2021 NFL Mock Draft: Mac Jones Likely Headed to 49ers

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft after the trade between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.

Author:
Jack Borowsky
Publish date:
Apr 25, 2021 1:00 AM EDT

The NFL Draft is less than a week away. With the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens makings a significant deal, the draft is in for a bit of a shakeup. Check out this latest mock draft to see who your team could end up drafting.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

This is a very good quarterback class and while Lawrence might not end up as the best, head coach Urban Meyer is locked in on him. Lawrence looks like Peyton Manning and he can run. From a tools perspective, Lawrence has everything. He’ll be able to elevate his teammates early.

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

The biggest riser from this past college season comes off the board at two. This appears to be a done deal. Wilson is probably the least pro-ready quarterback of the group, but his upside is immense. He can do some special things with the ball.

3. San Francisco 49ers: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

This has been the most talked-about pick in the draft for the past few weeks and for good reason. No one seems to know who the 49ers are taking aside from general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. It wouldn’t be shocking if they went with Justin Fields or Trey Lance, but NFL teams seem to love Jones more than the media. He had a historic season at the helm for Alabama in 2020 and he should find success early on in Shanahan’s system.

4. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

The Falcons are in a perfect position to trade down, with two high-level quarterbacks on the board. If they stay at four, Atlanta is getting the best player in the draft. Pitts will be a top-five tight end in the NFL by the end of his rookie season. With wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley already on the roster, this offense will be very hard to stop.

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

While the Bengals could go tackle here, they take who many believe is the top wideout in the draft. Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow were a phenomenal duo in college and this would add another weapon to an improving Cincinnati team. It feels like many on the outside value Chase a lot higher than any of the tackles.

6. Miami Dolphins: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

The Dolphins didn’t trade back up to six, thinking they would be guaranteed Pitts or Chase. They went up for either Jaylen Waddle or Smith. Waddle is a tremendous wideout, but Smith was Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite wideout in college. At 166 pounds, teams might be warier of Smith, but he has been impossible to stop so far.

7. Detroit Lions: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

The Lions have a lot of needs and could have easily gone with a tackle, but they need playmakers on defense. Parsons is a risky pick, but if he works out, there is no reason why he can’t be the best defender in the draft.

8. Carolina Panthers: Penei Sewell, T, Oregon

Carolina has a gaping hole at left tackle that Sewell would fill. Sewell would be going higher than this if he played in 2020, so the Panthers get a bargain at eight. If they are trying to win with Sam Darnold, he will need a competent offensive line.

9. Denver Broncos: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

In the NFL, quarterbacks need to be good from the jump. Drew Lock has had his moments, but Lance is too good to pass up on. Lance is smart, has a rocket for an arm and is a very good athlete. He has only thrown 319 passes in his career, which is a concern, but he has enough football IQ to overcome the lack of experience.

10. Dallas Cowboys: Rashawn Slater, T, Northwestern

The Cowboys are known for consistently having one of the best offensive lines in football, but there are some concerns surrounding the health of Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, their bookend tackles. Slater can play anywhere on the offensive line and even though he has short arms, can eventually play left tackle.

11. New York Giants: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

This is a perfect trade-down spot but it is hard to pass up on a receiver like Waddle. The Giants added Kenny Golladay this offseason and have running back Saquon Barkley coming back. Drafting a player like Waddle adds another dimension to the offense. This is an offensive-driven league, and with Waddle, the Giants may have a good enough unit to compete for a division title.

12. Philadelphia Eagles: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

The Eagles need stability on their roster and Surtain provides that. He has been a shutdown cornerback at Alabama and a three-year starter. He has experience going up against the best wideouts in the SEC on a weekly basis. Surtain is a ready-made defender from Day 1.

13. Los Angeles Chargers: Christian Darrisaw, T, Virginia Tech

The Chargers struck gold with quarterback Justin Herbert, so protecting their franchise is going to be important. Darrisaw was the best offensive lineman in college football last season and has the talent to protect Herbert’s blind side for the foreseeable future.

14. Minnesota Vikings: Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan

Similar to Danielle Hunter, if Paye was used as a traditional defensive end, he’d go much higher. Paye is a freak athlete, who is very good against the run and as a pass rusher. Outside of Hunter, who is coming off an injury, Minnesota has nothing at defensive end. Paye has all the tools for Minnesota to develop into a superstar.

15. New England Patriots: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

The most likely scenario is a team trades up for Fields, but he falls into New England’s lap here. Fields is a very talented player, who would be the first pick in a lot of drafts, so this is a great value. Being paired with an offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels could help Fields develop into a top-tier quarterback in the NFL.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

The Cardinals lack a true No. 1 cornerback. Horn has that alpha mentality and tested very well at his Pro Day. He isn’t afraid to go up against anyone and was great in the SEC in 2020. This is a great value pick at 16 for the Cardinals, at a position of need.

17. Las Vegas Raiders: Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

The defensive tackle class this year is lacking after Barmore. He is the best at the position and dominated down the stretch for Alabama. If it clicks, Barmore could be a steal at 17. The Raiders need to continue to improve their defensive line, which was one of the worst groups in football last year.

18. Miami Dolphins: Azeez Ojulari, DE, Georgia

With its first pick, Miami addressed the offense and head coach Brian Flores gets a pass rusher here. Ojulari is extremely underrated against the run and has a lot of room to grow. He has 34½-inch arms and is very advanced for his age as a pass rusher. He could develop into a key piece on a very good Dolphins defense.

19. Washington Football Team: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Collins go higher than this. He is an unbelievable mover for a 6-foot-4, 260-pound linebacker. He weighed in at 270 pounds during medical cheska in Indianapolis, but he shouldn’t have a problem dropping weight. Collins could be very good with defensive linemen like Chase Young and Jonathan Allen in front of him.

20. Chicago Bears: Teven Jenkins, T, Oklahoma State

Unfortunately, the Bears are picking too late to take a quarterback in the first round. Jenkins will help make Andy Dalton’s life a little easier, as he can play either tackle or guard. There might not be a better run blocker in the draft than Jenkins, who plays like a bully on the field.

21. Indianapolis Colts: Alijah Vera-Tucker, iOL, USC

The Colts haven’t replaced Anthony Castonzo and will miss out on the top tackles. Vera-Tucker might honestly be the next best tackle, even though he projects best as a guard. There is a chance he can stay there. If not, he can replace Mark Glowinski, giving Indianapolis the best interior offensive line in football. The value at 21 was too good for a top-10 player in the draft.

22. Tennessee Titans: Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern

The only real concern with Newsome is his injury history. Outside of that, he is everything teams look for in a cornerback. Newsome is a smooth mover in coverage and tested extremely well. If he can stay healthy, this will be a home-run pick.

23. New York Jets: Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia

The Jets cornerback room is concerning. They have no one with legitimate experience. Stokes is pro-ready and a plug-and-play Day-1 starter. He tested off the charts and has the tape to back up his elite speed.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

This pick will get Steelers fans excited. Pittsburgh's receiving corps is good, but opponents don’t have to worry about quarterback Big Roethlisberger or the run game. Harris had a fantastic career at Alabama and has the talent to be one of the best running backs in the NFL.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Whoever drafts Owusu-Koramoah is going to need to have a plan in place. He is extremely talented and put together really good tape in 2020. If he’s put in the right position, Owusu-Koramoah could become one of the best hybrid players in the NFL.

26. Cleveland Browns: Elijah Moore, WR, Mississippi

The Browns have one of the best rosters in football. Their only hole offensively is a third receiver. Moore is a fantastic player, who can do everything. He may not be the biggest player around, but he makes up for it. This pick would give the Browns too many matchup nightmares for defenses to handle.

27. Baltimore Ravens: Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami

After trading away Orlando Brown Jr., the Ravens have a hole at right tackle, but they have an even bigger need for a high-level pass rusher. If it weren’t for medicals, Phillips would have been gone by pick 11. He will be a very early contributor on a team looking to make a deep playoff run next season.

28. New Orleans Saints: Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky

It will be interesting to see if New Orleans can continue to contend for division titles, after the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees and with a difficult cap situation. That being said, general manager Mickey Loomis and his staff have always been able to draft well. Davis came out of nowhere to have a phenomenal season. He is an elite athlete, who is just scratching the surface of what he can become.

29. Green Bay Packers: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

The back injury history is why Farley may drop this far in the first. He has a lot of upside and could be great alongside Jaire Alexander. Green Bay is in win-now mode and can deal with any potential long-term problems if Farley can be very good early in his career.

30. Buffalo Bills: Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State

Even though Oweh didn’t have a lot of production in college, he was very disruptive. He greatly improved in the run game and flashed tremendous upside. Not to mention, he was a freak tester at his Pro Day. The Bills defensive end group is solid, but it doesn’t have a game-changer. Oweh could develop into a very good player with the proper development.

31. Baltimore Ravens: Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU

The Ravens will probably trade up to get one of the top tackles, but after the first four, there is a big drop-off. With how little teams rush quarterback Lamar Jackson, it makes sense for them to wait until Round 2 to address the position. Instead, the Ravens can continue to bolster a very good secondary. Pairing Moehrig with Chuck Clark would make for a very good duo.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Joe Tryon, DE, Washington

Tampa Bay doesn’t have a glaring need. They could add a running back or wide receiver, here but linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul is a free agent next year and they might need to replace him. Tryon has all the traits to become a very good pass rusher; he just needs some time to develop.