THE EXTRA YARD: Alf’s 2021 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 FINAL

(This is a NO TRADE MOCK DRAFT. For more, download Three Yards Per Carry)

This is a No Trade Mock Draft, but there are two instances I do see the Miami Dolphins making a move with their 1st round picks. For one, if they are presented with a lucrative offer from the Broncos for #6 (swap), I do believe they would entertain it, having a reasonable expectation that Waddle or Smith will be there at #9.

The other instance I can see a trade, is in a Trade Down from #18 that lands them in a sweet spot before RB hot spots #24 (Steelers) or #30 (Bills) in order to gain an asset (or two) and land Najee Harris (or the Edge/LB of their choice) anyway, or possibly, a Travis Etienne. #18 is wide open, and all of these positions are in play with their 2nd pick in the 1st round (RB, Edge, LB, RT)

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15)

Trevor Lawrence QB Clemson Junior 6’6″ 220 lbs

The Best QB Prospect since Andrew Luck. This time..for real.

2. New York Jets (2-14)

Zach Wilson QB BYU Junior 6’3″ 210 lbs

Zach Wilson really ran up boards in a short amount of time. The Jets went from a lock for Lawrence to blowing their draft position, to settling in and being happy with the BYU signal caller at #2.

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (from Miami through Houston)

Trey Lance QB North Dakota State RS Sophomore 6’3″ 224 lbs

Some serious Tea Leaf reading suggested that this move up to #3 was made for Justin Fields. There are now reports that the 49ers have settled on Trey Lance or Mac Jones. This is not a spot where they really need to hide their intentions all that much, so I tend to believe these reports, but just refuse to believe this move was made for Mac Jones. Trey Lance goes here.

4. Atlanta Falcons (4-12)

Kyle Pitts TE Florida Junior 6’5″ 239 lbs

An extension for Matt Ryan, and one last shot at it with a Unicorn to pair with Ridley/Jones.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)

Ja’Marr Chase WR LSU Junior 6’1″ 208 lbs

Rumors that Burrow is pushing for Chase, are just rumors (disputed), and Bengals brass need to protect their investment. Having said that, I think they convince themselves that the investments they made in Williams and Reiff is enough at the tackles, and they get Burrow his 2019 bestie.

6. Miami Dolphins (10-6) (from Philadelphia)

DeVonta Smith WR Alabama Senior 6’1″ 170 lbs

I wonder what the Dolphins brass would do, presented with the choice between Waddle and Smith. On one hand, Waddle is probably the better fit schematically. On the other hand, HIS TEAMMATE won the Heisman, had better numbers, and is objectively, the better player overall. It’s close, but Smith gets the nod. BTW, who would Tua pick?

7. Detroit Lions (5-11)

Jaylen Waddle WR Alabama Junior 5’10” 182 lbs

While Detroit sends away Golladay and Jones, they need talent at the position. This is a gift.

8. Carolina Panthers (5-11)

Penei Sewell OT Oregon Junior 6’5″ 325 lbs

A big move for Watson didn’t martialize, so a smaller move for Sam Darnold has them looking to bookend Taylor Moton (current RT) with the best Left Tackle in the draft.

9. Denver Broncos (5-11)

Justin Fields QB Ohio State Junior 6’3″ 223 lbs

Broncos have a pretty talented roster, but Drew Lock has not settled the QB position. He gets competition for it now.

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-10)

Patrick Surtain II CB Alabama Junior 6’1″ 203 lbs

A Cowboys defense that was historically bad, pairs one promising Bama CB (Trevon Diggs) with another.

11. New York Giants (6-10)

Micah Parsons LB Penn State Junior 6’2″ 245 lbs

Giants made an investment on skill talent, and were big spenders overall in free agency. Parsons gives them a signature player for the Defense.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1) (from Miami Dolphins through San Francisco)

Jaycee Horn CB South Carolina Junior 6’1″ 205 lbs

Their gambit to move up for a QB didn’t work, so you add talent to a secondary that has been begging for upgrades for the last 3 years.

13. Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)

Rashawn Slater OT Northwestern Senior 6’4″ 315 lbs

With Herbert, Skill players in Tow, Tackle help is necessary with an aging Bryan Bulaga as the only reliable starter at OT.

14. Minnesota Vikings (7-9)

Christian Barmore IDL Alabama RS Sophomore 6’5″ 310 lbs

Vikings need new blood on the Defensive line, and get a 3 tech penetrator for the interior to help the front 7.

15. New England Patriots (7-9)

Mac Jones QB Alabama RS Junior 6’2.5″ 217 lbs

With J.C. Jackson ready to break the bank, and Gilmore on the way out, one of the top cornerbacks makes sense, but Mac Jones drops to them instead, and they invest in the QB of the future at #15.

16. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

Zaven Collins LB Tulsa RS Junior 6’4″ 260 lbs

Cards have a need at Linebacker, the Edge (Age), and they get both in one package here. Zaven is a versatile 3 down player that this defense desperately needs.

17. Las Vegas Raiders (8-8)

Alijah Vera-Tucker IOL USC RS Junior 6’4″ 300 lbs

LT Kolton Miller gets a partner on the left side for now. Vera-Tucker has also played Left Tackle before, which affords the Raiders some flexibility in the future.

18. Miami Dolphins (10-6)

Najee Harris RB Alabama Senior 6’2″ 230 lbs

So many ways the Dolphins can go here, from reinforcing the Offensive line with Tevin Jenkins to getting another chess piece for Coach Flores on defense, but I settled where I started. There is enough smoke to suggest that new OC Eric Studesville will get his way on a back, and he gets RB1 here.

19. Washington Football Team (7-9)

Christian Darrisaw OT Virginia Tech Senior 6’5″ 314 lbs

A team building well at all positions, besides tackle, makes Darrisaw an obvious choice here.

20. Chicago Bears (8-8)

Teven Jenkins OT Oklahoma State RS Senior 6’6″ 315 lbs

Bears can use some skill talent, but it has to start up front with them. Jenkins is a perfect fit.

21. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Jaelan Phillips EDGE Miami RS Junior 6’5″ 258 lbs

Colts can use a pass rusher, and Phillips may be the best off the edge for the job.

22. Tennessee Titans (11-5)

Caleb Farley CB Virginia Tech RS Junior 6’2″ 197 lbs

Titans can go in many directions (RT is one), and in this case, the BPA could be Caleb Farley, at a position (CB) that immediately helps an average secondary.

23. New York Jets (from Seattle 12-4)

Jalen Mayfield OT Michigan RS Sophomore 6’5″ 319 lbs

After drafting Wilson #2 overall, it makes a lot of sense to take a Right Tackle to play opposite of standout 1st rounder from last year, Mekhi Becton.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Alex Leatherwood OT Alabama Senior 6’5″ 312 lbs

The Steelers have traditionally had strong offensive lines in the Big Ben era, but there was a noticeable dropoff last year. Leatherwood begins to rectify that a bit.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LA Rams 10-6)

Asante Samuel Jr. CB Alabama Junior 5’10” 184 lbs

The defense needs help, and here they add a CB to pair with 2nd year player C.J. Henderson.

26. Cleveland Browns (11-5)

Kwity Paye EDGE Michigan Senior 6’4″ 277 lbs

Olivier Vernon’s injury leaves a vacancy opposite of all-world end Myles Garrett, who himself battled injury in 2020.

27. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

Azeez Ojulari EDGE Georgia RS Sophomore 6’3″ 240 lbs

Ravens need some help on the edge, and Ojulari fits the bill as a WLB/EDGE pass rush specialist they desperately need. Ojulari steps in and plays important snaps right away.

28. New Orleans Saints (12-4)

Rashod Bateman WR Minnesota Junior 6’1″ 210 lbs

The Saints can go in many directions, so going with Bateman here makes sense to compliment Michael Thomas and a skill group that didn’t look as formidable last year, as it did in years past.

29. Green Bay Packers (13-3)

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah LB Notre Dame RS Junior 6’2″ 216 lbs

The Packers take a swing here on a day 1 starter, to compliment a pretty good LB corp. 3rd down defense can use a boost.

30. Buffalo Bills (13-3)

Javonte Williams RB North Carolina Junior 5’10” 220 lbs

Not a reach when there is a “run” on RB’s for 2021 standards. Bills would be content with any of the top 3 backs, and they get one of them here.

31. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) (From Kansas City)

Levi Onwuzurike IDL Washington RS Senior 6’3″ 290 lbs

Ravens can use help all along the defense, and it probably starts with the DL. Age, depth are issues, and several roles get filled with the 2nd of two first round picks.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)

Jayson Oweh EDGE Penn State RS Sophomore 6’5″ 257 lbs

The Bucs are clearly in BPA mode as they really have “everything”, so why not a high upside player at a premium position?

 

Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) is one-third of the trio that does the Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) podcast.