NFL MOCK DRAFT 9.0: Final Draft Predictions
We made it. It’s Draft Day. “Vontae Mack no matter what” day. The day where a team might actually take Mac Jones with the third pick. If you’re trying to avoid spoilers for EXACTLY what is going to happen tonight, I suggest you stop reading now.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars-Trevor Lawrence; QB Clemson
Even though he’s about to be the first pick of the draft, Trevor will always be the second coolest Lawrence brother.
2. New York Jets- Zach Wilson; QB Ohio State
Maybe there’s a chance New York has been trolling everyone and they take Fields or Lance with the pick here. If the pick is Wilson, New York needs to do everything in their power not to repeat the mistakes they made with the last top three quarterback they picked.
3. San Francisco 49ers-Mac Jones; QB Alabama
For Jones’ sake, I hope he has a nice career. If he does go to San Francisco, he’s also ending up in a great situation. None of that takes away from the fact that the 49ers trading two future first round picks to grab the fifth best quarterback in the class, who most likely would have been available at 12, is indefensible. The honeymoon will officially be over for Kyle Shanahan after this pick.
4. Atlanta Falcons-Kyle Pitts; TE Florida
Atlanta will want to trade out of this spot, but they probably won’t get an offer they like. Since it appears general manager Terry Fontenot doesn’t want his first big move to be selecting Matt Ryan’s replacement, he’ll gladly add the best weapon in the draft.
5. Cincinnati Bengals-Ja’Marr Chase; WR LSU
I think pick ends up being Chase for two reasons. First of all, Joe Burrow’s preference appears to be Chase and I think his voice will carry a lot of weight. Second, Bengals owner Paul Brown is notoriously old-school (and cheap). Cincinnati is the exact type of franchise that would take Chase over Sewell because they think Chase jerseys would sell better.
6. Miami Dolphins-Jaylen Waddle; WR Alabama
If the board falls this way, Miami will probably look to trade back again to see if they can get better value. Without any taker, they’ll keep the quarterback-receiver college reunion theme going by selecting Waddle.
7. **Trade** New England Patriots-Justin Fields; QB Ohio State
Detroit receives: 2021 first-round pick (15), 2021 second-round pick (46), 2021 fourth-round pick (139), 2021 seventh-round pick (242), 2022 first-round pick.
New England receives: 2021 first-round pick (7), 2021 fifth-round pick (153)
New England completes their unprecedented offseason by trading for their quarterback of the future. Bill Belichick loves value, and he knows there’s no asset more valuable in football than a quarterback on a rookie contract. Additionally, they can be patient with Fields with Cam Newton still on the roster. Detroit does this so they can add a lot more draft capital, including three first round picks next year.
8. Carolina Panthers-Penei Sewell; OT Oregon
Teams like Minnesota and Los Angeles will look to trade up into this spot, but Carolina isn’t going to pass on Sewell. Left tackle is a huge need for this team and Sewell is a can’t-miss prospect.
9. Denver Broncos-Trey Lance; QB North Dakota State
Denver’s acquisition of Teddy Bridgewater should have zero bearing on their decision to take a quarterback in the top ten. If they like their guy-and rumor has it they like Lance-then the Broncos should jump all over him. They can always trade Drew Lock or Bridgewater for that matter. If they don’t go quarterback, expect them to take Micah Parsons.
10. Dallas Cowboys-Patrick Surtain II; CB Alabama
The most mocked selection of 2021 outside of Lawrence. Unless Dallas trades back, expect Surtain to be a Cowboy.
11. New York Giants-DeVonta Smith; WR Alabama
Most Giants’ fans seem to believe New York is going defense here, but I think Dave Gettleman knows his job will be tired to Daniel Jones’ progression this year. With that in mind, he’ll want to surround Jones with as many weapons as possible.
12. Philadelphia Eagles-Jaycee Horn; CB South Carolina
With the top three receivers off the board, the Eagles turns their attention to their other needs. Cornerback is their next biggest need, and Horn’s aggressive style will mesh nicely in Philadelphia.
13. Los Angeles Chargers-Rashawn Slater; OT Northwestern
The Chargers missed out on Sewell, but Slater is a great consolation prize. With Los Angeles’ rebuilt offensive line, they should be squarely in the playoff mix next Fall.
14. Minnesota Vikings-Kwity Paye; Edge Michigan
Minnesota needs help on both lines, and Alijah Vera-Tucker makes a lot of sense. However, I keep coming back to the fact that Mike Zimmer said last year’s team was the worst defense he ever had. On a related note, it’s hard not to root for Paye after reading this story.
15. Detroit Lions-Micah Parsons; LB Penn State
Detroit needs help everywhere and with the added draft capital from the New England trade, they can take whoever is atop their draft board. Parsons’ physicality and athleticism should be a great fit for the type of culture new head coach Dan Campbell wants to establish.
16. Arizona Cardinals-Zaven Collins; LB Tulsa
Apparently, Arizona is infatuated by Collins even after selecting a similar player in Isaiah Simmons last year. Still, for a defense that needs a boost, Collins should be great player from day one.
17. Las Vegas Raiders-Christian Barmore; IDL Alabama.
I think there is an above average chance the only games Jon Gruden scouts are the College Football Playoffs. If that’s true, he probably thinks Barmore is the best player in the draft. If it’s not Barmore, Teven Jenkins and Jamin Davis are also possible selections.
18. Miami Dolphins-Jaelan Phillips; Edge Miami
Miami’s objective tonight should be adding a playmaker and an edge rusher. If those two choices are Waddle and Phillips, then the Dolphins are serious players in the AFC next season.
19. Washington Football Team-Christian Darrisaw; OT Virginia Tech
With the board falling this way, there are a lot of different ways Washington could go. If they want to continue to bolster their defense, Trevon Moehrig would be a great fit. However, their biggest need is left tackle and Darrisaw is the most prototypical tackle in the draft.
20. Chicago Bears-Teven Jenkins; OT Oklahoma State.
After listening to Ryan Pace’s press conference yesterday, it seems very likely Chicago wants to get a quarterback. Since they probably won’t be able to trade into the top ten, they’ll have to wait until day two (or will they?). With no good quarterback option, Pace will probably take the best offensive linemen available, and Jenkins fills a huge need on the right side of the offensive line.
21. **Trade** New York Jets-Alijah Vera-Tucker; IOL USC
Indianapolis receives: 2021 first-round pick (23), 2021 fourth-round pick (107).
Jets receive: 2021 first-round pick (21)
New York could sit back and hope that Vera-Tucker falls to them at 23 and they would probably be safe. However, considering how good he is and how big a need offensive line is for the Jets, they can afford to be aggressive to make sure they land their guy. Indianapolis gets to collect an extra fourth rounder and probably still end up with the player they would have selected at 21.
22. Tennessee Titans-Rashod Bateman; WR Minnesota
The buzz around the league is that Elijah Moore has become the fourth best receiver, but Moore is lacking the size that the Titans covet. Therefore, Tennessee grabs Bateman.
23. Indianapolis Colts-Azeez Ojulari; Edge Georgia
After trading back with New York, Indianapolis grabs the bendy type of edge rusher that they prefer. There’s been whispers that Ojulari’s medicals aren’t great and if that’s true he may fall out of round one.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers-Najee Harris; RB Alabama
This would be one of the worst possible selections Pittsburgh could make, but all signs point towards the Steelers taking Harris. Hopefully they use their later picks to find players that can block for him.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars-Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah; LB Notre Dame
Urban Meyer’s teams in college always had the best athletes on the field, even if they didn’t fit into a prototypical position. Enter Owusu-Koramoah. Jacksonville has two more second round picks to fill bigger needs so that they can use the 25th pick on the best player left in the draft.
26. Cleveland Browns-Greg Newsome II; CB Nortwestern
NFL teams seems to be a little concerned about Newsome’s medicals which is why he slips to 26. Cleveland would be ecstatic to land this talented of a cornerback this late in the draft.
27. Baltimore Ravens-Trevon Moehrig; S TCU
Baltimore has two first round picks after the Orlando Brown trade, but I suspect they’ll trade down from one of them. At 27, they can take the type of player they thought they were getting when they signed Earl Thomas.
28. New Orleans Saints-Caleb Farley; CB Virginia Tech
The medical concerns surrounding Farley are very real but New Orleans likes high upside players even if there is some risk. Considering that Farley might be the best cornerback in football if he stays healthy, and it’s easy to see why New Orleans would take the risk.
29. Green Bay Packers-Elijah Moore; WR Ole Miss
The Packers finally take a wide receiver! Moore is a perfect slot weapon for Aaron Rodgers and for a team that’s trying to win a Super Bowl next season, Moore could be the missing piece.
30. Buffalo Bills-Jayson Oweh; Edge Penn State
Buffalo’s front office is too smart to take a running back here, so they’ll probably go corner or edge. Given Oweh’s freakish athleticism, that’s where my money would be.
31. **Trade**Chicago Bears-Davis Mills; QB Stanford
Baltimore receives: 2021 second-round pick (52) 2021 fifth-round pick (164) 2021 sixth-round pick (208), 2022 second-round pick.
Chicago receives: 2021 first-round pick (31), 2021 fifth-round pick (171)
As I touched on at pick 20, the Bears are desperate for a quarterback and they’ll want to protect the fifth-year option for him which is why they trade back into the first round. This will also be the point of the night where I start drinking profusely.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Joe Tryon; Edge Washington
Who do you take for the team that has everything? A boring but productive edge rusher. Must be nice to root for a good team.