With a little over two months until the 2021 NFL Draft, the uncertainty surrounding some major players within the top-10 of the board makes it difficult to get a grasp on how the early proceedings of the selection process will play out.
It most notably revolves around the quarterback position, as the New York Jets and No. 2 and the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 6 have some pretty big decisions to make regarding two of their once-perceived franchise quarterbacks.
In New York, the Jets could very well move on from Sam Darnold by taking one of the top quarterbacks available in BYU’s Zach Wilson — considering Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence remains the consensus top choice of many draft analysts.
However, there is the possibility that the Jets could package Darnold and that No. 2 pick to a team — say the Texans — for a massive return like Deshaun Watson, who is rumored to want to play for the Jets.
Then, of course, head coach Robert Saleh could stick with Darnold and use that No. 2 selection to address another need, though that is considered the least likely option.
In Philadelphia, Carson Wentz is expected to be traded seemingly any day now. But that doesn’t mean that the Eagles’ quarterback situation immediately belongs to Jalen Hurts.
Rumblings have persisted that the Eagles could take a quarterback like Ohio State’s Justin Fields if he’s available to cushion the loss of Wentz while creating a major quarterback competition in the process.
The actions of those two teams alone could have major waves in this year’s draft. But for now, we did our best to predict how things will go down on April 29 in Cleveland largely based on each team’s most pressing needs heading into the offseason:
1) Jacksonville Jaguars- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2) New York Jets- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3) Miami Dolphins- Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
4) Atlanta Falcons- Kwity Payne, EDGE, Michigan
5) Cincinnati Bengals- Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
6) Philadelphia Eagles- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
7) Detroit Lions- Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
8) Carolina Panthers- Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
9) Denver Broncos- Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
10) Dallas Cowboys- Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
11) New York Giants- Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
12) San Francisco 49ers- Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
13) Los Angeles Chargers- Christian Darrisaw, OL, Virginia Tech
14) Minnesota Vikings- Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami (FL)
15) New England Patriots- Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama
16) Arizona Cardinals- Christian Barmore, DL, Alabama
17 Las Vegas Raiders- Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
18) Miami Dolphins- Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
19) Washington Football Team- Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
20) Chicago Bears- Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
21) Indianapolis Colts- Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State
22) Tennessee Titans- Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
23) New York Jets (from Seahawks)- Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
24) Pittsburgh Steelers- Alijah Vera Tucker, OL, USC
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams)- Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia
26) Cleveland Browns- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
27) Baltimore Ravens- Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
28) New Orleans Saints- Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
29) Green Bay Packers- Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
30) Buffalo Bills- Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
31) Kansas City Chiefs- Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
