2021 NFL Draft Round 1 Mock

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is tonight. Anticipation has been building for months and now it is time to get the party started. My hometown of Jacksonville is going to be buzzing. The Jaguars hold the first overall pick and pick 25 later in the evening. To prepare for draft night and have a bit of fun, myself and a friend of mine, Peyton Shelton, threw together a full first round mock. We didn't do any trading, but we expect a lot of it on draft night.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence QB Clemson

This is the most slam dunk pick in the entire draft. Lawrence has been destined to be the first overall selection since his high school days. The savior of Jaguar football is on his way.

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson QB BYU

Wilson had a very impressive 2020 season with the Cougars. He has jumped over Justin Fields to become the second quarterback on many people's boards. This pick also seems pretty locked in at this point.

3. San Francisco 49ers: Mac Jones QB Alabama

I don't like it, but it's going to happen. I won't go on the record saying Jones is a bad player, because that is not true. However, he isn't trade up to number 3 overall good. Good luck with this one San Francisco.

4. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts TE Florida

This is where trades could start going down. Many teams could be jumping up here to grab quarterback Justin Fields. For the sake of our mock, the Falcons stay put and get an amazing athlete. Pitts is the second best player in this whole draft. Adding him alongside Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones is just ridiculous.

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase WR LSU

This was the first disagreement between Peyton and I. He thinks the Bengals will take Sewell from Oregon. I also think that would be a smarter pick. Regardless, I think Cincinnati reunites Joe Burrow with his number one option from the 2019 LSU team.

6. Miami Dolphins: DeVonta Smith WR Alabama

The two Alabama wideouts in this draft are so dang good. It is hard to ignore the more recent success of Smith. His Heisman campaign in 2020 was unbelievable and something we haven't seen since 1991. Miami is also doing some reuniting, this is Tua's team now and he gets a familiar face running routes.

7. Detroit Lions: Jaylen Waddle WR Alabama

Coming off of a season plagued with injury, Waddle is still a top-tier playmaker in this draft class. His explosiveness should have no fall off at the next level and Detroit needs the help. New quarterback Jared Goff doesn't have much to throw to after the departures of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. in free agency. Waddle will slide into a prominent role in the Lions offense.

8. Carolina Panthers: Penei Sewell OT Oregon

The Panthers made a move earlier this offseason to acquire quarterback Sam Darnold from the Jets. Just yesterday they shipped Teddy Bridgewater to Denver. Here they take the best available player, helping out their new signal caller and their star running back.

9. Denver Broncos: Justin Fields QB Ohio St.

We went through and made these picks on Tuesday night and the news of Bridgewater to the Broncos dropped yesterday as I was writing this. I'm still going to stick with Fields here, making Denver double dip at quarterback. With 2 more options in the fold one of them is bound to work out. Right?

10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain II CB Alabama

In a year where there is a really good group of corners, it is hard to go wrong if you need one. The Cowboys do indeed need some help on the defensive side of the ball. Surtain played against some tough competition and always held his own on an island. He joins Florida's CJ Henderson, who went number 9 overall last year, as yet another SEC corner cracking the top 10.

11. New York Giants: Rashawn Slater OT Northwestern

After using the fourth overall pick on Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas in last years draft, the Giants are inventing in their line again. Saquon Barkley will be back from his ACL injury and New York has invested a lot into surrounding Daniel Jones with weapons. This Giants offensive unit is either going to flourish or it might be time to blow it up again.

12. Philadelphia Eagles: Micha Parsons LB Penn St.

Parsons is one of the best defensive players and the top linebacker prospect in this year's class. In Happy Valley he lead the Nittany Lions defense as an impressive athlete able to effortlessly drop into coverage or get after opposing quarterbacks. Philadelphia's new head coach Nick Sirianni gets a versatile defensive playmaker at a great value.

13. Los Angeles Chargers: Christian Darrisaw OT Virginia Tech

Justin Herbert had an astounding rookie campaign. The Chargers are going to want to do everything they can to keep their quarterback clean and they do just that here. Darrisaw is an instant starter at left tackle.

14. Minnesota Vikings: Alijah Vera-Tucker OT USC

He is often referred to as the most versatile offensive lineman in this draft class and I agree. The Vikings offense is filled with talent. Give Cousins more time to distribute the ball and their receivers will continue to be lethal.

15. New England Patriots: Trey Lance QB North Dakota St.

We all know the storyline here. The patriots finally find a new option at quarterback after the departure of Tom Brady. Even with Cam Newton back on a single year deal, we all know he isn't the future. Lance is a great talent but could serve well sitting for a while. Bill Belichick won't rush the process because he needs to get it right this time.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Christian Baramore DT Alabama

Easily the best defensive tackle in the draft. Baramore is a huge steal here for the Cardinals. Their offense has continued to improve, building around Kyler Murray. Adding this rookie up front, alongside newly acquired JJ Watt could allow them to start making a little more noise in the competitive NFC West.

17. Las Vegas Raiders: Jaycee Horn CB South Carolina

The Raiders are back in the cornerback market because a talent like Horn is too good to pass up. He sees himself as the best corner in the draft and had a lot of hard matchups playing in the SEC.

18. Miami Dolphins: Teven Jenkins OT Oklahoma St.

This dude is a beast in the trenches. After giving Tua a new weapon at 6, the Dolphins shift focus to keeping their investment off his butt. This is a need Miami will continually need to address considering Tagovailoa's injury history.

19. Washington Football Team: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah LB ND

This is one of the most up in the air picks of the first round. Washington has many directions they could go. They look towards the defense here after a couple of good moves offensively in free agency. Owusu-Koramoah is a stud in the interior of the defense and played in some big games during his time in South Bend.

20. Chicago Bears: Greg Newsome II CB Northwestern

Another talented corner comes off the board here. Newsome impressed on the big stage, especially against Ohio St. in the Big 10 Championship game. Chicago waste no time filling the spot of now Bronco, Kyle Fuller.

21. Indianapolis Colts: Elijah Moore WR Ole Miss

Indy made a splash after the retirement of Phillip Rivers to go get former second overall pick Carson Wentz out of Philadelphia. Their offensive line is elite and the anchor of it, Quenton Nelson just got his fifth-year option picked up. Jonathan Taylor looks like a budding superstar. TY Hilton is on the decline and his heir is taken right here. The last couple of Ole Miss wideouts have turned out pretty good, time to see if Moore can follow in the footsteps of DK Metcalf and AJ Brown.

22. Tennessee Titans: Terrace Marshall Jr. WR LSU

Speaking of AJ Brown, he gets a new running mate here. Marshall tore it up as the number one option this past season at LSU. The Titans offense has the scariest running attack in the NFL, his name is Derrick Henry. If they start being able to consistently make plays over the top, the league needs to watch out.

23. New York Jets: Kwity Paye DE Michigan

The Jets are back for their second selection of the first round. New York's defense has some nice pieces and we all know you can never have too many pass rushers. Paye is an explosive athlete and a steal this late in the first.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Caleb Farley CB Virginia Tech

The top 4 corners in this class are all spectacular. For teams with a need at the position it has been take your pick so far. Farley comes off the board here and will get the chance to line up opposite Joe Haden.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevon Moehrig S TCU

After landing their generational talent to sling the rock at first overall, the Jags have a lot of positions to start filling and they start to do so here. Moehrig is the top safety prospect this year and will instantly become a starter alongside newly acquired Rayshawn Jenkins.

26. Cleveland Browns: Jalen Phillips DE Miami

This is a value over need pick for the Browns. Phillips is extremely talented and if he slides this far Cleveland won't be able to pass on him. He joins a pass rush crew that includes Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.

27. Baltimore Ravens: Rashod Bateman WR Minnesota

The Ravens desperately need more weapons for Lamar Jackson. Bateman plugs right into their young and explosive offense. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, JK Dobbins and Rashod Bateman, Jackson would be a happy quarterback.

28. New Orleans Saints: Asante Samuel Jr. CB Florida St.

Samuel is in a lower tier than the first 4 corners taken. New Orleans could have easily gone wide receiver, but instead take a defensive stud from Tallahassee.

29. Green Bay Packers: Kadarius Toney WR Florida

After investing in their future last year, drafting quarterback Jordan Love in the first round. The Packers finally make an effort to give Aaron Rodgers some more help and give him one of the most explosive playmakers in the class.

30. Buffalo Bills: Jayson Oweh DE Penn St.

The Bills were extremely impressive last season and now have the luxury of taking the best available player late in the first round. Oweh is the second defensive player from Penn State to be taken and joins a solid group up front in Buffalo.

31. Baltimore Ravens: Azeez Ojulari DE Georgia

The Ravens made a trade with Kansas City that gets them right back on the clock 4 slots after their first selection. Ojulari is a versatile edge rusher who will fit in seamlessly with their 3-4 system.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kyle Trask QB Florida

I honestly have no clue what Tampa Bay is going to do. They signed all of their key free agents back and have no real gaps. Tom Brady is going to be done eventually and I don't think the Bucs are counting on backup Blaine Gabbert to actually get playing time. Trask is extremely gifted throwing the ball and had an amazing 2020 season at Florida. Let him sit behind Brady for a couple years and it could be something special.