The Senior Bowl is a thing of the past, and soon the many pro days in this strange design process will be with us. These years NFL draft the season will be special as there will be no formal personal NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February. Because some prospects don’t work at all, teams can prioritize medical checkups over everything else. It gets weird in a weird year in my 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft.
Keep in mind that all compensatory choices are projected and not official. When you have finished reading this mock version, you should download the PFN Mock Draft Simulator with Free Trades, including SIM-to-SIM, SIM-to-user, and User-to-SIM features.
2021 4-Round NFL Mock Draft | Round one
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Pencil these in people. The Jaguars, including head coach Urban Meyer, were with the Trevor Lawrence Pro Day on Friday. Lawrence is head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterback class with special arm talent and mobility.
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Lawrence doesn’t walk into a completely barren landscape with weapons like DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. that are already around him. The Jaguars will have to work to surround him with the best talent possible throughout the rest of the design, but Lawrence is a potential franchise-changing choice for Jacksonville.
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
The Jets are a difficult team to read right now. It makes sense that they would start looking for quarterback given that a new coaching regime is coming. However, they have a host of other needs, and Joe Douglas has spoken of his confidence in Sam Darnold before.
Nonetheless, in this 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft, the Jets take a quarterback, BYU’s Zach WilsonWith dazzling pitches on the run and a phenomenal 2020 season, Wilson sits firmly as the “QB2” on many draft boards in the league. With Wilson on board, the Jets can use their abundant towing capital to build around him and assemble a competitive team.
3. Miami Dolphins (via HOU): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
The dolphins seemingly have their young gunfighter in Tua Tagovailoa. So get the band back together and give it one of the best sheer separators to come out in a while. DeVonta Smith knows the dolphins, and they know him well from their time together in the Senior Bowl.
Miami didn’t have any high-end guns for Tagovailoa to throw the ball at this year, and as such, it makes sense for the dolphins here.
4. Atlanta Falcons: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
One of my personal favorite fits. Justin Fields and the falcons are a great network together. Fields suits Arthur Smith’s offense just as much as you could ask a man to try it on.
He can easily push the ball vertically. His physical arm talent combined with the polished goods 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 drop for some people, but Fields and Atlanta are a match 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 According to 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 ready-to-play ability and advantage to satisfy the Bengals’ needs here. He will intervene on day one and be an integral part of the Bengal’s plans for the present and the future.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
I may not like the fit in between Yes’Marr Chase and the Eagles, but it seems a bit redundant to put Jaylen Waddle at Jalen Reagor. Personally, I still have hope for Reagor even after he had some issues during his rookie season.
Chase is one of the best jump ball receivers I’ve ever scouted. The Eagles need someone who can take those hard hits in traffic, and there’s no one better than Chase to do it.
Detroit Lions: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
After taking over Jared Goff from the Rams, the Lions front office seems exuberant about his Motor City prospects. If so, it’s hard not to see the Lions take the offense around their quarterback. The moment Kenny Golladay was injured, the Lions wide receiver game fell off a cliff.
Jaylen Waddle can get in there and be number one. He will be a headache for defensive coordinators for years to come, as they have to play covers to slow him down.
Carolina Panthers: Trey Lance, QB, State of North Dakota
The Panthers were tough on Matthew Stafford. However, since they couldn’t get him, they could look very closely at the service to acquire their next quarterback.
Trey Lance comes with risks, but it’s the advantage the Panthers are betting on here. If he hits and reaches his full potential, the competition is in trouble. Plus, 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 for Lance.
Denver Broncos: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
The Broncos just released AJ Bouye this week, and there’s a gaping hole at cornerback. Enter Caleb Farley, who is an uber-athletic, tacky cornerback with enough instincts and speed on short areas to work in zone coverage.
The fit in a Vic Fangio defense makes sense to both sides, which is why the Broncos will 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 back from the board in Farley, they’ll take it Patrick Surtain with joy.
The length and discipline with which Surtain plays is something the cowboys greatly miss in their secondary sense. Surtain can be the top corner opposite Trevon Diggs and can excel at high level man cover.
11. New York Giants: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
The Giants have a few directions they can go, but they badly need a pass catcher. Evan Engram seemingly isn’t working, and Golden Tate is probably on his way out.
Kyle Pitts is the best of both worlds for the Giants. Not only can he be the main passing weapon in this attack, but Pitts can also work in line. He’s proven to be an underrated blocker in 2020, and Pitts could be a Darren Waller-esque target for Daniel Jones.
12. San Francisco 49ers: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
With all quarterbacks off the board, the 49ers get one of the best offensive linemen in this design. Tackle isn’t this huge need for the 49ers, but the value here is undeniable.
San Francisco is a weird place where Slater really works inside out. It wouldn’t be a surprise to put Slater on hold or in the middle, given the needs along this offensive line. Slater’s athleticism and balance fit Kyle Shanahan’s zone-heavy schedule perfectly.
13. Los Angeles Chargers: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
This is the board’s third offensive tackle in this 4-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft. The Chargers must protect Justin Herbert. Their tackling situation is on the move right now, and frankly it’s a bit of a mess.
Christian Darrisaw however, the view on this changes quite quickly. With his athleticism and vicious streak, Darrisaw will be a bruise run blocker and take on the franchise to protect Herbert.
Minnesota Vikings: Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan
The Vikings’ defense is a hot mess. However, they’ve been their best when they can rely on their pass rushers to get to the quarterback. Outside of Danielle Hunter, however, there are only a few guys at edge rusher in Minnesota.
Payment receipts comes in and gives the Vikings a high-upside type of man with explosiveness and a growing repertoire of moves, despite the lack of ideal height.
15. New England Patriots: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
Joe Thuney may be going out the door, and with Michael Onwenu possibly slipping in, the Patriots need a tackle or a plug-and-play guard. Aliyah Vera-Tucker has proven that he can be both at USC.
With arguably the best in class hand use and natural athletics, Vera-Tucker could be a starter in New England for a decade. It strengthens the line of attack for a unit that takes some hits.
Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals seem to be going their separate ways, and that leaves a huge vacancy for Arizona opposite Byron Murphy. Jaycee Horn brings the kind of swagger and is the sheer angle of coverage the cardinals need at the limit.
It has the explosiveness and flexibility to play in zone coverage or pressman coverage. Hence, he’s the definition of a junkyard dog in run support.