The Ringer NFL Show - 2021 Ringer NFL Mock Draft | Big Board

Episode Date: April 14, 2021

‘The Ringer Fantasy Football Show’ hosts Danny Heifetz and Danny Kelly break down our 2021 first-round NFL mock draft completely made up of selections made by Ringer staffers. Follow 'The Ringer Fantasy Football Show'. Check out The Ringer Draft Guide. Hosts: Danny Heifetz and Danny Kelly Guests: Isaiah Blakely, Sean Fennessey, Kevin Clark, Nora Princiotti, Riley McAtee, John Jastremski, Rodger Sherman, David Shoemaker, Kaelen Jones, Bryan Curtis, Noah Malale, Chris Ryan, Craig Horlbeck, Amelia Wedemeyer, Claire McNear, Joe House, Kyle Brandt, Matt Dollinger, Jordan Ritter Conn, Rob Harvilla, Mallory Rubin, Van Lathan, Megan Schuster, Andrew Gruttadaro, Rany Jazayerli, and Kevin O’Connor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, media staples, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be available. Check out the Bill Simmons podcast on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to The Ringer NFL show. My name is Danny Heifitz and I'm joined by my co-host Danny Kelly. It's mock draft season. We're going to do a mock draft here of the entire first round. But we've got a twist. We have a different person. representing every single team. DK and I will be judging, analyzing, talking shit, I don't know.

But the picks are going to be made by people from the ringer, including our NFL staff and experts, but also just our biggest NFL fans on staff, we have gone across the entire ringer diaspora to fill all 32 teams. Well, I guess it's not all 32 teams. The Texans don't have a first round pick. So RIP, Shea Serrano, you're not invited.

And the Sealks actually don't have a first run pick either, D.K., so you just scraped in. You're like my plus one. to this event. I'm a little disappointed about that, but it actually makes sense because now I can just judge everybody else. Yeah, it's kind of nice.

Yeah, there you go. So, okay, so we're going to assess each choice. I mean, mostly you, because you're the draft expert here. In reality, I'm your plus one, if we're being honest here. We're going to have a strict time limit here. We're going to go like two minutes of analysis per pick.

We're going to go back and forth. You're also going to, they're going to be a little draft shine. So every time there's a new pick, you're going to hear this sound. And then that means we're going to have the next pick roll up. Someone's going to announce the pick and then we're going to,

we're going to just riff, we're going to go. So we've got voicemails. People aren't just, we're not having 32 individual people call it. Yeah. That would be cast. So we have, they set us the picks in advance. We don't know what they are.

And then, yeah, we're going to play. And that good thing? We got anything else here? I think, yeah, without further ado, let's just get right into it. Let's just do it.

Okay. So this is a little meta here because our producer for this episode, Isaiah is also who's going to draft for the Jacksonville Jaguars in this, episode we're doing. He's a Jaguars first. He is a Jaguars fan. So while everyone else had to send in a recording, Isaiah, you actually get to do this live. So Isaiah, the Jaguars are on the clock. Who are you taking? Pretty easy decision. But the first pick, the

2021 ringer NFL mock draft, the Jacksmoog, Jaguar select, Trevor Lawrence, quarterback, Clemson. It's an easy call. I told Kevin, like, the beginning of the year, tank for Trevor. And that's what I did. So they nailed it. gas, absolute shocker. I mean, yawn, kind of bad for content, Isaiah, for being honest here. But yeah, D.K., so all we've heard for two months, honestly, two years is that Trevor Lawrence is the good as like Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning or John L.

Or whatever. Is he actually that good? I mean, I feel like it's a little unfair to compare him to some of these all-time great prospects, but he absolutely is an excellent, excellent prospect. Has all the tools. Size, good arm, accuracy, mobility. competitiveness, you know, from what we've heard, leadership, all that stuff. It's very hard to pick Nits with this guy. You know, maybe if you are, there's some slight problems with, like, deep accuracy

here and there sporadically. But, like, overall, very excellent prospect, very clean prospect. And I think he's going to be a good pro. Isaiah, how long are you going to wait until you buy a Lawrence jersey or have you already bought a Lawrence jersey? It's in the mail. They probably have to, like, officially pick him, right? before they can actually sell jerseys.

Oh, I see. Okay. Did you just get a custom one I said? What did you order it? No, I didn't actually get it yet. I think they're going to drop new jerseys soon. So got to wait a out. Also, every time I bought a jersey,

they've been traded. Like, I have an Allen Robinson jersey. I have a four net t-shirt. So I don't know. I may go with no more player gear anymore, to be honest. Dude, I was just at my parents' house. I found my old Jason P. Paul Giant's jersey and I was like, damn, that was, that, that, that, all right.

Next up on the clock, we've got the New York Jets picking second. I'm Sean Fentasy, head of content at the ringer and a proud, well, actually not so proud, more like tortured fan of the New York Jets. And with the second pick in the 2021 draft, the New York Jets select from the Ohio State University quarterback Justin Fields. Oh, boy. Wow. I love the V. Justin Fields, shocker.

Okay, so, D.K., what do you think of Sean going Justin Fields over Zach Wilson? Yeah, so I guess, you know, this is obviously a massive curveball, and it doesn't feel very likely to actually happen in the real NFL draft, but I love it. I mean, Justin Fields is my number two guy in the draft behind only Trevor Lawrence, so this makes sense to me. He is my second favorite quarterback in this class. I think he's supremely talented. I think he would be a very good fit in the offense that.

Michael Flore is ostensibly bringing to the Jets and going to install there, the Shanahan style scheme. And yeah, I love Fields. This isn't going to happen, probably. I guess, like we've talked about this admonium now. We don't know for sure. But, yeah, definitely curveball. I like it.

But so, if we're talking tiers, so Trevor Lawrence is in his own tier at the top, right? Yeah. Are Zach Wilson and Justin Fields both in that second tier? Or his fields in zone, like, is one of those, like, you don't know who's going to be better, but neither of them is about. bad pick? I would say, so I would say, if anything, it would be Lawrence and Fields in their own tier, and then there's a tier with Wilson, and then there's a tier with Lance, at least in my mind.

But it's like very, it's very close. And I think all these guys are very talented and everything, but I do like Fields and Lawrence by far the most. I like Wilson a good amount. And then I would say I'm cautiously optimistic about what Lance can do in the pros. So how confident are you that the Jets will actually? get a good quarterback because they really had one for like 60 years. So how come for you that this will work for them with, I mean,

head coach Robert Salo, but also Mike Lafleur is the offensive coordinator? I mean, I'm pretty confident that it's going to work. I think whether, so like obviously fantasy pick fields, which is, you know, get in a good attempt to blow up this entire mock draft. But whether it's Fields or Wilson, I do think that either of those guys is going to excel, you know, in the pros. I think they're, they're, both of them are coming into a good system, you know, in theory. We don't know for sure really what the system in New York is going to be, but in theory,

based on what they've, you know, like what we think they're going to do. And I think, you know, both have good, you know, the skill sets to run that system. So cautiously optimistic, it's, there's sort of like this Jets thing that it's like the pall of the Jets history that's hanging over everything. And I don't know, you know, I don't know if that's something that is real. It's like the curse of the Mambino or something. But you know what I mean? It's, it makes me a little bit.

worried whoever goes to New York just because of the history of New York. But ultimately, I think both of the guys, whether it's Fields or Wilson, are going to be fine. Okay. Lawrence 1. Justin Fields 2. Let's go to 49ers on the clock at 3. I'm Kevin Clark, a staff writer at the Ringer. With pick 3 in the 2021 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Zach Wilson quarterback, BYU. This for me, I'm just so happy. I'm like every GM ever. I'm so happy. happy that this player slipped to me. He's got a live arm. Whatever a live arm is, kind of, you know, when you see it situation, he's got it.

He can make off-balance throws. I'm not saying he's as good as Mahomes and Aaron Rogers, but he certainly has a similar playing style, especially when the play breaks down. I think it works really well with the Shanahan offense. I'm thrilled that Zach Wilson is a hypothetical 49er. He's got a live arm. It's not a dead arm. He's not Mahomes or Rogers, but the words came out of my mouth.

Wow, Kevin just, that was like the GM bingo right there. So the live arm thing is a great, uh, it's like a great scouting scouting term, I guess or whatever. So like, I think it's interesting because Wilson, everybody's talking about how he has like elite arm talent. You know what I mean? And so what is arm talent? What is the word arm talent mean?

To me, arm talent is like the ability to throw off. platform, generate torque with your upper body, you know, deliver the ball where it needs to be from, like, when you're moving around, all this stuff. It's not just the ability to throw it, like a bazooka, throw it like 60 miles an hour or whatever. It's the ability to make throws off platform, put it exactly where it needs to be accuracy. It kind of encapsulates all the different things, the accuracy, touch, velocity, you know, catchable ball type thing. And so I think he definitely has arm talent. I will say, when I think of, when I think of, With his arm, it's not like he has a howitzer arm.

I think it's more like in the, so I think I described it as an elastic. He has an elastic arm. It's like the way he can whip it is very impressive. I don't think he has a- But this is incredible in the Incredibles. Sure. Yeah. So everyone expects Mack Jones to go to this spot.

How would you compare Mac Jones versus Zach Wilson? Well, I like Zach Wilson a lot more than Mac Jones. I think, you know, Wilson, the difference between the two is, and I think this actually makes a lot of sense for San Francisco if he does fall. If Justin Fields is in fact the number two pick, which, you know, it's not looking like he's going to happen, but we'll play it out this way. I think Zach Wilson makes a ton of sense for them because not only is he going to operate within this, you know, schedule of the offense, which is like the big talking point.

They've heard so much about Mack Jones going to the 49ers is that, you know, he's basically the avatar for Shanahan on the field. He's going to make the passes that he needs to make on time to the right place, blah, blah, blah. That's why that's like the argument for Mac Jones. But I think Wilson does exactly that, but he also has the secondary playmaking out of structure, you know, react to Aaron Donald coming up the gut in your face because Aaron Donald is going to do that.

You're going to be playing Aaron Donald twice a year. So I think Zach Wilson is everything you get from Mac Jones, but he also has that second level, second, you know, second reaction playmaking skill that I think so many teams are going to be looking for. Okay. So that's Trevor Lawrence first. Justin Fields second of the Jets. And then we got Zach Wilson, third of the Niners.

And then we got, all right, let's go to the Atlanta Falcons at fourth. I'm Nora Prince-Iatti. I'm a staff writer at the Ringer. And with the fourth pick in the 2021 draft, the Atlanta Falcons are selecting quarterback Tray Lance. There is some projection involved in Lance, but I believe that he can be the dual threat quarterback of the future here in Atlanta. And I love his potential in Coach Arthur Smith's scheme.

With our infrastructure and the chance to learn and develop behind Matt Ryan without the pressure to start right away. I think we can get the most out of him. I don't expect to be picking at number four anytime soon. So going with Lance. I like that Kevin and Nora both treated like the GM, but a little different tone. Trey Lance has played 27 games in high school and college combined.

Is that the correct number? I believe so, yeah. Cool for him to be the successor to Matt Ryan, but like, does he need to sit for a year to play? I mean, need is a relative term. I think it would certainly help him. You know what I mean? Like, think about, so the way I think about it is, and this has helped me sort of like

imagine what it would be like to go from like Lance. He didn't play in 2020. He played one game in 2020. Before that, he was a one season starter. And then before that in high school, he played like a total of like 10 games. Totally started 10 games in high school, I think. So what I compare this to and how I think of this is like going out and trying to be on the PGA tour without ever.

going and hitting like balls at the driving range. You know what I mean? Like he just doesn't have the reps. Going out. So every throw slash every time you swing the racket, swing the bracket, swing the club is like, oh God, I hope I hit this. You know what I mean? So like you're thinking about it instead of it being a second nature type deal where,

you know, you've looked at defenses a thousand times. You know exactly what to do. It's almost second nature, which is like what you're getting with Trevor Lawrence. I think his starts in high school college is like 90 something. So he's just the reps, the amount of reps, the amount of throws. And it's really crucial that these are live reps too. I think that's like the huge difference. That's like what's scary about Lance is just that lack of live game reps and experience.

And when the bullets are fines, like, so to speak, you know, how are you going to react? How are you going to be able to like see the defense, all that stuff? So that's the thing that's scary. But he has all the tools. Like what we've heard is he's incredibly smart. he's very like his football IQ is off the charts he can draw plays he can read defenses

he knows what he's supposed to do he knows where he's supposed to go with the ball so all that stuff is very very you know encouraging but I just think yeah I mean it's that's the worrisome thing with Lance is just lack of experience okay so DK we just went Trevor Lawrence first Justin Field second Zach Wilson third Tray Lance fourth

Mac Jones still on the board are we back to basically where everyone thought these quarterbacks were going to go like two and a half months ago yes exactly. And I think if you go back even further, honestly, Zach Wilson was like an early second rounder. If you're going back to September, people were talking about him as, you know,

a mid-round pick and then he obviously like took his game to the next level this year and was the Joe Burrow, I guess, of this year, the Meteoric riser. So, but overall, yes, I think this is like the order that we've been imagining it would be until the last couple of months. Okay, so this four quarterbacks, first four picks. That's never happened before in the NFL history. All right, let's go to have five with the Cincinnati Bengals. I'm Riley McAtee. I'm an editor here at the Ringer, and while I'm not associated with Cincinnati anyway, I've been tasked with acting as the Bengals GM for this mock draft exercise.

So with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL draft, I'm going to take Pene Sewell, the offensive tackle out of Oregon. This is actually a really interesting pick because even though the Bengals are at number five, they will have almost their choice of the non-quarterbacks on the board. In this draft, we had quarterbacks go one through four. That might not be the case on draft night, but regardless, the position players available for the Bengals are going to be some of the cream of the crop. But I'm going to stick with Sewell because the Bengals' offensive tackle need is really, really great. Joe Burrow is pressured on nearly a quarter of his dropbacks in 2020. Obviously, he had a horrific injury as well.

And if the Bengals don't protect them, they're just not going to be able to do much of anything. And while I don't think that a team should draft based on need, especially if they're drafting in the top five, this isn't a selection that's only based on need. Sewell is a top tackle prospect. A lot of draft experts think he's one of the best tackles to have come out in years. He was dominating in college at 17 years old. He could end up being a really, really great player. And once they get that protection with Sewell, the Bengals' offense will be opened up.

They'll be able to do a lot of the things they've been wanting to do. So it's really a combination of need and talent here and it's just too good to ignore. There might be flasher names on the board. More exciting possibilities. But I think Sewell is the right pick for the mangles. Boom. DK., you're the draft expert here. Is Sewell clearly the best tackle in his class?

I mean, so I've got him ranked the highest. And Riley touched on why it's like what he did, he was a true freshman. He came in. I think for a few, at least a few games that season, he was not even 18 years old. And he was like playing like a man amongst boys type of deal. he's like six foot five, 330 pounds, moves really well,

really, really strong. I think he's the best offense alignment, but I've got Rashan Slater really close behind him, and I've seen from multiple, like, highly respected draft analysts that, like, have Rashon Slater higher than him.

So I think there's, you know, there's some question whether he is the great, like this generational offensive linemen, you know, whatever. And I think that that's such a subjective thing. I don't know,

like, how to answer that. Is he generational? I think he's a damn good, prospect. I think the things that he's done at Oregon, you know, is, is rare. So, so I think he's a rare prospect. I'll put it that way. I don't know. Like, it's a very, very, like, subjective thing to say generational, but, um, I have no qualms about them taking him here. I think it's probably the right move. I kind of have waffled back and forth whether I think they should take Jemar Chase and pair

him back up with Burrow or if they should just take an offensive line and, like, plug him into your offensive line. You got that guy for the next 10 years and you're solid. Um, So at the end of the day, I think this is the right pick for them. So I agree with Riley, basically about everything he said. Are you just saying that because he's your editor and kind of in charge of you? Yeah, because he's the one who assigns me, he's the one who assigns me work and I want him to be easy on me. Yeah, that's perfect. Great pick, Riley.

Good job. Okay, let's go to the Dolphins at number six. What's up, guys? This is JJ Chanches, Stremski, the host of New York, New York. And even though I host New York, New York, I am a proud. tortured Miami Dolphins fan. The Dolphins have two picks in the first round. You got to help two out, right?

So with the sixth pick in the draft, I'm going to go and get the most complete wide receiver. That is Jamar Chase out of LSU. Think about this. Jamar Chase was the number one receiver on a team that had Justin Jefferson. That's exactly what Tua is going to need. I mean, yeah, how is the hell is JJ a Dolphins fan, man?

I don't get it. He's explained it to me and I still don't understand. He's got to fix that. So he's got to fix that. He's got to fix that. Miami traded down. They still get the best receiver in the draft. Is Jamar Chase basically smaller Larry Fitzgerald?

Yeah. So I think I've gone back and forth on what he reminds me. I got him come to Devante Adams from the Packers. I think like a smaller Larry Fitzgerald works great too. It's just like physical dominator, you know, very, very strong at the catch point, playmaker, ball winner, however you want to put it, that's exactly what he is. he's actually smaller than I thought he would be measured in a just over six foot and I think around 200 pounds. So I was expecting him to be like when you watch him play, he looks like he's, he looks like he plays like a 215 pound or six foot two, two 15.

So I think that is a good way of kind of describing the type of player he is. He's he's a big playmaking receiver in a smaller package, I guess, is the way to put it. But yeah, I think this is a great pick. The only thing I would say is their choice is going to come down. to Kyle Pitts and Chase here, I think. And I don't know if I would lean pits just because of positional scarcity. You can still get, you know, good receivers later on in the draft potentially, but there's only one unicorn tight end in this class.

So maybe that would be like a quibble, but. JJ mentioned Tua. That's your guy. Do you think that this is the kind of move that saves Tua? Or did, I don't know. It certainly helps, that's for sure. I think he absolutely needs, you know, more talent around him. That was one of the big problems that we saw last year is, you know,

the not only was the dolphins receiving core suboptimal but it was also like multiple guys got hurt you had multiple guys opt out he just was not surrounded by elite talent and i think getting chase in there immediately helps elevate his game gives him a go-to guy i like this move a lot beautiful all right let's go to the lions at number seven i'm roger sherman football writer for the ringer and with the number seven pick of the 2021 NFL draft the detroit lyons slater offensive lineman out of northwestern university go cats lions fans may be mad at me for two reasons. One, they already have a left tackle, Taylor Decker. Two, Devante Smith is still on the board. Kyle Pitts is still on the board, but the idea of taking a receiver or a tight end this high really freaks me out. Slater could be the best lineman in the draft. He's a building block for the Lions as they turn their franchise around. And like I said, go cats. Let's cut the bullshit here. Roger went to Northwestern.

That's why he made this. But Rashon Slater isn't really good, though. Yeah. Well, that's the other thing. So the lines, the head coach, Dan Campbell came out and said they're going to bite some kneecaps. I know that's like one sentence out of a 90-minute press conference, but still, he said it. The most important sentence, yeah. Drafting a lineman as your first pick of that regime kind of makes sense.

So, like, and Slater might be just as good as Sewell, right? Yeah, I mean, I think he's very good. I think he's an elite tackle prospect. And the other thing is, you know, I don't know if this is worth a seventh overall pick, but he can play multiple positions. He can play at the right tackle spot. He can play a left guard, right guard. Some people even think he could be a center.

And the nice thing about that is like Sherman mentioned, you know, if they don't want him to play left tackle right out the gate, they can play them at card. They can play on the right tackle. I think overall, though, it makes a lot of sense. Lions fans probably have a little bit of PTSD from taking Ebron and whatever it was, the top 10th overall pick. Maybe people would be nervous. Also, Hawkinson. Hawkinson, I think, was a top 10. I don't know if he went like 12th or whatever, but it was, you know, it was a very high.

So are they going to take another top 10 tight end? I mean, even like, even how good pits is. Like, I could see them being a little bit nervous about that. So what about a receiver? Because they've got Rashad Perriman and Tyrell Williams at receiver right now. So like what do you think Roger said about the positional value receiver versus a blocker? I think the fact that they didn't go and spend big money on Kenny Galladay and instead brought in some like journeyman type receivers that can like give them a bridge to the future. I think they're trying to rebuild the foundation is is a receiver going to help you do that right away, right, right this year?

I don't think so. I think it's going to be like building from the trenches, building the defense up, you know, adding offensive alignment. And I think that it makes a lot of sense. I think the lines are a prime tradeback team. But if they're going to stick here, it makes a lot of sense going to trenches.

I think that Slater is clearly the best offensive alignment on the board. So Rogers, Homer pick aside. I think it's the right pick. But the Homer thing was front of the center. Okay. Let's go to number eight with Carolina Panthers. I'm David Shoemaker, a podcaster, artly, other thing.

at the ringer and a semi-attentive fan of the Carolina Panthers. With the eighth pick at the 2021 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select Kyle Pitts. I would first like to say thank you to everyone that picked ahead of me for somehow letting the most incredible specimen the highest upside player in the entire draft fall to me and my Carolina Panthers at eight. And secondarily, I would say, I'd like to tell you that I'm very, very upset with you because now I'm going to be really disappointed if the real Carolina Panthers don't get cowpits. So, yeah, that's it. I mean, he nailed it.

This is like a, this is starting to feel like a huge steal, which is hilarious because I think, you know, a couple of months ago would have been like, oh, eight, is that too high for a tight end? Now people are like talking about him as the top four pick. And so him falling to eight here feels like a steal for the Panthers. It's perfect. I love it. So here's the thing with Kyle Pitts. Like is he actually

first of all, is he a tight end or is he a wide receiver? He's a tight end. He's a tight end with wide receiver's skills and a wide receiver's skill set and smoothness and fluidity, speed, length,

rare length, in fact. And I think, you know what I mean? Like he is the type of guy. He is like a Kelsey style player where he's going to be able to line up. He can function in line. If they're asking him to block,

it's not going to be his primary function, but he's not completely terrible at blocking. He's not totally lost. It's not like they can't line him up there. They might have to hide him a little bit scheme-wise, but I mean, that's what the chiefs do with Kelsey. You know, Kelsey is another guy who lines up in-line plenty. It's not like he's always split out to the outside. It's the schematic ability to use that tight end as a mismatch creator, use him in-line, use them outside, use them in the slot, do all that stuff, makes it very difficult to defend. I think Pitts has all that. I love this pick for Carolina. If this happens, I think it's a steal, because after trading for Darnold, you know, you're going to bring in an elite playmaker,

pair him with Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson. You've got a very good support system around him. That's exactly what I think Donald needs to get his career back on track. And you put it in an offense with Joe Brady, who has shown in the past the ability to design a scheme that maximizes the players he has in that offense. So everything to like about this, and I'm with Shoemaker, though, I feel bad. Like, if this isn't really going to happen, it probably won't happen. So kind of a bummer for Shoemaker. Yeah, Panthers are the fewest receiving yards of any team in the league from their tight ends last

year. So that would be great, but probably not. Sorry, Shoemaker. Okay, let's go to number nine with the Broncos. What's up, y'all? I'm NFL staff writer Kalin Jones. And with the ninth pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos select Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

Look, I know quarterback Mack Jones is on the board, and I know Patrick's Sertain, it's very tempting. But Denver just added corners in free agency, and I don't really know if Mac Jones is it. So instead, we're giving Vic Van Jow to drafts the best linebacker in Parsons, who's super twitchy, physical, consistently finds the ball, and has tremendous upside. I don't know if Mac Jones is it. He just subscribes, like, how everyone's been feeling this whole time. Very succinct summation of the situation, I would say, by Caleb.

there. I think it makes a lot of sense. It's funny because like we're talking about this. Like a month ago, Mac Jones was a fringe first rounder. You know what I mean? Or maybe a month and a half ago, six weeks ago. And now we're all talking ourselves into Mac Jones. It's a little unfair to Jones because I think he is a good player, but he's the least exciting of the Big Five by a long shot. Clearly he's about to slide out the top 10 right now. The Cowboys are next. They're not taking him. Who's the next team that's even going to take Mac Jones? We've got the Cowboys, the Giant.

the Eagles, they're not, maybe the Eagles. The Chargers, I mean, Chargers, Bill, Bill is going to get the Mac Jones at 15 right now. This is ridiculous. Quick word on Michael Parsons. So this is the Broncos, it's the AFC West. Can he guard Travis Kelsey and Darren Waller? Because that's what I need from a linebacker in the AFC West.

I mean, I think that's a reason that you go get a guy like this. Micah Parsons is an elite athlete. He's a little bit rock because he was a pass rusher in high school, came in to Penn State, and they kind of tried to have him do off the ball stuff. So he's still learning, I guess, the instincts and the overall nuances of the position. But he's an insanely good athlete. He ran sub 4-4 at like 240, 250 pounds.

He's got incredible length, agility, explosiveness. He is the total package when it comes to tools at the linebacker position. He's also a good sub-down rusher because he's got the pass rushing skills still from, like, his high school days. And so is he good enough to match up with Kelsey and Waller? I think that's a TBD. He certainly has the athleticism and size to do that. I mean, he's just not very experienced. So I think that's a huge question mark.

But I love his fit with Broncos. I think it's a big fan you get the most from him. You know what else is a TBD question mark? Where Mac Jones is going to go? He's officially the Brady Quinn in the green room. They're going to move him out. Someone's going to fall. Someone's going to fall.

Yeah. He's going to fall. All right. Let's go next. Oh, my God. Dallas Cowboys. Let's go to them at 10. Hi, everybody.

Brian Curtis here, a Dallas Cowboys fan. But not a tortured, haunted Cowboys fan. I'm more of a Cowboys fan who got three Super Bowls as a kid. Now kind of treats the NFL season like a Netflix series that I'm sort of into. I'm fine with the Cowboys dawdling along without a clear plan for team building or define responsibilities in the front office. So with the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, I have the Cowboys selecting Patrick Sartan the second

cornerback from Alabama. How about that continued mediocrity? Love it. So, wow, Brian's the best. Okay. That was a whirlwind. That's actually two starting cornerbacks for Alabama, for the Dallas Cowboys. So they took Trevon Diggs in the second round last year.

He's from Bamma. Now they got Certain. So is Certain definitely the best cornerback in this class? I wouldn't say definitely. I've got him ranked highest. I think it comes down to Certain, Caleb Farley, who has a back issue, which makes him much more questionable. He's very likely to fall into the late first round or the second round because he had back surgery. But I would say talent-wise, it comes down to Certain, Caleigh, and then J.C. Horn.

But I would say Certain has the, he's the complete package. He's got length, speed, physicality, you know, experience going up against some of the best receivers in the SEC. you know, I think he's a plug-in-play type of guy. It makes a ton of sense that they would do this. Cowboys defense was atrocious last year, especially against the pass. So, I mean, this all makes sense. Like, this is a very common pairing. I think it's a very good chance of happening in real life.

On that note, is this definitely the cornerback Cowboys fans should want? Because I think a lot of Cowboys fans do want a cornerback here. This is over Caleb Farley, over J.C. Horn. Yeah, I think so. I would, you could definitely, if Cowboys fans want a JC Horn, In fact, I have J.C. Horn. I have Certain 13 and Horn 14 on my big board. So, you know, flip a coin. Whatever you like, whatever your flavor is, whatever you think is the defining trait that you like most. Like Certain, I think, would be his length and his smoothness. Whereas, like, J.C. Horn is very physical and tenacious and things like that. There's, you know what I mean? It's just bigger flavor. Either guy is going to be good, I think, in the pros. And I think it makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys to go here. Well, I'm a Giants fan, so I hope that the guy to get it's just closest to Morris Claiborne as humanly possible. Speaking of the Giants, Giants are up next at 11.

Hey, I'm Noah Malay. I'm the Ringer Films lead, and as one of the resident New York Giants fans, I'm honored to be selecting with the 11th overall pick, Quitty Pay, pass rusher out of Michigan. When Dave Gettlement took over, he promised us an offensive line in a pass rush, neither of which we have. Pay is one of the most athletic people in the draft. And coincidentally, one of the few I've watched play as a Michigan alone.

Go Blue. I love it. This doesn't really care on as a Homer pick, but I love the, I love the, I love the Homer pick. That was a rabid Michigan fan. All no it does is watch Michigan and the Giants. So like, having said that I kind of like this pick. No one I talk about the Giants all the time.

And I kind of like this. I'm just going to give the analysis on this one. Quitty Pay, can you confirm my bias here, D.K? Is he kind of like a Jason Pierpaw? Because Gettleman was there when the Giants drafted. He was in the front office when the Giants drafted Pierre Paul. the measurables aren't exactly the same, but like,

very similar profile in that ridiculous athlete who is capable of things that are insane, but like didn't have a ton of sacks in college, or am I just blindly optimistic? No, I think that's, there's a lot of parallels there. He has a prototypical frame, prototypical athleticism.

You know, he was on Bruce Feldman's freaks list coming into the season. He has, you know, crazy explosiveness. He blew up his pro day. He was expected.

I believe he was expecting. to run like a really, really elite three cone and then he pulled up, he got hurt or he like tweaked his hamstring or something like that. So he didn't even get to do like the thing that like he was going to be most well known for. But I think like all that athleticism does show up on tape. He's very, very twitchy. He has good closing speed. Big, strong, physical, good length. You know, but like you said, the the lack of total sacks, you know, two sacks this last year in four games. I guess that's not terrible, but, you know, it's not like jumping off the page. But I'd say it's like, yeah, he's in that same mold where you wanted to see more.

But I think the potential is there. This is a guy that you think is going to be a better pro than he was a college player. Yeah, I just have Pierre Paul in my mind jumping out of pools. He was like the first guy ever saw. My only question is Christian Dara saw still here. And as Noah said, like, they also need. offensive line. That's the one thing tugging. Okay, let's go to the Eagles at number 12.

Wow, you just got NFC East Row here, which is just these Cowboys, Giant Eagles Breakdown. This is just weird. Okay, Eagles at 12. Hey, I'm Chris Ryan. I'm the editorial director over at the Ringer, and I am a, I think, proud Eagles fan, although now I am a tortured Eagles fan. And with the 12th pick in the 2021 draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Devonte Smith out of Alabama to start the long, long road back to recovery from not taking Justin Jefferson from LSU last year. I mean, that makes a lot of sense. So you got Jalen Hertz, a quarterback being reunited to Devante Smith.

The Eagles trade down and still get Devante Smith. That's a huge win, won the Heisman trophy. Yeah, I like this. They get a first rounder and they still get DeVante Smith, who is in some people's mind is expected to be like a top six, top eight type player. So I think that's great for them. I mean, there's a lot going on here. If the Eagles still get one of these top pass catches,

whether it's Pitts or Jamar Chase or Devonty Smith or Jalen Waddle. One, it means that tanking that week 17 game was brilliant because they got to get a first rounders move back and still get one of these guys, which is unbelievable. I've always maintained that was the right move to do. Like I thought it was silly that people were debating that. But that's, I digress. We don't have to go back over that. It turns out at work. Devonty Smith, is there any reason to be worried that he looks like Flat Stanley?

Because it seems like that's the only knock people actually have against him. But there's no actual qualms with his performance in game itself. Right. I mean, it is the worry. It's the thing that you worry about. He's 6-1 listed at 170, which is probably being a little bit generous. He's very skinny.

So I think that is like the big concern that comes around with Smith. There's just not a lot of precedent for guys his size going into the NFL and succeeding, especially guys, his size being first-round picks. So he is a very rare prospect. He's going to have to be an outlier in the NFL, but I believe he's talented enough. And he's shown enough in his career, durability, playmaking skill, talent, ball skills like going up in the air

and he has incredible length. Everything he's shown in his college career to me indicates he'll be a good pro. So the fact that he's skinny is definitely something that teams are going to have to take into account. And I know some teams are probably going to be bumping him down their board because of that. But for me, it's a risk worth taking

because I don't think that's going to be a deal breaker in terms of his success in the league. If you're too small to play in the NFL as a receiver, it's probably going to be because of press coverage, but he was the best receiver against press coverage of the last five years, according to Austengale, PFS. So does this look as a huge deal? It does not struggle with that.

Let's go to the Chargers at number 13. This is Craig Horlebeck, producer at the ringer and backup quarterback for the team formerly known as the San Diego Chargers. With the 13th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Chargers select Christian Derisaw, tackle from Virginia Tech. Gone are the days of Chargers linemen getting gassed off the left tackle. And hello to the final piece of a new and improved offensive line. that will keep our king of flow, Justin Herbert, safe and thriving in the Southern California Sunshine

where he belongs. Get those Chargers Super Bowl bets in while the odds are still good. See, this is the ultimate Homer pick because Craig's trying to protect his own ass as the backup quarterback to Justin Herbert. I mean, they already signed Cory Lindley at center and they signed Matt Filer.

So, like, this is just a really good pick. The charges were last and run block created from PFF, and they were also, like, third to last and pass blocking. So, DK, a lot of teams that need tackles just passed than Christian Dara saw. Is there a reason for that? Or is he a legit part of his top tier of tackles? I think he would be a clear tier two tackle in this class.

However, I think he's at the very top of that second tier. And I think he's very good. This has been a very common, I want to say maybe I've done this in every single one of my mock drafts. They have to take a tackle. They absolutely have to take a left tackle. It's the most obvious and smart move that they can do. And I love it. I think it makes perfect sense.

Dar saw is a good player. He's athletic, physical. He kind of, he looks like Dwayne Brown. Like, he's just a big, intimidating dude. Like, put him on the left tackle spot. Let him protect Justin Herbert. And then, like Craig said, let him thrive in the California son. It's like, you don't draft for need.

You don't draft for need. Unless you like really need something. I mean, every team needs a left tackle. You'd absolutely, I mean, this is, there's no question. Like, tackles are a, uh, premium position. So even if it isn't at need, like it's still smart. Also, the other out copy I'll make to that, don't draft for need unless you're the GM of the Philadelphia Eagles and you worried about like a Bastille storming situation at Lincoln Financial if you don't draft a receiver. That's the other drafting for need situation.

All right. Let's roll here. Let's go to the Vikings at number 14. I'm Amelia Wademeyer and I co-hosts the Tea Time podcast. And I am also a native Minnesotan, so I am a Vikings fan. and with the 14th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings choose Zaven Collins. The Vikings recently last some good linemen to free agency.

So I'm thinking that Zaven fits the bill. And, you know, best of luck to him. I'm sorry, I'm not a huge football fan. But go Vikings, school. School. School. So the question on everyone's mind in America right now, who's Zavon Collins?

He is all-American linebacker. He is a throwback linebacker in size. He's like 6'4, 260 pounds. He's huge. And he went to Tulsa? He went to Tulsa. He's just an instinctive, natural playmaker. He's all over the field.

They can use him kind of deployed in different spots, whether it's off the line of scrimmage in the box, sometimes over the slot, sometimes as a pass rusher off the edge. He's a very good blitzer. Incredible length. Incredible athleticism. I think it makes a ton of sense. I think bottom line, like this defense needs playmakers.

And I like Collins because he's a versatile guy that they could use in multiple different areas. There's some similarities there with Anthony Barr, who was a pass rusher in college. They kind of have him play, you know, multiple roles as an offball linebacker and then, you know, situational blitzer and all that stuff. So there's some definite like parallels there. Zavim Collins has the size to sort of be a situational pass rusher for them too. So I like the player and I know that they need to get better on defense. So it makes a lot of sense.

That makes sense. I was wondering if they would take Mack Jones here. I'm not sure if Amelia is like a huge Mac Jones stand. But I was wondering because Kirk Cousins like this comparisons, maybe you could. Yeah, it's just huge Mac Jones. She talks about him all the time. But I will say Mike Zimmer, the head coach of the Vikings is this huge defensive coach. And I will never forget him on Christmas Day saying this is a bad defense.

This is the worst defense I've ever had. So I have to think they take. A defender here, and I like the Anthony Barcock makes sense. But Back Jones is still on the board, and the Patriots are up next. So let's go to number 15. My name is Bill Simmons with the 15th pick. The New England Patriots take Jalen Waddle, wide receiver, Alabama. I don't care that he's coming off a broken ankle.

Here's what he has. Speed, elite athleticism. Danny Kelly called it field tilting speed. What does that even mean? He's a great punt returner. He's a game breaker. You put him with Nellie Aguil, are and all of a sudden the Patriots have the fastest wide receiver core than Kansas City

in the entire league. We'll have a quarterback bouncing footballs to them and Cam Newton. But who cares? Our wide receivers will be fast. Jalen Wado is the pick. I cannot believe he's already calling Nelson Aguilar, Nelly. That was my main thing. Nelly Aguilar.

What is field tilting speed for Jalen Waddle made? First of all, yeah, field tilting speed. A field tilter. The talent of field tilting. is definitely like an esoteric, hard to define thing. I just picture it as, this is actually, it comes from, first person I heard it from was John Schneider, GM of the Seahawks. The field tilter is basically like,

just think of someone who tilts defense towards them, someone that the defense always has to account for, someone that they're always aware of, someone that has a genus Seque, a gravitas on the field. Like, it's hard to define. speaking french yeah but anyways yeah wattle i think has that field tilting speed where same deal with with uh with tyriek hill where it's like the defense has to know where he is at all times he could take a little screen pass and create an explosive play a touchdown out of it so that to be is what

the field tilting thing is i think it was interesting in bill's uh explanation of the pick that he said you're gonna have cam newton bouncing passes these guys but he doesn't care with that in mind like why do you think he did not pick Mac Jones. I was going to ask you. I was like, like, was he just,

Matt Jones is still on the board. He would, Jalen Waddle would be the best athlete to Patriots have had since Raney Moss, but like, don't you need Mac Jones? Like the second they have Jalen Waddle is and Bill just going to be complaining that they can't get the ball to Jalen Waddle. It's like,

just, I don't know, maybe back Jones. The real situation here is Bill has his heart set on Justin Fields now. He's slowly but surely allowed himself hope. He's allowed himself to believe. that they're going to get Justin Fields. He's believing all this hype that Fields is falling

and that teams don't like him. And he's not going to take Mack Jones in this situation. I just realized the real reason that Sean Fennacy took Justin Fields at two is the Bill would not get him at this pick under any circumstance. Checks out. Okay, it all sets in. All right, let's go to the Arizona Cardinals at 16. My name is Ben Glickman.

I'm the managing editor at Theringer.com and I'm representing the Arizona Cardinals in this NFL mock draft. And with the 16th overall pick, I am taking J.C. Horn, cornerback out of South Carolina, the son of former Saints receiver Joe Horn and the fastest DB in the 2021 class. I don't especially trust Cliff Kingsbury's ability to coach up on the defensive side of the ball. So let's bring him in an elite talent who can cover up some of those flaws. There we go. It's most important question. Is J.C. Horn going to grab his cell phone from the goalpost like his dad did?

I don't even like, I barely remember that. I have a vague recollection of that thing happening. I remember it vividly. So J.C. Horn, the Cardinals need quarterbacks. Let's be clear. Like, they have had the, like, the singular worst history with cornerbacks of the last few years. I guess unless you count the Packers getting torched on national TV in the championship game. That suck.

Other than that, Cardinals are worst. So how many top tier quarterbacks are in this draft? Is Caleb Farley with the back injury knocking down? Or is J.C. Horn, like, a top tier guy? Yeah, I would say those three are the top three. So J.C. Horn, Sertane, and Caleb Farley, however, Farley is the big huge question mark. He's the wild card because of that back injury. You just don't know how teams are going to treat that.

You know, it's been said by his doctor that he should be fully ready to play starting of this first season. But, you know, it's always just a worry. He's had multiple back injuries, so that could be a big concern for teens. I could see him following. And I think this is a great pick for them. I think, you know, obviously they let Pat Pete go. and now their two starters are supposedly going to be like Malcolm Butler, Robert

Alfred. They did take Byron Murphy in 2019, a player that I really like. And so they've got, you know, the makings of some talent there. I think he's, you know, more of like a nickel-type player. And he doesn't have the length and overall, you know, speed to be an elite outside guy, maybe. But I think this is where it gives them a good guy to build around in the future. I think he's a really good player. I think it makes a lot of sense for them.

And Vance Joseph can coach him up. Cliff Kingsbury is not going to be responsible for that. Good. All right, let's go to the Raiders at 17. I'm Claire McNair, a staff writer at the Ringer and a fan of the occasionally in Oakland Raiders. With the 17th pick in the 2021 draft, the Raiders select Elijah Vera Tucker.

There we have it. All right, that's good. The Raiders need a right tackle because they just got rid of the entire right side of their offensive line, which is, you know, that is what it is. So is Elijah Verit Tucker, like, is he a tackle in the NFL or is he like a guard? He's like done both.

Like, is he doing tackle cosplay or what? Well, I think the big question people have with Verit Tucker is the length. I think he has shorter than you'd want arm length. And so some people are going to see him as a guard only in the NFL. Some teams are going to see him as a guard only. I think he has the ability, the feet, the athleticism to be a left tackle. But some people might see him as a guard or he might be a right tackle. So I think the versatility, the ability to be a plug and play starter at multiple spots,

it makes them a intriguing prospect and a valuable person to pick in this draft. And I think, I think Claire nailed it just because they need offensive alignment after kind of offloading, like three good starters. So this makes a lot of sense. I think you, you know, they need to,

they need to rebuild that line. The Raiders came in to this offseason needing a defense and a defensive line. And then John Gruden was like, oh, let's get rid of our center and our right guard and our right tackle. So weird. It is. It's,

honestly, it's insane. But we could talk about the Raiders forever. Again, 16 games under 500 since he won the Super Bowl. But with Elijah Vera Tucker in particular, the short arms thing for tackles, it's kind of a thing with Roshan Slater too. Is this like when Baker was too short to play quarterback

or Kyle was too short to play quarterback? Like, does it matter how long your arms are if you're good? I mean, so look, there's been some really good left tackles with shorter than average arms, but it is the exception, not the rule, that that is the case. And so it's basically the same thing we're talking about with DeBonte Smith is like, do you want to be chasing an outlier?

Do you want to say this guy's going to be so good that he can overcome this thing? And the situation is if you have longer arms, not only does it allow you to, you know, corral a guy that has like, think about the, think about how close it's going to be and how fast everything happens on the edge when you got a really, really explosive edge rusher with speed. If you have short arms, that guy's going to get into your body. It's going to cause problems. You're not going to be able to, like, you know, hold him at length. you're going to get caught with long-arm stabs from past rushes, all that stuff.

Anyways, we're out of time. But it is an issue. But I think with him, he's so good that he could play guard. He could play tackle. I don't think it's going to be a major issue for him. All right. Let's go to the Dolphins at 18. With the second first round pick, the dolphins need somebody to go and get the quarterback.

Might as well stay in the state of Florida. Gregory Rousseau out of the U. It's that little JPP in them. Let him go feast some quarterbacks within the AFC. So Jamarches and Gregory Rousseau. That's where the dolphins are rolling. First of all, JJ did not fix being a Dolphins fan in the interim pay between those picks.

So that's upsetting. Second role. They need you stay in the state. They stayed in Miami. This guy's like went to high school in Miami, went to college in Miami, now playing football in Miami. First off, is that much experience in Miami a pro or con

for a professional football player in Miami? Good question. I'm sure it's very specific to the person. I think in this case, it might help, though, because then you don't have to move. You don't have to worry about getting an apartment, moving all your crap. You can just focus.

You can read the playbook. You can just go right to practice from wherever you live already. I like it. It makes a lot of sense. Rousseau is a very interesting prospect, I think, because I think there's a wide range of opinions on how high he's going to go, how good he is. He did not play in 2020. He opted out, but he has incredible length.

He's a good athlete. You know, you'll hear a lot of draft people talk about how he didn't have a great pro day. Street cone his short shuttle, those agility metrics were poor. And that is a big red flag. However, his frame, I think, is where people really get intrigued. He's, like, very tall, really long arms. Like we were just talking about, like, he's the kind of guy who could get into a tackle's chest and, like, push him around, control the rep. So he's not going to be like a speed guy that wins on the edge consistently, but he has sort of the length and the power and the frame to develop.

into a very good player. So the team that takes him is going to be banking on the idea that they can turn him into a better player than he is right now. I like the dolphins getting Jamar Chase, like this elite wide receiver. I like them coming back with the defensive end. They need a pass rush for very bad. But they have to add to their offensive line. If they're going to do this in like the second round, they have to, in my opinion, leave this with like some starters on that line to protect too or else the other stuff might not matter so much. All right, let's go to Washington. Mac Jones, still on the board. Let's go to Washington. at 19. Hello, NFL fans. Joe House here from the Ringer podcast network. I host or co-host

57 of the 61 podcast here at the Ringer. And I am honored to be here on behalf of the Washington football team helping make their selection in this 2021 mock draft with the 19th pick in the 2021 NFL mock draft. The Washington football team selects none other than Trevon Morig of TCU. My friends,

Ron Rivera has righted the ship here in Washington. Defense is how you win championships. We have the front seven. It's time to shore up the back. How about with the top safety, according to Todd McShay, available in the entire draft class,

plus the Jim Thorpe award winner as the best defensive back in all of football. I love his ball hawking skills. I know that Coach Rivera agrees with me. Mr. Morig is the pick at 19. So no Mac Jones. Wow. Wow.

First of it Trevon Morrig or is it Merrick? I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Trayvon Merrick, like Lou Gehrig, but I'm not 100% sure on that. We'll go talk to him. him, you know, individually, but I think he's Merrick. So House made the mistake, the moral sin of

citing Todd McShay over you. Is he your number one safety? Because that's all that matters most. Let me check the board. I believe he is. Yes, he is. Dude, there's a lot of players in this fucking draft. I don't know. I can't keep track of every single one of them. Yes, I have him at 31. He is my top safety

in this class. I think he's a very good player. House nailed it. Ballhawking skills. Instincts. He tracks the ball like a cornerback. he catches the ball like a receiver. He's very versatile. He can play all over the formation. I think he's a very interesting prospect.

And I think it's just like the rich get rich. Washington's defense is so good. The front seven is insane. And Hyfitz, you mentioned this on the show. I can't remember if it was the fantasy show or the NFL show the other day. It was basically like if you have three good pass rushers, you can have just like okay secondary guys because the pressure that they're creating

is so incredible. It just like takes so much pressure off the defense. But having a very good, like, ballhawk, like Barrag would be very interesting behind that front seven. Because he could kind of range around, play different roles, jump routes, you know, played like a robber role where you're coming down and you're looking at a quarterback's eyes, trying to pick off plays. And so I like this. I think it's a lot of fun. I think they do need a quarterback. But improving on a strength and making a strength are like stronger or whatever.

And so I think that it makes a lot of sense. Washington's defense can be elite. Yeah. The camera now cuts to Mack Jones just sitting in the green. room just staring at the board like really upset but no i think you're right like i don't want to be too aggressive here they need a quarterback eventually but there has like some super bowl contention possibility for washington if your defense just becomes like the niners a few years ago with five first run picks on the on the defensive line so a safety behind that would be pretty cool

meanwhile mac jones is sad okay well bears are up at 20 so let's see if mac jones goes hello friends my name is kyle brantz i host ten questions with kyle brantz at the ringer i grew up in the town that doubled as shirmer illinois so that makes me a Bears fan, which means I'm so excited to announce that with the 20th pick of this incredible NFL mock draft that we're doing, the Chicago Bears select Davis Mills, quarterback, Stanford. You're saying, who the hell is Davis Mills? That's of minor importance. What is of major bleeping importance is who he is not. Davis Mills is not Andy Dalton. He is not Nick Foll. So he is our new quarterback. Plus, my colleague, Peter Schrager, says Davis Mills might sneak

into the first round. So why not Chicago? Bears off the clock. Love it. Still no Mac Jones. Davis Mills? The guy who sounds like a serial company over Mac Jones? I love this. Mac Jones is going to be pissed. Watch Mac Jones.

He's crying in the green room and they have to cut the camera away for this. Wait, who is Davis Mills? Can you explain this? Yeah. So he's a guy who has, like Brent mentioned, he's gained steam over the last couple of weeks. He's getting some first round buzz. I think a lot of people see him as a type of guy who maybe team trade up it to like 30, 31, 32, grab him in the first round.

he's Stanford quarterback he has like good tools he's a former five star he was the number one overall recruit uh as a pro style quarterback number one quarterback recruit his year in 2017 uh over tua so that tells you like he has a very like good pedigree in terms of like his recruiting all that um he had a couple of knee injuries one his final game of his high school career he like tore his ACL so he redshirted and then i believe he hurt his knee again so he had a couple of So he only has 11 starts. This is going way back to the Trey Lance conversation where you're like, he's trying to be a pro golfer without ever going to the driving range. It's going to be a developmental project, I think.

He's the type of guy who has the tools and the natural talent to turn into a good pro, but we just don't know. He's absolutely a projection. He only has 11 starts in college and, you know, it wasn't like he wasn't necessarily lighting it up. So I like Mills as a second rounder. And I do think that there's a pretty good chance that comes into the first round, late first round. This is definitely a curveball, especially with Mac Jones on board.

It's a Garrett ball. It's a Jacob de Grom curveball. I mean, where's Mac Jones even going to go now? It's the Colts, then the Titans, then the Jets. I guess the Steelers at 24. This is wild. Okay. Let's go to the Colts next at 21.

I'm Matt Dollinger, senior editor at the Ringer and former lowly intern of the 2009 Colts. With the 21st pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Aziz Ojalari out of Georgia. I'll be honest, I'm tempted to take Mack Jones here because I obviously don't trust Carson Wentz, but Aziz is the best pass rusher in the draft, and he might be undersized,

but so were Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Ooh, I like that. Wow, that was concise, all encapsulating. That was, wow. Moly interned with the 2009 cults. I love that. Colts in play. Make it suspect.

So Ojolari is your number one pass rusher. Why did he fall in 21 here? And is everyone else really dumb for not listening to you? No. So, you know, I think this rusher class is past rusher class

is very hard to predict how the order of these guys are going to come off the board. I think with Ojolari, it's because he's a little bit undersized. As Dalinger mentioned, he's six foot two. So that's generally speaking, like shorter than you want a pass rush to be.

However, he does make up for it with incredible length. He has a really wide wingspan, long arms, good burst, bend. I just like his skill set. You know, he had some really impressive brushes where he, like, he almost looks like Von Miller where you're like bending around the corner, getting really low, dipping your shoulder and getting back to the cornerback. So I think there's a skill set to work with there.

But yeah, speaking of the pasturster class, it's just basically there's no one clear elite guy in the class. And whether it's, you know, Rousseau or Jalen Phillips or O'Dia Laudeau. A couple other guys. It's basically pick your flavor, whatever type of player you think has the best chance of succeeding in your scheme. I could see any of these guys be the first pass-rrisher pick. Yeah, I mean, I guess there's a chance they could have took an offensive lineman here

because like Kevin Jenkins is still here and the Colts need a left tackle. Real Quok and Ojo-Lari, does he have like one move? Is he like a Zoolander with only blue steel? No, I don't think so. I mean, he has a good cross-chop. You know, he has good where he can convert speed to power. he has a very good first step. So basically what that is is you kind of get this offensive alignment off balance.

They try and set wide and contain your speed rush. And then you basically just turn it straight up field and plow through him. He's good of that. I think he's, you know, he's still. Sure. Yeah. Was that one of his like signature moves? I don't even remember.

But yeah, I mean, I think he's a really good player. What I think of Dwight Freeney isn't the spin move, his deal? The spin, the spin was the Dwight Franey, special. An all-timer. We're aging ourselves. We are. All right, let's go to the Titans at 22. I'm Jordan Ritter-Kahn, a staff writer at the Ringer and a native Nashvilleian.

And with the 22nd pick in the NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans select Jalen Phillips, an edge rusher from the University of Miami. I'm not a Titans fan, but I outsource this pick to my brother Nathan, who is. He is desperate for any help the team can get rushing the passer. And while Phillips' injury history is concerned, the talent and the upside are completely undeniable. He's worth the risk. I agree.

I like that as completely true to form as possible, Jordan Ritter-Con went out and got as many sources as possible for this thing. It just feels like super appropriate. You like spent months sourcing this out. Tell us about Jalen Phillips. So Phillips is a, he's very intriguing guy. He's got size, length, athleticism. He blew up his pro day.

It was really, really athletic. However, like there's multiple concerns. Oh, and the other thing, a piece of info background for him. He was at one point in coming into college, the number one overall recruit in the country. The Davis Mills of defensive ends. Yeah, but he was bigger, I think, than Davis Mills.

So, however, he went to, he originally committed to UCLA, had multiple injuries. He actually got hit by a car when he was riding a scooter at one point and had some injury situations there. He had a concussion issues, and he retired from football briefly. decided to unretire and then transfer to Miami. So basically he has the pedigree, the size, the skill set, the frame, everything you want,

except for I think teams might be a little bit worried about the fact that he retired briefly from football. There's some injury concerns there overall. So he, again, like what I was just saying with the pastures of class, like he's probably clearly the most talented and AKA the best. however there are concerns you know kind of with like his background and everything and so he could be you know type of guy who falls or he could be a top 10 pick it really wouldn't surprise me honestly if jalen Phillips is in the top 10 all right let's go to the jets with the next

pick dk do you know how the jets got this pick at 23 god damn it they traded the Seahawks traded two first round picks for a safety is how that is how they got this pick right i forgot all right Let's go to the Jets at 23. I'm Sean Fennacy, head of content at the Ringer, and I am back with the 23rd pick for the New York Jets, and we are selecting Naji Harris, running back Alabama. Doesn't you know running backs don't matter? Yeah, I was going to say.

So there's two things here. One, are running backs like good first round picks? And then also, this is like a weird running back class, isn't it? Like, is this even, Naji Harris is like good running back, but is he kind of boring by the standards of the best running back in a draft class? I don't know if boring is the right word. So he's not a home run hitter is, I think maybe what you're getting at. He's fun as hell to watch, though.

He's another guy who was five-star prospect, like one of the top prospects in the country coming into college. He was stuck behind some stars and some very good players, obviously at Alabama for a couple of years, but really came into his own this last season, last two seasons. Where he separates himself, and he actually kind of reminds me a little bit of Lavion Bell, skill set-wise, like peak Lavion Bell. because he's a very good runner, good size, but he's a very natural pass catcher who can run routes down field, you know, go up, a twist in the air, come down with football,

very natural hands, he's not fighting the ball. So he can be a three-down back from the jump. I think he's a very talented, a high-upside guy. I get what you're saying, though, like a little bit boring. He's not flashy.

And I don't know if any running back in this class is worth a first-round pick, although I would probably say that in most seasons. We saw Jonathan Taylor, who has skisly. skyrocketed, you know, the second half of the season to, like, being regarded as one of the top running backs in the NFL, generally. And, you know, and he was a second round pick. So, you know, I don't know, like, we can talk about positional value and have that discussion now.

But I think he's a very good player. They obviously need a running back because going into the season is looking like P. Ryan, La Michael P. Ryan is their, I guess, starter going to, or Taven Coleman, maybe. But in this system, a 49er scheme coming over, obviously is going to be very, very. balanced run heavy thing it does make sense um and the 49ers very regularly overspend on on running back so maybe they're gonna you know these new this new coaching staff's gonna bring that over to uh new york so what you're saying is jets fans you know suck it up and watch the michael p ryan that's basically what you're saying here okay this is fun though nausea harris and then justin fields pretty fun group all right let's go to the steelers at 24 oh man actually that would be fun yeah hey i'm former

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shays here. With the 24th pick in the 2021 draft, my Pittsburgh Steelers select Leonard Dickerson, Center, Alabama. Leonard Dickinson is a very physical lineman. He likes to go for the big hit sometimes, but he's very consistent. He doesn't really miss many blocks. He has a bit of an injury history, so that's why I think he might fall a little bit to us to the 24th pick. But with Marquis Ponce just retiring, I think it's a perfect fix for us. Ben Robertsburg, you know, he's a the older quarterback and we got to make sure we have a strong line around him so I definitely see us drafting a center or alive in this draft and I think landing Dickerson

would be the perfect pick for us I mean it's hard to argue with the man since he actually was a Pittsburgh dealer yeah and I like the pick Dickerson is yeah he's one of those guys were extremely talented and like a first round talent but there is the injury history in fact I think he uh hit four out of the five seasons he was in college ended in a season ending injury. So there's that concern. However, big, physical, long, played every position on the offensive line throughout his college career.

There's actually like one picture floating around on Twitter where it shows him lined up literally at every position in like different uniforms. So yeah, I mean, he's a very good player. And I think that it perfectly fits what the Steelers want to do because, you know, they need to get their run game fixed. They need to protect Big Ben. Makes a ton of sense. Yeah, and then, I mean, again, I'm not surprised Ryan didn't pick Mack Jones to replace Ben,

but like at the same time I could see them doing this because the last time they picked the center of the first round was more Keyes Pouncy like 11 years ago. So it is the kind of position that I think the Steelers do like to draft an offensive lineman in the second half of the first round and hope they start from 10 years with David DeCastro. And I think Lenin Dickerson's kind of a perfect stealer to me in a lot of ways. Also, it's just fun. Like he carried Nick Sabin off the field or onto the field when they won the national championship. he lobbied to go back in the game if you need the national championship even though he's just a fun player which i think he would be a huge uh fan favorite for pittsburg from what i understand is he injured he injured his knee like ligament damage and then he didn't play in the national championship game

except for the final snap where he went in to like do the victory formation uh yeah he he suited up just hugged everyone specifically for that reason uh the other thing that's funny at mac jones's pro day he was like doing cartwheels in the background of an interview. Yeah. Just like so he seems like a funny guy. So I like this bit. Maybe he'll cartwheel past Mac Jones while he sits in the green room twiddling his thumbs

waiting for someone to draft him. All right. Let's go to the Jaguars at 25. Isaiah, hop back in the Zoom. You're up again. Yes, so I'm back. We have picked 25.

Jacksonville, Jaguar, select. Jason O.A., defensive M. Penn State. guy's an absolute freak and I think having him and Josh Allen on opposite sides would be pretty fun to watch and they need pass rush hope

and so I think he can bring that. I agree. I like this pick. Oway is one of the... We were talking about it with Quitty Pay. Basically, he didn't have any sacks this year. So that's going to be a big red flag for a lot of teams and it was a short season. I believe it was like seven games.

So it's not like a full season. But he was productive in like pressures, disrupting the pocket, all that stuff. He's like 6-5-250. and he ran a four, three, six or four three nine, jumped like 39 inches. He's ridiculously good athlete, rare athlete. And so I think, you know, he's the type of guy who teams can basically just, you know, coach him up. He did have more production in 2019 than he did in 2020.

So like, it's not like he's never produced. It's just, I think you would have a first round. At some point he had a sack in college. When you have, when you pick a first round pass rusher, you want him to have like sacks but I think there's not extenuating circumstances here that I mean he's just like he's literally one of the rarest athletes at defensive end ever so um ever really the upside is there yeah I mean ever like

dude his numbers are absolutely insane four threes at 260 pounds it's crazy that's up out of control yeah Isaiah so you you're not at all concerned about a zero sack pass rusher if he's an all time athlete. No, I blame that on Penn State's bad. Doesn't mean he's bad. That's probably good call. Urban Meyer said he wants a top four pass rush in the NFL. So I think that probably makes sense. Okay, let's go to the Browns in 26th. God, the Browns are picking 26. That's incredible. Yo, this is Rob Harvilla staff writer at the ringer and lifelong Brown survivor. And with the 26th pick in the 2021 draft, the Brown select Christian Barmore, defensive tackle out of Alabama.

because other than Miles Garrett, our defensive line kind of stinks. But more importantly, I want to draw your attention to the fact that 26 is our lowest first pick we've had in like 25 years because the Browns are good now, if you weren't aware. And I have every confidence they're going to win the 2022 Super Bowl. Thanks to, you guessed it, our superstar rookie defensive tackle, Christian Barmore. I thank him in advance. You know what? Hope is a beautiful, dangerous thing. And I can't believe Rob Herbill has hope now.

I never thought I'd see the day. I now feel like I've worked at the ringer a long time now that Rob Herville is talking about the Browns winning the Super Bowl. I feel like I've seen it all. Okay. First defensive tackle taken. Tell us about Christian Barmore. So Barmore, really good player.

He reminded me a little bit of Quentin Williams when I was watching him because he's just really slippery, good hand use and like swiping and clubbing and getting guys basically flailing in front of him so I can get into the backfield. I think he's a talented player. You know, just adds more talent. to an already good defensive line. You know, they've got a, they've got some really good talent on the interior too. But, you know, at this point in the draft, you can really just take best player available.

I think he's a very good player who will be instant impact kind of guy can go into the rotation right away. So yeah, I like this pick. Yeah, I think that Rob's right. What's crazy is like we have to get it through our heads. Like the Browns are a Super Bowl contender. And they don't have a ton of holes, especially in offense. Like they have the most talented offensive line in the league. they have a lot of really talented pass catchers.

They kind of need defense. And every Super Bowl contender needs more cornerbacks and more defensive linemen. This actually makes a lot of sense. Like they do need to get Miles Garrett help. They just signed Judevian Clowny or are they going to allegedly. I don't know if that even matters or if he's good anymore. But Barmore is like a pretty good addition in the middle of that defense. Have you gotten through this your head?

Like have you mentally processed the Browns are picking 26 that are good now? Because I actually, this is all like I'm not like intellectually like I know, but I have like emotion. It still surprises me every time. Let me see it. Yeah, it is bizarre. However, we did, does that mean we're going to do Browns week again at the ringer? I don't know.

I think that there's like a five-year waiting for it. Moratorium. There's like legal issues. Yeah, moratorium. That's the word. All right, let's go to the Ravens at 27. Hello, I'm Mallory Rubin. Head of editorial at the ringer.com.

And a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan. And I'm here to make the Ravens pick in this mock draft with the 27th pick. I select Terrace Marshall Jr. Wide receiver LSU. Why? The Ravens need pass catching help

for Lamar Jackson. They need it. Four pass catchers already off the board at this point in the draft with receivers and tight ends, Chase Pitt, Smith, Waddle. I consider Marshall

and Minnesota's Rashad Bateman here, but I think Marshall's the guy former five-star recruit. He's big. He's fast. He's versatile. in terms of how you can deploy them across the field.

He can play outside. He can play in the slot. Big catch radius, highly productive touchdown machine. He's the guy. Let's do it for Lamar. Shout out, Mal. Mal is my boss.

I guess she wasn't satisfied with Sammy Watkins at receiver. I guess that signing wasn't enough to satiate her. So, Dika, can you tell us about the LSU rider receiver who is not named Jamar Chase? Yeah. He is, like, like Mal said, he's, big. He's smooth. He's a very fast. Touchdown machine. You know, there was some concern because

he was the third fiddle in the 2019 season when there was Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase in front of him. He still caught a bunch of touchdowns that year and it was still productive. And then he came back this last year and he was really, really productive in the limited amount of time he played

with a new offense with a new coordinator and a new quarterback and he still was productive. So I think that was really, you know, It was good to see and it points to a guy being a very good player at the next level. He's a former five-star guy, another huge recruit. He ran a sub-4-4 at the pro day, so he's got the speed, he's got the juice. I think he's a really good player.

I think, like Mal said, you could have gone with Rashad Bateman, who I think is also a very good player at this spot. A couple other players like Elijah Moore maybe fit here. But I think with the length, the speed, the versatility, I think he played mostly in the slot at LSU, what he could play outside. I think it's exactly the type of player that Baltimore needs,

and I am into this pick. So that's 10 wide receivers drafted in the first round over the last two years. Seven of those 10 went to Alabama or LSU. That's absolutely disgusting. And I think that's indicative of what Ben Glickman has said about a complete shift in how those schools went from dominant defense to.

Actually, we're just going to score a lot, and that's how college football works now. So I think Nick Sam is right. Defense is dead, and this is proof. Okay, let's go to the school. the Saints at 28. Hi, I'm Van Lathen, host of the higher learning podcast with Van Lathen and Rachel Lindsay and diehardt, New Orleans Saints fan. I've been through the team, through the ups, the downs, and there have been some downs, guys. With the 28th pick

in the 2021 draft, the first pick in the post-Drew Breeze era, New Orleans Saints select Levi Onzurouquet, which I hope I say his name right, own Zorike, Levi-on-Zorike. I'm looking at it right now. Defensive lineman from Washington. Now, here's a deal. The reason why I'm making this pick. Number one, bar more, a couple of other guys that I wanted to replace Sheldon Rankins are off the table.

I would have liked to have replaced some pass rushing on the edge that we are going to need. We're losing a lot of production off the defensive side of the ball. and it is going to be incredibly important for us to keep offenses honest because we don't know who's playing quarterback. Wow, it sounds like a man in crisis. That was great. First of all, can we help pay it out? It's Levi Onwa Zerike. Is that correct, D.K.

On Wuzerike. So I've seen, actually seen multiple different, like the phonetic explanations for how to, to, to, say his name, but I saw on Twitter someone say, own Woosurike, like spelled it out, own Wozareke. And then he said on Twitter, Levi Omuzerike said correct.

So go with that. Then there you have it. Going with the first person authority on this one. Yeah, I like the pick. I think it makes a lot of sense. He's a explosive, first step, power guy. He played at the nose a lot

at Washington, but he's also, I think, he's probably more naturally a three tech he's a little bit undersized shoot gaps get into the backfield create havoc really strong good anchor he opted out of 2020 but he's a very very good player I like him a lot

I think this makes a lot of sense this is like the typical saints pick like a just a very good player they really do just pick good players it's wild the saints need a defensive tackle the saints kind of like Noah's arc they have like one of each they need a pair of each they have Michael Thomas don't really a good second receiver they have a good defensive tackle

They have it on Yamada. They really have a good second one. They have Cam Jordan at defensive end. Kind of need a better pair. They just have that like Marcus, Marshall and Latimore cornerback. They just need a better pair at every position. Any of those work,

defensive tackle definitely works here. Okay. Let's go to the Packers at 29. Hello, friends. I'm Megan Schuster and editor at the Ringer and a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers. So with the 29th pick in the 2021 NFL draft,

the Packers will be taking Rashad Bateman out of Minnesota. I've watched. a lot of Bateman play in college. And I think his size and versatility, quick footwork off the line, make him a perfect addition to the Packers, who desperately, desperately need a number two receiver behind Devante Adams. So I think Bateman can be the one to put them over the hump

and hopefully get this offense humming for a Super Bowl run. So Megan is my editor and at the risk of completely screwing over my life and my personal workload. This is a complete Homer pick because she's a huge fan of Minnesota. So she says, I've watched love Rashad Bateman. She's probably obsessed over Rashad Bateman. But Lord have mercy, they finally did it. They dropped the receiver, Dick, they did it.

I cannot wait for this because they're absolutely just going to take some random position that they absolutely don't need. They have like, they just signed a guy to a six-year contract. They're going to take him in the first round. No, I think this is smart. I think I love Bateman. I'm a big Bateman guy. I think he, like, like Meg said, he's really, really smooth off the line of scrimmage. you know, good route runner, ball skills, all that stuff.

I think he's got a chance to be, you know, instant impact guy. He's just got the skill set for it. So it makes a lot of sense. And the Packers absolutely need a good number two to pair with Devante Adams. They just have been kind of like cycling through, you know, for lack of a better word, replacement level receivers at the number two spot for the last couple of seasons. So this just makes a ton of sense. It's a good way to help Aaron Rogers, you know, escape the,

inevitable regression that he's going to have in 2021. Like he was just playing so out of his mind this last year. I think you have to expect a small downtick in like efficiency and all that. But I think Bateman, adding Bateman to the mix could could make this offense even, you know, even better next year. So I love it. I think he's a great pick. Love Bateman.

And I think he'd look good in yellow and green. Is it gold in green? Green and yellow. I don't know. It's green and gold. Green and gold. What's the little Wayne song? It's green and yellow.

but I don't think they like to be called it. I don't know. Cheese, cheddar. I don't know. I think, I hate when teams make up fake colors, like Michigan's like blue and maize. It's like just call you. Get over yourself.

Seahawks have Wolf Gray and I forget what else it is. Please. Spare yourself your weird shades. Just, ugh. Anyway, Packers could also be a cornerback year, but I think everyone's a side relief they want receiver. But Caleb Farley is still on the board of cornerback. Okay.

Let's go to the bills at 30. I'm Andrew Grudadar, senior editor at the ringer. founding member of the Joshi fan club. With the 30th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the bill select Jeremiah Ousu Coromoa. I know everyone wants the bills to go running back, but Sean already picked Najee Harris and I don't want Travis E's Ian. So instead, we're going to take care of the pass rush and the middle of the field

because Patrick Mahomes absolutely killed the bills in the AFC championship game. And really, this just feels like best available player at this point. So let's get this dude on the team. And let's go win a Super Bowl. I think he kind of knows it. So first of all, I'll make sure I get this name right. It's a Wusu Coromoa.

And I want to, let's just cut to the chase. AFC championship game rematch next season, Bill's Chiefs. Can he guard Travis Kelson? I think so, actually. He's an elite athlete, one of the best athletes,

one of the best pound-for-pound athletes in this draft. He's explosive. And he actually, I believe, lined up over the slice. So he's listed as a linebacker, but he's really, I think he plays this rover position where it's a hybrid safety slash linebacker, which is in theory, the perfect type of player to match up with a Travis Kelsey type of guy where, you know, he can come in and play in the box if he needs to or he can play over the like the slot lineup in in coverage. He doesn't have, I don't think he has a ton of experience in man coverage and man to man, but he was like he showed awareness, good coverage skills. he's got length, speed, change his direction,

he's a really good blitzer. He is by far one of the most fun players to watch in this draft. I think he has a little bit of like the Isaiah Simmons worry. Remember last year, Isaiah Simmons like one of the best playmakers.

Yeah, exactly. So I think there's a little bit of that worry with him, like what's his job in the pros? Like where's he going to line up? What do you make him a safety? I Compton to Jamal Adams. And I think the reason I did that is because I think you line him up all over the formation and let him fly around.

And, you know, he can play coverage. You can play zone drops and all that stuff. Do a little bit of man to man. I think he has absolutely has the athleticism for it. But he's also very good as a blitzer and coming off the edge. He just screams in. No regard for his physical well-being. He just flies around.

He's so much fun to watch. So explosive. and I mean put him on the Buffalo Bill's defense and man, a good defense just got a lot better. Yeah, I think there's a concern with the tweener guys. Like there were Sue Cravens back in the day with Washington, Isaiah Simmons,

that when you have to learn two positions, you end up learning zero. It takes a long time for you to get in the field. So, but if that's not a problem, it's awesome to have those guys be able to play. All right, let's go to the Chiefs at 31. I'm Rainey Jazeerly, contributing writer for the ringer

and a Kansas City Chiefs fan since our quarterback was Steve DeBerg. With the 31st pick in the 2021 draft, The Chiefs select Tevin Jenkins left tackle Oklahoma State University. Protecting Patrick Mahomes' blindside has already considered a sacred duty by at least three of the world's major religions, and our offensive line is still repenting for making him run for his life in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs released longtime left tackle Eric Fisher after Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC championship game, and their current options at the position are a turnstile and a revolving door.

Tevin Jenkins could be a 10-year starter at the position in the NFL and would be an excellent value with this A sacred duty by three of the world's religions. I love that. Okay, that's, I mean, he's spot the lie, though. He's not wrong. I mean, that's unbelievable. So he said, Kevin Jenkins can start for 10 years.

Obviously, anyone who watched the Super Bowl knows they need to protect the guy. Mahomes. Is Kevin Jenkins a 10 years potential starting tackle? I mean, there's certainly the potential there. Yeah, he's, so first off, he plays with a lot of physicality. He's just like a big physical guy. There's, um, I, I remember sitting up in my chair, like watching linemen can be kind of boring, honestly, when you're scouting for the drafts. Like, you know, don't tell me. If they, if they're doing, if they're doing their job right,

there's like, it's all boring plays the entire freaking thing. You know what I mean? But he's the kind of guy who will like pick a dude up and, and carry him 20 yards and throw him out of the club, like throw him out of bounce. Literally throw him out of balance. Literally throw him. out of balance. That's the kind of player he is. But I love him. I love Kevin Jenkins. He tested really well,

very athletic guy. He has experience at both right and left tackle. So, you know, he brings the versatility, whether they like him at left tackle or right tackle. I don't know.

I think he has the athleticism probably to play either spot. But he has more starts at right tackle, so maybe they see him that way. But either way, you need both right and left tackle. In this league, honestly,

you need both because so many teams have guys running and coming off the right side. So this, this pick makes perfect sense. I think he's a really good player. I think it's a good fit for them. So yeah, I love this pick. Yeah. So I'm going to pick people up and throw them out of the club when they come for Patrick Mahomes is just about perfect. All right. So Mack Jones, still on the board. Final pick of the first round. Oh boy. We're going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 32. Wow. I'm Kevin O'Connor, staff writer at the ringer, and I'm a grateful

lifelong fan of Tom Brady, the goat. With the 30-second pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Carlos Boogie Basham Jr. Edge Rush are out of Wake Forests. The Bucks need depth at defensive end and Basham can come in right away, be a disruptive force on the defensive end, and also serve as a potential long-term piece as the team as well.

it's honestly baffling that so many QB needy teams passed on Mack Jones and I did strongly consider him here because he could be a Brady replacement with the five year rookie deal or he could be flipped to a team in the second round that still needs a quarterback but Tampa Bay is in win now mode with Brady with this team it's time to try to go back to back and not think too far ahead it's time to go get the goat his eighth Super Bowl. That's why we're going with Boogie. Oh my God. KFC. Matt Jones fell out of the first round, D.Ks, this whole exercise void? I mean, it's probably not accurate, but very few mock drafts are. Honestly, dude, mock drafts, like, if you get six or seven picks out of 32, right, you're, like, an elite level mock drafter. So I just say, I'll just say that.

I think if we went to run this mock draft. draft maybe like two months ago, people would be like, oh, yeah, that's fine. Mac Jones falls out of the first round. I think I, even I've, I've done like one or two mock drafts where he was not a first rounder. It's the San Francisco trade that's, that's thrown us all on our asses and been like, wow, is he a top 10 player actually? So, um, I think apparently what we're learning is the ringer staff is not buying into the Mac Jones hype at all. So, um, I guess that is like the overall arching thing. I do like the boogie Basham pick. He is to me a very, a very, intriguing pass thrusher, extremely athletic,

extremely big, strong, physical. He's a power guy, and he tested through the roof. Yeah, there's a lot to like there. He's a productive guy. I don't think he's like super bendy. He's a little stiff, but he's very athletic, very powerful, and productive. I think he's going to be good pro. That's what we say about KOC too. Very powerful,

very productive. Yeah, versatile. Can we get KOC to come on here and just like play his guitar as like the outro? It would be unbelievable. We do. Maybe we can get that next couple episodes. KOC just does, KLC just does the NFL show,

like intro, but he just does it with this guitar. We need that. I want to do that. We need that. Okay. That was the ringer NFL mock draft 2021. Holy cow. We did it.

Okay. So Mac Jones thoughts aside, which is obviously hilarious in my main takeaway from this whole exercise. What else is your takeaway from this exercise? D.K. My takeaway is, it feels like a lot of people are going to be unhappy with the quarterback situation that happens going. Like Jets fans, well, I think the vast majority of Jets fans are going to be happy with Zach Wilson, if that ends up being the case.

But the fact that Sean went with Justin Fields, I think, is maybe indicative that there's some, maybe a little bit of contention there. I don't know. And then obviously, if the 49ers take Mac Jones, going to be a lot of people talking themselves into that one. it's already happening. I mean, I think people are preparing themselves mentally for that. But yeah, that was my main impression is like,

there's going to be, there's going to be some weird feelings about how these drafts, like the quarterbacks end up. I think you're right, because fans talk themselves into the pick no matter what. I think the teams that are very easily talk,

they're teams that are in good position to talk themselves into the pick. The Cowboys, because they'll be able to get a cornerback. I think whatever they do, they'll be happy. Packers fans are probably going to be able to get a receiver.

If they take one, I think they will be happy. me the Eagles I think one of my main thoughts here though is that unless the Eagles get Waddle or Smith because they're not getting pits

I don't think and they're not getting Jemar Chays I think Eagles fans are going to be so mad unless they get that and it occurred to me when Chris picked Devonty Smith that I'm like if this doesn't happen

they're going to be so they're going to come for Howie Roseman otherwise yeah and then the page I think and again actually in this one too Bill passing on Mac Jones for Jalen Waddle I think that one also to me is maybe the most interesting pick of the draft.

Like what the Patriots do at 15 of whether they trade back, they trade forward, they pick a quarterback, they pick a cool of skill player. I do think is one of the most interesting spots in the entire draft. And also I want to see if Davis Mills actually go in the first round. That's wild. He might. Shout out to you, Kyle Brand. I think the Patriots are going to trade up. That's where I'm landing right now.

That's how I feel. I think they're going to trade up, especially if Mac Jones is, sorry, especially, well, yeah, if Mac Jones is the pick. at number three. If Justin Fields is not the pick for the 49ers, I think the Patriots are going to pounce on that. And it's going to be fun. Yeah, I just, I can't believe Mac Jones to go in the first round. All right, that's all we got. That's absolutely wild. Thank you to everyone for listening. Thank you to everyone here at the ringer who participated. We appreciate it. This was a lot of fun. Thank you, D.K. Thank you to Isaiah and Arjuna behind the virtual glass. We'll see you guys on Friday.