The Plunge Mock Draft #1 (1 Round With Explanations)

[vshank8182]

The Plunge Mock Draft #1 2021

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) QB - Jacksonville is in dire need of finding a signal caller for the next decade. Lawrence has been scouted as the #1 choice for a couple of years now. The Jaguars will look to compete next year with an elite new coach and QB.

2. New York Jets- Zach Wilson (BYU) QB- The Jets are getting impatient with Darnold behind the wheel. Wilson is a phenomenal prospect with great athleticism and arm strength. It wasn't until his 2020 season where he really exploded on the scene and he showed up with a Bang! The Jets will be eager to take one of the best QB's in the 2021 class.

3. Miami Dolphins- Devonte Smith (Alabama) WR- Miami is on the mend after a decent 2020 season. Other than Devonte Parker, they do not have many weapons. In comes, Devonte Smith. This guy was untouchable in college and put on a huge performance at the NCAA championship and will be a massive weapon for Tua and this Miami team that is desperate for a playoff appearance.

4. Atlanta Falcons- Micah Parsons (Penn State) LB- Parsons is one of many that opted not to play the 2020 season. He is a very dynamic player that can help this Falcons defense get back to a competitive level. He has a freakish combination of size and athleticism and is great in coverage or rushing the passer.

5. Cincinnati Bengals- Penei Sewell (Oregon) OT- Penei is the top O-lineman ranked in this draft class. He is very physical and long standing in at 6'5. He demonstrates the versatility to tackle or guard and will help protect Joe Burrow who is recovering from a horrifying knee injury last year and open up some run lanes for this Cincinnati rushing attack.

6. Philadelphia Eagles- Ja'Marr Chase (LSU) WR- The Eagles are having questions at the quarterback position but they have dire need at the skill position as well. They are losing Alshon Jeffrey and Desean Jackson. Reagor did not have a promising first year. With all that being said, they take as close to a sure thing, Ja'Marr who has excellent route running, ball skills and run after catch ability. He will be the featured wide receiver in philly for years to come.

7. Detroit Lions- Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) WR - The Lions have many questions at the wide receiver position. If they don't re-sign Kenny Golladay, Waddle will be even more important of a pick for them. Waddle is a smaller receiver who can play in the slot or on the outside. He is one of the fastest players in the his draft class and will be a great addition to this Lions offense that will need some weapons after acquiring Goff recently.

8. Carolina Panthers- Justin Fields (Ohio State) QB- Fields will be a franchise quarterback at the next level. He is a pure passer that can throw accurately in the pocket or on the move. He has plus arm strength and great speed as well. Putting him together with one of the most dynamic running backs in the game will make this a very dangerous Panthers offense for years to come.

9. Denver Broncos- Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) CB- Patrick will fit well in the Denver defense that is in dire need of secondary help. Football is in his genes and there is no doubt that he will succeed at the next level. He is the most NFL ready CB in this class and will be an immediate factor. Some question his overall speed but his coverage skills should help him excel.

10. Dallas Cowboys- Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech) OT- Darrisaw has been a solid consistent starter for the Hokies over the 4 years of his college career. He checks the boxes almost all NFL teams are looking for with his size and mobility. The Cowboys need to bolster their O-line after a disappointing showing last year. Darrisaw has the makings to be one of the best left tackles for the next 10 years.

11. New York Giants- Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech) CB- Farley’s got the physical goods for the CB position – at 6’2 he’s got the length and has plenty of short-area quickness to stick with most receivers. Virginia Tech has a long history of producing strong CB talent, and Farley is next in line. Caleb would give the Giants a sorely needed playmaker opposite Bradberry, a missing link to potentially catapult this defense from good to great next year.  

12. San Francisco 49ers- Trey Lance (North Dakota State) QB- 49ers grab the strong passer out of North Dakota State in Lance here. Lance burst onto the scene in 2019, completing 67% of his passes for 2,786 yards, 28 TDs and 0 INTs. Yes – 0 picks. He also picked up 1,100 yards and 14 TDs on the ground. While his 2020 season was cut short due to COVID, Lance has some fantastic tools – a 226-pound elite athlete with a workable arm, Shanahan will be able to get the most out of this kid. And in the process, he’ll put Jimmy G’s shoulder on watch – adding some much-needed pressure to this QB room.  

13. Los Angeles Chargers- Rashawn Slater (Northwester) OT- The Chargers have a fair amount of free agents on the OL this year – Sam Tevi, Dan Feeney, and Forrest Lamp. They need reinforcements, especially for their young signal-caller Justin Herbert. This is a no-brainer, Slater could easily be the top OL in this class. Slightly undersized but outstanding movement skills, he’s got versatility to play inside or outside, would be a fantastic get for the Chargers here.  

14. Minnesota Vikings- Greg Rousseau (Miami) DE- Great fit here. This will be the pick if Rousseau is still on the board for the Vikes – mark my words. Zimmer remains a defensive guy by trade, and the team saw what happened when top rusher Danielle Hunter went down for the season. They need reinforcements across the line, and Rousseau is just that – elite length and fantastic instincts, the kid may be still developing into the position but he’s already shown a lot – sign me up.  

15. New England Patriots- Kyle Pitts (Florida) TE- Bill Belichick is so happy to see Pitts still on the board, he forgets his mask and runs to the podium himself to make the selection. Pitts runs like a wideout and will be a weapon for years to come in the NFL. He could absolutely go in the top ten, and maybe even the top five, but in this scenario a run on other positions gives way to a mini-slide for Pitts. That ends here – what a selection for NE.  

16. Arizona Cardinals- Travis Etienne (Clemson) RB- The perennial round 1 RB debate rages on, with Etienne selected here and remote controls thrown at televisions across Arizona. In all seriousness, RBs in general are replaceable, but top-notch speed and athleticism isn’t. His ability to hit holes with quick burst and then accelerate through with mid-4.3 / 4.4 speed is unreal. A combination of Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, and now Etienne in AZ would be lethal to say the least. Sounds like something offensive wizard Kliff Kingsbury would absolutely get behind.  

17. Las Vegas Raiders- Kwitty Paye (Michigan) DE- The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the Raiders defense sucks. Three things with equal levels of certainty lately in this world. One area to jumpstart the D is up front, where the Raiders ranked 30th in sacks per game this past year. Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell provide for an interesting duo, but they aren’t necessarily fearsome, and after those two the fear drops off significantly. Raiders turn to Kwitty here, who’s got fantastic size and explosiveness for the position.  

18. Miami Dolphins- Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC) OT- The Dolphins pair recent USC OT draft pick Austin Jackson with another USC OL here. With certain players off the board (namely Etienne), the Fins look for more OL help and take a very safe selection with Vera-Tucker here. This big man has played both inside and outside superbly, and will immediately help Tua more confidently move around the pocket.  

19. Washington Football Team- Kadarius Toney (Florida) WR- Washington’s best playmaker by far is Terry McLaurin, but after that, things get a bit dicey. Logan Thomas was a solid upside surprise last year, but Toney would be an excellent choice to help Washington scare opposing defenses a bit more. This kid is so fluid, with terrific short-area quickness and strength, he’ll complement Terry super well.  

20. Chicago Bears- Jaelan Phillips (Miami) OLB / DE- Let me start with an anticlimactic note – I think the Bears have bigger needs. However, with QBs off the board, and other intriguing talents like Kyle Pitts taken, I think the Bears may be a sneaky bet to grab a front seven talent with this selection despite their current talent here. Phillips has edge rusher traits that you can’t teach – bend, explosiveness, length – and these benefits outweigh the consistency / durability concerns to offer more than enough excitement to warrant a selection here.

21. Indianapolis Colts- Jaycee Horn (South Carolina) CB- It is very tempting to add additional weapons or protection for the newly acquired Carson Wentz but they decide to take the dynamic Horn to add to an already stellar defense. Horn has all the measurements to be a top-flight corner in this league but needs to clean up his techniques and that’s why he falls a bit but with this defense it’s a great fit.

22.  Tennessee Titans- Jaylen Mayfield (Michigan) OT- The Isaiah Wilson selection was an absolute disaster and the Titans need to go back to the drawing board to fill this glaring need. Mayfield does not have the left tackle upside of some of the tackles taken above him but he is solid in both the run/pass game that allows him to come in early and contribute to this offense.

23. New York Jets- Najee Harris (Alabama) RB- In this mock the Jets are getting a fresh start with Zach Wilson so the best way to assist him is to add the absolute beast Najee Harris. You saw it time and time again when Alabama played how much of a game changer Harris is and with his ability to contribute in the passing game as well this is a slam-dunk for Gang Green.

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers- Gregg Newsome II (Nothwestern) CB- Its tempting to add a quarterback here but with Ben most likely coming back I see them waiting a bit more to take one. In comes Newsome II who does not have the super athletic traits that some of the other corners have but this kid knows how to play football along with measureless that may allow him to be a solid contributor on the next level.

25.  Jacksonville Jaguars- Trevon Moehrig (TCU) S- After taking T Law to rejuvenate the Jaguars they add a playmaker on the back end who is tremendous value at this point in the draft. Moehrig will not wow you with his size but he makes plays all over the field and can anchor the back end of the Jaguars for years to come. This guy will be a day one starter.

26.  Cleveland Browns- Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah (ND) LB- This is another tremendous value pick as the Browns are close to a super bowl contending team and are definitely the type of team to take best player available.  Koramoah may not have a specific position right now but he is a jack-of-all-trades guy who can contribute at multiple positions for the Browns.  This is the steal of the first round.

27.  Baltimore Ravens- Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State) OL- Unfortuantely for the Ravens it looks like Orlando Brown will force his way out of Baltimore and with the running game being the bread and butter for this team they replace him with Jenkins. This guy is a mauler and may not have the upside as Brown but he is a quality protector in both the run/pass game.

28.  New Orleans Saints- Joe Tryon (Washington) EDGE- I just don’t see the Saints drafting a QB such as Mac Jones here, he loves Taysom Hill and I may be a bit FSU bias but Winston can play so I think they decide to add to their defense with Tryon. Tryon gives you it all on every single down and without any special tools this allows him to contribute consistently whether it’s getting to the quarterback, stuffing the run, or jamming tight ends.

29.  Green Bay Packers- Zaven Collins (Tulsa) LB- The Packers have lost in the conference championship game two years in a row and need to add a few more pieces to get over this hump. Collins did not get much airtime due to playing at Tulsa but this guy is an absolute stud. Collins is not your traditional linebacker being a very large human being but when you watch him he pops up everywhere both in the run/pass game.

30.  Buffalo Bills- Nick Bolton (Mizzou) LB- I see Matt Milano leaving in free agency even though he is such an integral piece of their defense but the price tag may be too high so they decide to grab Bolton who is slightly undersized but his athleticism is next level. I see Bolton as a bit of project but with the right coaching, he will be a big part of this stellar teams defense for years to come.

31. Kansas City Chiefs- Landon Dickerson (Alabama) IOL- Dickerson is an absolutely huge individual who consistently pushes around defensive lineman but injuries are definitely a concern which causes him to fall down to the end of the first round. Dickerson is worth the risk for the Chiefs who saw that a depleted o line could even cause Mahomes to look human.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma) EDGE- I was very temped to put Mac Jones here as the heir apparent to Brady but they want to repeat and with the potential loss of Shaq B they decide to take Perkins who is under sized but is an absolute playmaker who gets to the quarterback along with being a factor in the run game as well.

[THE DUKE]

No way of knowing what will happen, but should the Bengals add a legit OT in free agency, I think they would take Chase above Sewell, but with the roster they have at this moment, Sewell makes perfect sense.

[ttitansfan4life]

If the Titans take another OT, I think I’m going to take the plunge..... terrible pick especially with all the needs on the defensive side of the ball. 

[FalconFan13]

It was good although i might be the only falcon fan on here that says that.  Im a big fan of Parsons and think he would play well for us.  But the pick that would have been great went 1 pick after us in Sewell.  He is the #2 player in this draft behind Lawrence and is imo another generational O-lineman.   We have a need on the O-line still because it's still trash and we need to keep adding to it.  Biggest need is at LG and either Sewell or Matthews could play LG or maybe even Mcgary if we want to put Matthews and Sewell at both Tackle spots.   If i targeted Parsons or Surtain which would be my 2 main targets after Sewell i would want both of them in a trade down as i feel 4 is a bit high for them.  If we stay at 4 then you take the legit BPA available at a still position of need in Sewell.

[INbengalfan]

21 hours ago, THE DUKE said:

No way of knowing what will happen, but should the Bengals add a legit OT in free agency, I think they would take Chase above Sewell, but with the roster they have at this moment, Sewell makes perfect sense.

I think they are splurging on a top guard, despite Mike brown's history.  If so, Sewell makes perfect sense.

[BowserBroncos]

I don't mind PS2 for Denver, but I think Farley and Horn are a better fit than PS2.  Also have Farley over PS2 right now.

[TJM217]

On 2/25/2021 at 4:56 PM, ttitansfan4life said:

If the Titans take another OT, I think I’m going to take the plunge..... terrible pick especially with all the needs on the defensive side of the ball. 

I agree with my fellow Titans fan here. You mentioned the Titans have a "glaring need" at tackle. I disagree. We will in the future but for the next two seasons we are safe at OT. Almost every position on defense needs an upgrade.

[KhanYouDigIt]

Beautiful for Jags

[EagleBlueDon]

Any 1-round mock with us taking Chase will leave me ecstatic.

[brooks1957]

Any draft that ends up with the Browns able to land Jeremiah Owosu-Koromoah or Zaven Collins is a home run in my book.

The Browns are off to a fabulous start in this draft. Great analysis too.