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On the Wednesday episode of the Arrowhead Pride Draft Show, we did a full first-round mock — something we are doing once a month leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.
Here are the selections as we see them before NFL free agency begins next week:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
The highest grade we’ve given in KC Draft Guide history — and we will not go away from this.
2. New York Jets - QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
We’ve been back and forth a lot between Fields and Wilson as the No. 2 quarterback. Both are great players, but we’ll go with Fields here for now.
3. Miami Dolphins - WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
The best wide receiver in the class — and the prototype for wide receivers that go in the top 10.
4. Atlanta Falcons - TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
Atlanta locks up a top-tier offensive weapon. Pitts could be an excellent outside wide receiver, but his in-line blocking skills will surprise, too; he’s more functional than people give him credit for.
5. Cincinnati Bengals - OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
A no-brainer if the board falls this way for the Bengals. They lock up a tackle to protect quarterback Joe Burrow for years to come.
6. Philadelphia Eagles - QB Zach Wilson, BYU
Wilson is a clear and obvious upgrade over Jalen Hurts — nothing about the small sample size we saw from Hurts should make the Eagles consider not taking a talent like Wilson in this scenario.
7. Detroit Lions - QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Jared Goff should not be a long-term solution for the Lions. If Lance isn’t ready, Goff is the stopgap they hope to flip if he performs well as they let the FCS prospect get his feet wet against elite talent.
8. Carolina Panthers - CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
Matt Rhule and company are probably trading out of this pick either to acquire a veteran quarterback or to move up for a rookie signal-caller. In this scenario, Carolina misses out, so they go with athletic upside in Farley.
9. Denver Broncos - EDGE Kwity Paye, Michigan
We don’t know what will happen to Von Miller, but in this scenario, the Broncos address their pass rush with a high upside, high motor, athletic defensive end.
10. Dallas Cowboys - OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
Slater can play anywhere on the offensive line and help solidify the group up front that is in charge of protecting newly-signed franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.
11. New York Giants - LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
Parsons is the highest film grade we have on the board at this spot. Dave Gettelman doesn’t care about positional value, anyway. He gets a top-tier talent.
12. San Francisco 49ers - CB Patrick Surtain, Alabama
With Richard Sherman likely not returning, the Niners address cornerback early.
13. Los Angeles Chargers - WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
You need to score to beat the Chiefs. The Chargers add another offensive weapon at a good value to help them try to keep up with Patrick Mahomes.
14. Minnesota Vikings - OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
Big, athletic tackle to drop into a zone-heavy scheme. The Vikings will be happy if he falls to their pick.
15. New England Patriots - QB Mac Jones, Alabama
Do we think he should be going here? Absolutely not. Is he going to go in the first round? Probably.
16. Arizona Cardinals - CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
Horn is pushing for the No. 1 cornerback for us in this class. He goes in the first half of round one in this scenario.
17. Las Vegas Raiders - EDGE Jaelan Phillips, Miami
A big swing on a big talent might be what the Raiders need to finally generate a pass rush and secure a blue-chip talent in the draft — Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have struggled mightily with a wealth of assets in recent years.
18. Miami Dolphins - LB/S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
Brian Flores has coveted versatility the way his old boss Bill Belichick does. Owusu-Koramoah provides that as a hybrid linebacker/safety.
19. Washington Football Team - WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
The fall for Waddle ends at Washington; pairing him across Terry McLaurin will be a welcome sight for whoever is throwing passes in Washington.
20. Chicago Bears - OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
One of our favorite players in the class — should be ready day one to contribute somewhere along the offensive line for the Bears.
21. Indianapolis Colts - CB Greg Newsome, Northwestern
Newsome is a good fit in Indianapolis on an already salty defense. Quality athletic profile, length, mental make-up.
22. Tennessee Titans - OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
Put him wherever on your offensive line and thrive. Vera-Tucker is excellent value in the late 20s and immediately helps the Titans up front.
23. New York Jets - EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Rousseau rested on his sophomore campaign and skipped 2020. He has the athletic tools to be a great value and a good fit in Robert Salah’s defense.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers - OT Jalen Mayfield, Michigan
The Steelers grab a tackle with immense upside and a chance to start sooner rather than later if he continues to improve at the rate he has the last few years.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars - DL Christian Barmore, Alabama
Urban Meyer starts building up front — taking an interior presence to help generate quick pressure.
26. Cleveland Browns - EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn State
The analytics-heavy Browns probably love the athletic profile of Oweh and question the statistical production. He’s a fascinating projection.
27. Baltimore Ravens - WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
The Ravens give Lamar Jackson another big-bodied target with a big catch radius.
28. New Orleans Saints - LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
Bolton will help those “bat games” hurt a little bit more. A physical, downhill linebacker with good range and adequate enough coverage skill that he’s not a liability.
29. Green Bay Packers - S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
Adding Moehrig brings more versatility to the secondary of Green Bay, perhaps allowing Darnell Savage to operate more in the slot.
30. Buffalo Bills - LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
A long, dense, freak athlete at linebacker with plus coverage skills? That’s a nice pairing next to Tremaine Edmunds.
31. Kansas City Chiefs - OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas
Cosmi is a swing on a young, high-ceiling tackle to protect Patrick Mahomes for hopefully the length of his enormous contract. He’s got a great athletic profile but needs technical work to unlock the ability he possesses. He may not be the readiest tackle at this spot in the draft, but in an NFL environment where developmental players are fast-tracking to playing time more quickly, Cosmi could be thrown into the fire depending on Eric Fisher’s recovery from an Achilles injury. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be able to hold up — his developmental arc has been good to this point in his career. The pre-draft process could help him develop enough technically to be a capable tackle from Jump Street, as he hopefully works towards becoming one of the best at his position — it’s in him to become that.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - RB Najee Harris, Alabama
Tampa is in win-now mode with Tom Brady, and they grab a ready-made back with a dynamic skill set in the run and pass game.
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