Kevin Hanson's 2021 NFL Mock Draft 2.0

Updated: Friday, January 15th

Kevin Hanson's mock drafts have been among the most accurate:
FantasyPros
- 2020: #14 of 210 mock drafts
- 2019: #6 of 138 mocks
- 2018: #5 of 137 mocks
The Huddle Report
- #4 in 5-year accuracy (2016-2020)
- Mock Draft Champion in 2015

Several high-profile prospects, such as Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Alabama's DeVonta Smith, have already declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the deadline for underclassmen to petition for special eligibility must do so by Monday (Jan. 18th) and the league will send the list of players to teams on Friday (Jan. 22nd).

Following such an unusual year, seniors will have until March 1st to notify the league if they plan to return to school.

With the NCAA granting a fifth year of college football eligibility, the NFL informed clubs this morning that players who have completed four years must notify the league by March 1 if they intend to forego the 2021 NFL Draft and return to college, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 14, 2021

With that said, the following is our updated 2021 NFL mock draft.

NFL Mock Draft - Round 1

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

Losers of 15 consecutive games, the Jaguars leave 2020 as the winners of the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. Believe it or not, Jacksonville has never owned the rights to the top pick despite picking inside the top 10 in all but one draft since 2008.

Lawrence, the presumptive top pick for several years, is arguably the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck and this will be an easy decision as the team transitions into a new era. Including the opportunity to draft a franchise-changing quarterback at the top of the draft, the Jaguars have a total of nine picks through the first five rounds in addition to a league-high available cap space in 2021.

2. New York Jets - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

With so many positions in need of upgrade on their roster, the Jets could look to trade back a few spots with another QB-needy franchise. Although Sam Darnold hasn't yet shown that he's the long-term answer and he has missed three-plus games in all three seasons, the former top-three pick is only 23. Either Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson would be worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in any other year, but it's unclear at this point which quarterback Joe Douglas would prefer if he doesn't trade back.

Fields showed incredible toughness by how he played after James Skalski was ejected for targeting as he lit up a talented Clemson defense for 22-of-28 for 385 yards and six touchdowns in the semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. Although he wasn't as impressive against Alabama in the national championship, Fields has prototypical size (6-3, 225), elite athleticism and the arm strength to make all of the throws. The dual-threat quarterback has thrown 63 touchdowns to only nine interceptions and added 15 rushing touchdowns in his two seasons as Ohio State's starter.

3. Miami Dolphins - Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

Like with Justin Fields and Zach Wilson as QB2, there will be plenty of debate between Chase and Alabama's DeVonta Smith as WR1 in 2021. Even though Chase opted out in 2020, the 2019 Biletnikoff Award recipient would have been the WR1 had he been eligible to declare with last year's talent-laden crop of wide receivers.

As a true sophomore, Chase had 84 receptions for 1,780 yards (21.2 Y/R) and 20 touchdowns. Not only did he lead the country in yardage and touchdown, no receiver had more 15-yard receptions (46) or 25-yard receptions (25) than Chase in 2019.

4. Atlanta Falcons - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

Per Spotrac, Matt Ryan (22.99%) will account for nearly one-quarter of the team's 2021 salary cap. While the new regime could go in a number of different directions, this will be the first time that the team will pick inside the top four since they selected Ryan third overall in 2008.

Barring a trade, this scenario would allow Wilson the opportunity to serve as Ryan's apprentice for a season. Charted by PFF with the lowest rate of turnover-worthy plays this season, Wilson uses his mobility to make and extend plays and is accurate throwing downfield.

5. Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

Upgrading the offensive line needs to be one of the team's top offseason priorities and this represents an ideal draft-day scenario for the Bengals. While Sewell opted out of the 2020 season, the 2019 first-team AP All-American was dominant in his true-sophomore campaign and won't turn 21 until October.

Continue reading Kevin Hanson's 2021 NFL Mock Draft

Mock Draft Databases:

2021 NFL Draft Big Board

Our 2021 NFL Draft Big Board ranks the top-100 draft-eligible prospects for this year's NFL draft.

Rank	Prospect	Pos.	School	Year	Hgt	Wgt
1	Trevor Lawrence	QB	Clemson	JR	6-6	220
2	Penei Sewell	OT	Oregon	JR	6-6	330
3	Ja'Marr Chase	WR	LSU	JR	6-1	200
4	Micah Parsons	LB	Penn State	JR	6-3	244
5	Kyle Pitts	TE	Florida	JR	6-6	239
6	Justin Fields	QB	Ohio State	JR	6-3	228
7	Patrick Surtain II	CB	Alabama	JR	6-2	203
8	Jaylen Waddle	WR	Alabama	JR	5-10	182
9	DeVonta Smith	WR	Alabama	SR	6-1	175
10	Caleb Farley	CB	Virginia Tech	rJR	6-2	207
2021 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 100 Prospects

For our top 10 per position, check out our 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings

Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

Throughout the year and leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, we will update our Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Arizona Cardinals from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

The following are picks in August 2020 mock drafts for the Cardinals:

EDSFootball - Hanson (1/1)

17. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

With Patrick Peterson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Johnathan Joseph, who's currently on IR, set to become free agents, the Cardinals will need to add corners via the draft or free agency that can contribute right away. Horn, son of former Pro Bowl receiver Joe Horn, excels in press-man coverage due to his size, physical playing style and a competitive demeanor.

San Diego Union Tribune (12/31)

17. Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

There are other needs, but adding a matchup nightmare like Pitts to the Kyler Murray-DeAndre Hopkins dynamic duo would generate instant ulcers to most defensive coordinators in the NFL. Pitts is definitely more receiver than complete tight end, but he's a valuable chess piece either way -- his 17.9 yards per reception and 12 touchdowns in only eight games are indicative of that. He was recently named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation's best receiver) and the Mackey Award (nation's top tight end).

Touchdown Wire - Schofield (12/31)

17. Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

Vance Joseph got creative this season to generate pressure on opposing passers, and confuse them in the process. Using different sub packages up front, the Cardinals relied on athleticism and movement to get after the quarterback.

But they face some questions about the future of their defensive front. Markus Golden and Haason Reddick are pending free agents, and Arizona lost Chandler Jones for most of the season with a biceps tear. Adding another versatile, athletic player up front will give them another injection of talent to that group. Kwity Paye fits that bill. Long, explosive and aggressive, he is a great fit with what Arizona is doing defensively.

PFF - Gayle (12/29)

17. Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

While D.J. Humphries and Kelvin Beachum have been more than serviceable for Arizona this season, adding a developmental tackle like Cosmi in the first round is good process when considering positional value and the fact that he could be the best player available at No. 17. One of the better athletes at his position, the 6-foot-7, 309-pound Cosmi has earned 82.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grades in all three of his years at Texas. He also earned a 90.5 PFF grade in 2020 and could very well kick inside early in his NFL career if Arizona re-signs Beachum (31).

CBS Sports - Wilson (12/29)

17. Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick are in the final year of their deals and Surtain, who has been Alabama's best cornerback the last two seasons, would be a good fit in Arizona in 2021.

Keep reading our Arizona Cardinals Mock Draft Roundup

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