We are maybe (hours) away from the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, so a mock with a difference, a dynasty edition. The rules are simple, each team is going to have selected a ‘fantasy position’ no OL, no defensive players, no trades.
It’s just a bit of fun- but let’s get into it!
Pick 1 – Jacksonville Jaguars
QB – Trevor Lawrence
The Locked in No.1 pick. No surprises here the Jaguars secure their franchise quarterback with ‘generational talent’ Trevor Lawrence.
Pick 2 – New York Jets
QB – Zach Wilson
The Jets seemed to have fallen in love with Wilson, and it would take a huge swerve now for them not to pick him. The BYU product has shown he can not only do it through the air but also on the ground with 10 rushing TDs.
Pick 3 – San Francisco 49ers
QB – Justin Fields
49ers selecting Fields is the right thing for the franchise and they get their man here. Fields is a day one starter and has all the tools to take the 49ers and your fantasy teams a long way in 2021 and beyond.
Pick 4 – Atlanta Falcons
TE – Kyle Pitts
The Falcons owe Matt Ryan a TON of cash over the next 2 years. They keep him and select best player available to make an awesome arsenal of weapons for the 2016 league MVP.
Pick 5 – Cincinnati Bengals
WR – Ja’Marr Chase
The Bengals need to protect star quarterback Joe Burrow. But in this mock, I can’t select O-Linemen so I select the best available wide receiver which happens to be Burrow’s old teammate back at LSU. This passing offense is one of the very best in the league with Higgins, Boyd & now Chase.
Pick 6 – Miami Dolphins
WR – Jaylen Waddle
With Chase & Pitts off the board the Dolphins also make a nice re-union pairing Tua with his old receiver and speedster Jaylen Waddle. Waddle can take the top off defenses and will help give Tua a vital weapon that he never had last season.
Pick 7 – Detroit Lions
WR – DeVonta Smith
The Lions have needs all over the place and could well draft a quarterback to sit behind Jared Goff. For this mock they select Alabama Heisman trophy winner DeVonta Smith who will immediately become the number one on the team.
Pick 8 – Carolina Panthers
WR – Rashod Bateman
Carolina settles on Sam Darnold whom they recently traded for. With the loss of Curtis Samuel to Washington the Panthers decide to grab the next best wide receiver. Bateman is incredibly efficient in all areas without having that one special trait that makes him stand out.
Pick 9 – Denver Broncos
QB – Trey Lance
The Broncos hit the jackpot and land a quarterback who can compete and eventually beat out Drew Lock. Lance can sit for half a season before exploding in this offense. The sky is the limit for the dynamic quarterback with these weapons and the fact he has such a high rushing floor.
Pick 10 – Dallas Cowboys
TE – Brevin Jordan
This is where the draft gets a bit messy and there’s a few serious reaches. The Cowboys offense is awesome and there is no real weakness except the Tight End position that doesn’t have a star. Jordan has huge upside with his athletic ability and can be another play maker for come back of the year candidate Dak Prescott.
Pick 11 – New York Giants
WR – Rondale Moore
The Giants could well have been sniped with this pick by their divisional foes the Cowboys. However, with no clear need at Running Back, Dave Gettleman selects the next best Wide Receiver in Rondale Moore. With uncertainty at the position other than incoming star Kenny Golladay the Giants land a huge prospect in Moore who excelled in all metrics.
Pick 12 – Philadelphia Eagles
WR – Terrace Marshall
The Eagles’ clear weakness on offense is their receiving core. That should make the selection of Terrace Marshall out of LSU is a welcome one for fans. Jalen Reagor hasn’t shown enough to be their alpha guy so bringing in a bigger body guy like Marshall to help Jalen Hurts take the next step is the right thing for them going forward.
Pick 13 – Los Angeles Chargers
WR – Elijah Moore
The Chargers could use a Tight End, after Hunter Henry was allowed to leave. But with the top two guys gone off the board the Chargers select impressive Wide Receiver, Elijah Moore. With Justin Herbert having an extraordinary rookie season the Chargers build on that by giving him another weapon that can work as an awesome One-Two tandem with Keenan Allen.
Pick 14 – Minnesota Vikings
WR – Amon Ra St. Brown
This is another trickier pick for the Vikings with no clear needs at any position. They feel confident in Irv Smith becoming a top Tight End so they select Wide Receiver out of USC Amon Ra St.Brown who can be the long term successor to Adam Thielen who will be 31 when the season begins.
Pick 15 – New England Patriots
QB – Mac Jones
Bill gets his guy and lands one of the top 5 Quarterbacks to compete with Cam Newton for the starting job. Jones will likely be the long term answer Bill has been looking for since Brady left. A serial winner, Jones and Belichick will be a match made in heaven and make the Patriots relevant once again.
Pick 16 – Arizona Cardinals
RB – Travis Etienne
The Cardinals are delighted that they have the pick of the bunch of Running Backs, a clear need going into the draft. The selection of Etienne completes an offense that can be explosive and dynamic in 2021 and beyond. Etienne has home run ability and Kingsbury will try to get his new star Running Back into space and wreak havoc.
Pick 17 – Las Vegas Raiders
WR – Tylan Wallace
Jon Gruden made a lot of people unhappy with his move for Kenyan Drake in the offseason. His back field is loaded but murky for fantasy. Now he turns his attention to his pass attack which could use a fresh face and they select Tylan Wallace from Oklahoma State. Wallace has very rounded abilities and is great in contested 50-50 balls, Carr lands a new weapon after not being able to link of with Ruggs and Edwards last season.
Pick 18 – Miami Dolphins
RB – Najee Harris
Miami can’t believe their luck and their guy falls to them at pick 18 in Najee Harris. The consensus number one Running Back in the class fills a need for the Dolphins and becomes a day one starter. This would be a great landing spot for fantasy too as Harris has huge PPR appeal with his pass catching as well as his impressive tackle-breaking ability.
Pick 19 – Washington Football Team
QB – Davis Mills
Washington could very well go for a running back some time in the draft and i think it would send the fantasy world nuts. With this pick they go sensible though and select a Quarterback with big upside who can sit and learn under Ryan Fitzpatrick. Davis Mills has only started a handful of games but his raw ability is so impressive that a team will take a shot on him becoming a starter one day and this is the hope here for Washington.
Pick 20 – Chicago Bears
QB – Kellen Mond
The Bears are desperate for a Quarterback but with all the top options gone they turn to a lesser known prospect in Kellen Mond. Mond a dual threat Quarterback is able to sit and learn under Andy Dalton until he is ready to take over the reigns. Mond seemed to get better every single year at Texas A&M and finished some impressive stats and multiple awards.
Pick 21 – Indianapolis Colts
TE – Pat Freiermuth
The Colts are not far away from seriously competing at the top of the AFC. One area with question marks is the Tight End position and they attempt to address it here with the selection of Pat Freirmuth from Penn State. Freiermuth plays nasty and was having a productive 2020 season before having season-ending surgery. Wentz will love the addition of another big pass catcher as the Colts look to take the next step.
Pick 22 – Tennessee Titans
TE – Hunter Long
Tennessee look to address the big hole that Jonnu Smith left in free agency with the selection of Hunter Long out of Boston College. Long lead all Tight ends in targets in 2020 and was certainly productive if not spectacular. Long would be a solid, safe receiver for Tannehill as the titans look to get back to the playoffs in 2021.
Pick 23 – New York Jets
RB – Kenneth Gainwell
One place where the Jets are lacking in quality is the Running Back position with only Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and Josh Adams on the roster. Gainwell will come in and immediately add pass catching quality to this group. Newly drafted Quarterback Zach Wilson will certainly love this pick and the selection will help ease Wilson into the NFL with a quality dump off option available.
Pick 24 – Pittsburgh Steelers
RB – Javonte Williams
With the top two Running Backs off the board the Steelers address their biggest need by selecting Javonte Williams out of North Carolina. The bruising back will fit perfectly into Mike Tomlin’s workhorse role and be a day one starter as well as high-end fantasy contributor.
Pick 25 – Jacksonville Jaguars
WR – Kadarius Toney
What does every newly drafted Quarterback want other than maximum protection? Some shiny new toys to work with of course! Toney broke out for the Gators in 2020 putting together a near 1,000 yard season. The electric slot receiver will be a nice addition to a Wide Receiver core that already features DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault.
Pick 26 – Cleveland Browns
WR – Dyami Brown
This is a luxury pick for the Browns with no clear needs on the offense. The Browns choose to go for Wide Receiver depth having spent most of 2020 without star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Dyami Brown from North produced back to back 1,000+ yard seasons and will add another weapon for Baker Mayfield to continue his good form shown in 2020.
Pick 27 – Baltimore Ravens
WR – Seth Williams
The Baltimore Ravens have been desperately trying to add quality Wide Receivers to their roster all offseason. The only notable addition has been Sammy Watkins having spent three seasons struggling at the Chiefs. The Ravens fall in love with bigger back Seth Williams, at 6 foot 3 inches he’s that bigger receiver they are after and they are delighted to grab him here late in the draft.
Pick 28 – New Orleans Saints
WR – Nico Collins
Another big bodied receiver goes next and it’s Nico Collins to the Saints. Newly installed starting Quarterback Jameis Winston has another weapon that will fit perfectly in his vertical passing attack. Michael Thomas will be hoping for a bounce back season after an injury affected 2020 but with no other receiving option stepping up in Thomas’ absence, the Saints feel that Collins can develop into that role.
Pick 29 – Green Bay Packers
WR – Amari Rodgers
A.Rodgers heads to Green Bay to play with A.Rodgers. The Clemson product had his best season to date in 2020 exploding for 1,020 yards in just 12 games played. The Packers certainly needed to freshen their receivers up having not found that guy to step and be the number two behind Davante Adams. They hope Rodgers adds something that they have been missing as they look to go repeat last year’s successful season and take one step further to the Super Bowl.
Pick 30 – Buffalo Bills
RB – Chuba Hubbard
The last offseason addition of Stefon Diggs was a master stroke by Sean McDermott but it was another position that let them down ultimately. The Running Back duo of Moss and Singletary didn’t work as effectively as they hoped so the addition of Chuba Hubbard from Oklahoma State is no surprise here. The 2019 star had a forgettable 2020 campaign but the Bills are willing to take the gamble that it was an outlier and hope he can become a star in their offense.
Pick 31 – Baltimore Ravens
TE – Kenny Yeboah
Having secured their Wide Receiver earlier in the draft the Ravens use the newly acquired pick from the Chiefs to select Tight End Kenny Yeboah. Yeboah was a late transfer to Ole Miss in 2020 where he produced in a shortened campaign scoring 6 TDs in just 7 games compiling over 500 yards in the process. Yeboah is raw but with huge upside and can sit and learn behind Mark Andrews.
Pick 32 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB – Michael Carter
Tampa Bay are another team who will be drafting best available and in this case it is another Running Back they add to their ranks. Michael Carter was phenomenal in a Running Back duo with Javonte Williams at North Carolina, rushing for over 1,200 yards as well as receiving 25 passes. The Buccaneers only have Keshawn Vaughn on the roster after 2021 so the selection of Carter gives Brady and the following Quarterback a quality pass catching option at the position.
So, a little different, but what did you think about our 2021 NFL dynasty edition mock draft? Let us know, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to check out our draft kit!
Image Credit: Rich Barnes – USA TODAY Sports
