The NFL Draft is now just under two weeks away and excitement is at a new high. There’s a real sense of unpredictability surrounding the event that will be hosted in Cleveland and the Eagles are no exception. Having recently traded out of the top 10, Howie Roseman’s next move will be a crucial one…but who’s to say the Eagles will even be picking from the 12th overall spot? Welcome to the chaos of my first-round mock draft!
Pick 1 Jaguars – QB Trevor Lawrence
No need to get silly here. The Jaguars keep it simple and select the best prospect in the Draft and their QB of the future.
Pick 2 Jets – QB Zach Wilson
With Sam Darnold no longer around, the Jets have to hit a home-run here and Zach Wilson is by far the most logical option.
Pick 3 49ers -QB Mac Jones
It’s not me making the judgment that Mac Jones is a better prospect than Justin Fields, but the word on the street is that Shanahan is pulling for the Alabama product. If the franchise is going to make such a violent move up, taking their coach’s opinion into consideration might make sense…
Pick 4 Falcons trade with Bears – QB Justin Fields
Wee woo trade alarms!
The Chicago Bears see Fields slip down a spot and do not want to see him snatched up by the Falcons. They desperately need an answer at QB and Atlanta is reportedly open to moving back.
According to the NFL Draft Chart, this pick is worth 1850, while Chicago’s #19 is worth 800. If they throw in next year’s first-rounder, pick 52 this year, and David Montgomery, would the Falcons really say no?
The Bears will probably look to move Dalton or Foles down the line, but they can’t afford to pass up on an opportunity to draft a talent with a ceiling as high as Justin Fields.
Pick 5 Bengals – OT Penei Sewell
Operation ‘let’s not kill our quarterback (or LNKOQB for short) is a go.
Pick 6 Dolphins trade with Eagles – TE Kyle Pitts
Uh oh, hello.
This is a sneaky one. The Dolphins are in a position of luxury here and should absolutely entertain trade-back scenarios given that they also hold the 18th overall pick. Yes, they’d be going from a big move up to 6 then back to 12, but I’m sure you’ve read worse mocks than this…probably.
They could draft Kyle Pitts knowing that Mike Gesicki only has one year left on his deal…but there’s another team in a similar spot who may just be able to tempt the Dolphins out of pulling the trigger.
The Eagles acquired an extra first-rounder next year when they traded out of the top 10 and will happily use that to get back in. Giving up 12, a first-rounder next year (maintaining two), and a lovely player by the name of Derek Barnett and his $10M cap hit, the Dolphins say ‘thanks for a 24-year-old edge rusher with upside, go get your tight end ‘.
For a brief moment, Eagles twitter will be at peace. Username @BirdsBarry281 will tweet a smiley emoji and thank Howie Roseman for his services, and there will be joy once again…for about 25 minutes. This is not the only ace Howie has up his sleeve…
Pick 7 Lions – WR Ja’Marr Chase
Detroit wakes up from their afternoon nap and realizes that this year’s WR1 is still available. They slowly walk to the podium and hand in the card, giving Jared Goff a dominant weapon. If all else fails…there’s a very nice crop of QB’s on the way next year to pair with the electric wideout…
Pick 8 Panthers trade With Washington – QB Trey Lance
Another trade?! At this point I genuinely feel like Charlie from the ‘Pepe Silva’ scene of It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The Panthers have their guy for the time being and Washington sees one last chance to snag a premier name from this year’s group, knowing fully well that the Patriots could also be looking to slither up like Randy Orton.
Washington gives up picks 19, 51, a second next year, and throw in former Eagles DB Jeremy Reaves (great guy with an amazing story) as a kicker in order to keep the NDSU tradition alive in the NFC East.
Pick 9 Broncos trade with Chargers – OT Rashawn Slater
Have I gone crazy? Probably.
The Broncos see that their chances of landing a stud at QB are now over and decide to move back to 13 in a trade with the Chargers, who select Rashawn Slater in a bid to protect Justin Herbert’s blindside for the foreseeable future. Brandon Staley has connections in Denver and calls up their front office to say how he misses their happy hours, giving up picks 47 and a second next year along with pick 13 to sneak up to number 9.
Pick 10 Cowboys – CB Patrick Surtain II
I hate this with every ounce of my being but it makes sense. I still hate it though. I want that to be made absolutely clear. I found more joy stepping on a Lego Brick barefoot than I did mocking my CB1 to the Cowboys.
Pick 11 Giants – CB Jaycee Horn
The Giants don’t need an offensive playmaker here and although it would be a vintage Davey G move to pick one up or end up drafting a water cooler, the smart pick is to add some long-term security to the secondary and select Jaycee Horn…especially considering how many dominant receivers the team will have to face in their own division moving forward…
Pick 12 Dolphins – WR DeVonta Smith
Miami know that while having Will Fuller around is great, WR is still probably their biggest need. They add a Heisman-winning receiver to create a three-headed beast (for this year at least) that allows Tua to cause absolute chaos in a division that’s wide open for the first time in forever. Smith might not find a more comfortable fit than this.
Pick 13 – Broncos – LB Micah Parsons
Denver could do a few different things here, but with corners being taken, it comes down to an EDGE rusher or a linebacker. Micah Parsons might have the most upside of any LB in the Draft if he lands in the right environment to groom his character and Denver might be the perfect place.
Pick 14 Vikings – OT Christian Darrisaw
The Vikings have a terrible offensive line group at the moment and it makes a ton of sense to draft the best lineman possible here.
Pick 15 Patriots – WR Jayden Waddle
The Patriots confusingly stand pat at 15, but do land my personal WR1 and the most electrifying playmaker not named Kyle Pitts. If Waddle was healthy last year, Smith wouldn’t have won a Heisman. The Patriots get themselves an absolute steal at 15…they just have to work out who’s throwing him the ball.
Pick 16 Cardinals – RB Travis Etienne
Is it too high to take Etienne here? Probably. Is there a better fit than Kliff’s offense? Probably not. Etienne is a dynamic runner who brings a lot of versatility to the table, giving Kyler Murray some reliability and explosiveness out of the backfield.
Pick 17 Raiders – OT Teven Jenkins
Again, a pretty simple pick here for the Raiders who add a nasty tackle to their offensive front, a real area of need for this franchise.
Pick 18 Dolphins – RB Najee Harris
The Dolphins complete what might be one of the most exciting looking offenses in 2021 by adding Najee Harris into a backfield that previously consisted of *checks notes* someone presumably. Harris is a fierce runner who would thrive in an offense that is capable of hurting you in so many ways.
Pick 19 Panthers – WR Rashod Bateman
Carolina doesn’t need a quarterback and while 19 might still be a tough too high to be taking Bateman, there’s no denying that they could benefit from another tall red-zone weapon to go alongside their very speedy skill-position talents. Bateman is a very fun receiver to watch and would be a snug fit in Carolina.
Pick 20 Falcons – S Trevon Moehrig
The Falcons move back and pick up the best Safety in the Draft, negating the losses of Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. Masterclass.
Pick 21 Colts trade with Eagles – CB Greg Newsome II
ANOTHER ONE!
Chris Infante floated this idea earlier today and I’ve been low-key obsessed with it ever since. The Colts are losing Anthony Castonzo and need to really find the protector of Carson Wentz’s blindside pronto. There are options here, but the Eagles have one that Wentz, Groh, and Taylor are already familiar with in Andre Dillard.
Dillard was taken in the first-round two years ago but after a bumpy first year and an injury to start his second, Jordan Mailata stepped up and showcased humongous strides in his development, all but earning his place as the starter of the future.
Trading Dillard would make a lot of sense for the Eagles here and if they could package a 2021 second-rounder and a 2020 fourth, then I’m sure that would be enough to get the deal over the line.
With that pick, the Eagles select Greg Newsome II. A 6’1 cornerback out of Northwestern who brings plenty of ball production, functional athleticism, and stunning speed to the table opposite Darius Slay.
Pick 22 Titans – DE Kwity Paye
The Titans add one of the top DE’s in the class and someone who slipped through the cracks. After really lacking any kind of pass-rush in 2020, this is a great pick for them.
Pick 23 Jets -DE Jaelen Phillips
The run has started! New York snag Phillips knowing fully well that the Steelers could well be eyeing him up.
Pick 24 Steelers – DE/OLB Azeez Oujilari
Pittsburgh take the next best thing in Oujilari, who could line up as an EDGE or a potential 3-4 OLB. He brings a ton of explosiveness to the table and would add even more fuel to that scorching Steelers defense.
Pick 25 Jaguars – WR Elijah Moore
It might be a little early to take Moore, but Trevor Lawrence is going to need somebody to catch his beautiful passes next year and we all know what happened the last time teams passed on an Ole Miss receiver…
Pick 26 Browns – LB Jamin Davis
The Browns could go a few different ways here and are in a similar spot to Denver. Like the Broncos, they will also draft a linebacker here and start building behind Myles Garrett with real menace.
Pick 27 Ravens – DE Jayson Oweh
The Ravens have done it again, somehow landing an absolute stud by simply existing and watching the draft fall to them. This is a worst-case scenario for a lot of teams around the league. Oweh is a bad bad man.
Pick 28 Saints – LB Zaven Collins
The Saints have very little in the way of depth alongside Demario Davis and drafting Zaven Collins makes a ton of sense here. Collins shouldn’t have realistically slipped this far, but he’ll land in a sturdy defense where he will one day take over the reins.
Pick 29 Packers – OT Samuel Cosmi
It would be very easy to look at a running back or a corner here, but the Packers can’t get cute. They always seem to be one or two pieces away and the constant each year is a thirst for offensive line help that goes unquenched. This is the year to change that.
Pick 30 Bills – CB Caleb Farley
Probably another worst-case scenario for many, the Bills take a shot on Caleb Farley who looked absolutely fine during his Pro Day. They’ll land a corner with shutdown potential at a mega discount.
Pick 31 Chiefs – WR Kadarius Toney
Make that three worst-case scenarios out of the previous four picks. Toney is an absolute stud and there may not be a better-suited offense to squeeze all of that juice out of him than Kansas City’s.
Pick 32 Buccaneers – RB Javonte Williams
Playoff Lenny might not return and the Bucs are going to need to replace him somehow. Williams will run with anger in Tampa Bay and that’s going to be a problem for just about everyone.
Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire
