Cody Schopp’s 2021 NFL Mock Draft 3.0

Trades, trades, and even more trades! With under a month to go until the 2021 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins made a pair of trades to shake up the top half of the draft. They not only made a trade with the 49ers to move from 3 to 12, but they also made a trade with the Eagles to move from 12 to 6. These trades are sure to shake up the first round of the draft. For information about both trades, you can read Wesley Johnson’s article about it here.

Carolina also made a trade on April 5 to get Sam Darnold. Carolina traded a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, along with a 2022 second-round and fourth-round pick. A couple additional trades were made in my mock draft after this trade went public.

If you would like to view my previous mock draft, click here. For now, enjoy my third edition mock draft. As always, comment down below!

Jacksonville Jaguars (1) – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson. The Jaguars should just announce this pick now. Lawrence did have surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, but that should not be a red flag to worry the Jaguars from getting cold feet. 

New York Jets (2) – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU. While I would like to keep Justin Fields to New York alive, more and more experts mock Wilson to the Jets. With Darnold on his way out of New York, Wilson will be tabbed the starter to open the season. 

San Francisco 49ers (thru Miami via Houston) (3) – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama. Kirk Cousins-to-San Francisco never came to fruition, so the next best thing? Draft a QB who is comparable to Kirk. While Jones did not have a stellar throwing day in Alabama’s second pro day, that does deter coach Kyle Shanahan from getting his QB of the future. To be honest, San Francisco did not trade up from 12 to 3 to nab any other position but QB. 

New England Patriots (via Atlanta) (4) – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State. I still believe New England will trade up, but this time they nab Justin Fields instead. Yes, Cam Newton was resigned, but if Newton is to Bledsoe, Fields is an excellent Tom Brady counterpart. 

Cincinnati Bengals (5) – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida. In today’s NFL, passing has become the go-to strategy. There is no scarier prospect than Kyle Pitts. A matchup nightmare, Pitts can play both the TE position, as well as going out wide.

Miami Dolphins (via Philadelphia) (6) – Penei Sewell, OL, Oregon. With the signing of Will Fuller, Miami can focus on other areas of need. One such area is the offensive line. Sewell is regarded as the top OL prospect and should help keep Tua upright.  

Detroit Lions (7) – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU. Detroit strikes gold with Chase falling to them at 7. Gives Jared Goff a weapon on the outside. Chase gives the Lions a legit threat on the outside.

Carolina Panthers (8) – Rashawn Slater, OL, Northwestern. With the recent trade for a QB, Carolina can now focus on other areas. Grabbing Slater would give Carolina a franchise LT. 

Denver Broncos (9) – Trey Lance, QB, NDSU. Denver finally gets their QB of the future in Lance as a result of the Darnold-to-Carolina trade. Lance can come in and compete with Drew Lock or could sit if he needs more time. 

Dallas Cowboys (10) – Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama. Surtain is the likely choice as Caleb Farley required back surgery. Gives a one-two punch in the Dallas secondary with Trevon Diggs.

New York Giants (11) – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame. Big play threat from JOK gives the Giants a rookie with extreme upside. Body style between safety and linebacker could give the Giants a 2-for-1 playmaker. 

Philadelphia Eagles (thru Miami via San Francisco) (12) – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama. Philadelphia gets their pick between Waddle and Devonta Smith but chooses Waddle for his speed. While there are some health concerns, Waddle brings a deep threat to Philly. 

Los Angeles Chargers (13) – Christian Darrisaw, OL, Virginia Tech. Chargers pick Darrisaw to man Justin Herbert’s blindside. Keeping Herbert upright will be key to the success of the Chargers. 

Washington Football Team (via Minnesota) (14) – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State. Washington moves up to keep Parsons from falling. Parsons can come in day 1 and man the middle for Washington. 

Atlanta Falcons (via New England) (15) – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina. Atlanta gets Horn who can shadow the opposing WR1. Physical man corner that won’t get beat often.

Arizona Cardinals (16) – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech. Cardinals pick Farley in hopes that his back surgery does not hinder his play. Could be a steal with Farley dropping this far. 

Las Vegas Raiders (17) – Teven Jenkins, OL, Oklahoma State. The Raiders select Jenkins to play RT to help keep Derek Carr upright. Jenkins is regarded as the best RT in the draft. 

Miami Dolphins (18) – Gregory Rousseau, DL, Miami. Rousseau helps give Miami a 1-2 punch with Raekwon Davis on the defensive line. At 6 foot 7 inches, Miami keeps a homegrown talent in the Sunshine State.

Minnesota Vikings (via Washington) (19) – Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan. Paye gives Minnesota a dynamic 1-2 punch with Danielle Hunter. Should help get the Vikings defense back to top 10 play.

Chicago Bears (20) – Samuel Cosmi, OL, Texas. To keep Andy Dalton upright, Chicago selects Cosmi with the 20th pick. Cosmi can play both sides of the line and should see time at RT for the Bears.

Indianapolis Colts (21) – Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC. Vera-Tucker paired with Quenton Nelson is a recipe for keeping Carson Wentz upright. Vera-Tucker was primarily a guard at USC but would shift to LT for the Colts. 

Tennessee Titans (22) – Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama. Smith sees his draft day slide come to an end. Gives Ryan Tannehill a threat on the outside. 

New York Jets (via Seattle) (23) Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern. The Jets take Newsome to help in the secondary. New head coach Robert Salah gets a young physical corner. 

Pittsburgh Steelers (24) – Creed Humphrey, OL, Oklahoma. Humphrey is a safe selection for the Steelers who have a solid offensive line already. Humphrey

Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles) (25) – Trevor Moehrig, S, TCU. Jacksonville gets help in the secondary with the selection of Moehrig. Big hitter and forced the most pass breakups in the NCAA in 2020.  

Cleveland Browns (26) – Azeez Ojulari, DL, Georgia. Browns stick with Ojulari, as it gives the Dawg Pound an exciting 1-2 punch with Myles Garrett. 

Baltimore Ravens (27) – Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida. The Ravens signed Sammy Watkins to a 1-year deal, but Toney also gives Lamar Jackson another weapon. Toney gives the Ravens both a slot threat as well as an outside threat.

New Orleans Saints (28) – Christian Barmore, DL, Alabama. Barmore gives the Saints a dominant player to add to the defensive line. Cam Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and David Onyemata all graded 20th or higher via PFF on the defensive line. 

Green Bay Packers (29) – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa. Instead of giving Aaron Rodgers another offensive weapon, the Packers go defense with their pick. Collins comes into the Packers’ LB core and brings a dominant presence with him.

Buffalo Bills (30) – Jayson Oweh, DL, Penn State. The Bills’ selection of Oweh gives them a long and explosive defender. Raw edge rusher that can be a force if he can develop some pass rush moves. 

Kansas City Chiefs (31) – Jalen Mayfield, OL, Michigan. No change from the previous mock draft. The Chiefs take Mayfield to help shore up the offensive line. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32) – Joseph Ossai, DL, Texas. Tampa Bay is returning all 22 starters from their super bowl winning season. Ossai brings youth and length to an aging defensive line.