnesota Vikings
OL — Alijah Vera-Tucker — USC
15.) New England Patriots
WR — Kadarius Toney — Florida
16.) Arizona Cardinals
OT — Christian Darrisaw — Virginia Tech
17.) Las Vegas Raiders
EDGE — Kwity Paye — Michigan
18.) Miami Dolphins
WR — Reshod Bateman — Minnesota
19.) Washington Football Team
QB — Mac Jones — Alabama
20.) Chicago Bears
WR — Rondale Moore — Purdue
21.) Indianapolis Colts
EDGE — Gregory Rousseau — Miami
22.) Tennessee Titans
CB — Jaycee Horn— South Carolina
23.) Seattle Seahawks
OT — Samuel Cosmi — Texas
24.) Pittsburgh Steelers
OT — Teven Jenkins — Oklahoma State
25.) Jacksonville Jaguars (via LA Rams)
DI — Christian Barmore — Alabama
26.) Cleveland Browns
S — Trevon Moehrig — TCU
27.) Baltimore Ravens
WR — Elijah Moore — Ole Miss
28.) New Orleans Saints
LB — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah — Notre Dame
29.) Green Bay Packers
RB — Travis Etienne — Clemson
30.) Buffalo Bills
OL — Wyatt Davis — Ohio State
31.) Kansas City Chiefs
LB — Nick Bolton — Missouri
32.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
EDGE — Jaelan Phillips — Miami
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