Florida Gators-Centric Two-Round 2021 NFL Mock Draft
As we crawl further into the offseason of college football and closer to the NFL's annual free agency and draft, former Florida Gators will be on the move with plenty aiming at a professional career.
So far, Florida has had nine players enter the 2021 NFL Draft pool: Quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes, left tackle Stone Forsythe, center Brett Heggie, defensive tackle Kyree Campbell, cornerback Marco Wilson, and kicker Evan McPherson. A good number of these prospects will probably hear their names called on draft day, but the picture won't be clear until free agency wraps up and schools host their pro days.
The NFL Combine was effectively canceled on Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic. Workouts will strictly be held on college campuses, the plan for medical evaluations is still being developed, and interviews are to be conducted virtually.
So, at least until evaluations are completed, mocking the draft will be nearly impossible and the media will have a more distant feel for the league's preferences than ever before. Considering that, we're beginning our Florida Gators-centric 2021 NFL mock draft series with a two-round exercise.
The draft order won't be completely set until after the Super Bowl, but picks No. 1 through No. 28 are locked in. Before any trades, of course.
Carolina Panthers: TE Kyle Pitts, first round, No. 8 overall
I've seen Kyle Pitts in and outside of the top ten in various mock drafts recently. Whether or not the NFL agrees with me is a different matter, but I'm of the opinion that every single team in the league could use a player like Pitts in their offense. He'll play tight end at the next level no doubt, after improving enough as a blocker this past season to do so, but pass-happy teams could line Pitts up at any receiving position in their offense and create a mismatch.
That screams top ten pick to me. Most tight ends that finish in the top ten of Heisman Trophy voting would, honestly.
Carolina could use a quarterback of the future as Matt Rhule enters his second season as head coach and following the hire of Scott Fitterer as general manager. But standing eight spots down the board, the Panthers could very well miss out on their quarterback of choice.
Instead, in this scenario, Carolina sticks with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and gifts him with a passing game target that will catch just about every pass thrown his way. Combining Pitts with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receivers Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore in coordinator Joe Brady's offense should lead to a lot of points, and if it doesn't, Carolina can be aggressive next offseason in targeting a new signal-caller.
Baltimore Ravens: WR Kadarius Toney, first round, No. 27 overall
Baltimore and Kansas City will be the common projections for Toney during the draft cycle, I'm willing to bet.
Lamar Jackson could desperately use some help at wide receiver and along the offensive line. With limited cap room, Baltimore could be better off adding an interior lineman via free agency rather than overspending on a top wide receiver. This draft is deep at the latter position, and Toney would be an intriguing fit.
Toney emerged as a complete receiver for Florida this past season after spending several years as a gadget-player. Baltimore could use Toney both ways, as an electric slot receiver that can separate with ease in the middle of the field, or by creating touches for him in the backfield via screens, sweeps, reverses, or even snaps at running back or quarterback as a part of Baltimore's multi-faceted rushing attack.
He's done all of that at Florida, efficiently.
New Orleans Saints: QB Kyle Trask, second round, No. 60 overall
Trask was considered a borderline first-round prospect before the Cotton Bowl, and while I wouldn't knock him that much for his final performance as he was without four top pass-catchers, the NFL might. It doesn't help that a run on quarterbacks typically takes place in the top ten before spreading out.
New Orleans might need to draft a quarterback, though. It was reported on Sunday that Drew Brees plans to retire after the 2020 season, although he said he needs time to think about his future after the Saints' loss to Tampa Bay in the Divisional Round. Regardless, Brees just turned 42 and New Orleans must look toward the future.
Is Jameis Winston that future? Perhaps a year as Brees' backup served him well after an up-and-down career with the Buccaneers. Taysom Hill is a legitimate gadget-player but probably isn't the answer as a starting quarterback long-term. Trask and Alabama's Mac Jones would make a lot of sense for the Saints, maybe even with the No. 28 selection if the two quarterbacks put together strong draft processes.
Hypothetically, if Brees does retire and the reigning Heisman Trophy finalist is sitting there at No. 60 after New Orleans takes another position in the first round, I think the Saints would pull the trigger on their next signal-caller. Trask would inherit a strong roster with one of the best offensive lines in football, and an arsenal of weapons that includes star running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas.
