2021 NFL Draft: Two-round mock draft with college football uncertainty

Trying to predict the 2021 NFL Draft with college football uncertainty.

At this point in time, there will be no Big Ten football in 2020. No PAC 12 football. In addition to those two power five conferences, there will be no football for a lot of other schools in 2020, and many top 2021 NFL Draft prospects are directly affected by these decisions.

Some big-name prospects have already opted out of the 2020 season. Players like Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley are no-doubt first-round picks who have already declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, and that was before any official decision came down from either the Big Ten, PAC 12, or any college football conference.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have players like projected top-five pick Justin Fields campaigning for the Big Ten to salvage their season, and reconsider the decision to cancel fall sports.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has also been vocal about wanting to play this season, and up to this point, the ACC appears on track to find a way to play as safely as possible.

How does all of this impact the 2021 NFL Draft? The reality is, nobody has a clue, but there are certain players who are probably not affected all that much and other players who are going to be substantially impacted by it.

Earlier in the football offseason, I took a look at a potential 2020 NFL Draft scenario where the 2019 college season wasn’t played. The impact one season can have on a player’s NFL Draft status is staggering.

Look no further than first-overall pick Joe Burrow out of LSU, who was an NFL Draft afterthought at this time a year ago. At this time last season, Burrow was a pro-style quarterback who couldn’t rise above the crop at Ohio State, and an average starter for LSU who maybe had mid-late round potential.

Then he absolutely destroyed all of college football to the tune of 60 touchdowns in a single season.

Even for any of Burrow’s most ardent supporters at this time a year ago, it would have been impossible to project a number one pick type of expectation on him based on his first three years of college football.

Had Burrow opted to return for the 2020 college season to prove himself, his draft stock would have taken a hit based simply on the fact that he would have been 24 at the time of his being drafted in the Spring of 2021. Not to mention the fact that circumstances with other players coming and going would have been vastly different.

Again, that’s just for one player. Think about the chunk of college football that presently won’t have the chance to put anything else on tape for NFL teams in 2020.

Even though many college programs won’t have football in 2020, there is still plenty of intrigue with the Big 12, ACC, and SEC along with some other programs around the country still planning to play.

We’ll see what happens with Justin Fields’ petition to the Big Ten, but for right now, how do we project the 2021 NFL Draft?

Here’s the latest two-round NFL mock draft using The Draft Network’s simulator.

Every mock draft out there (for the most part) opens up with the Jacksonville Jaguars picking first overall. While that is certainly within the realm of possibility, I am personally not quite ready to declare the Jags the worst team in the NFL.

If they are picking first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, there’s no doubt about the direction they will need to go.

Trevor Lawrence has been a coveted NFL prospect since he was in high school, and is quite possibly the best quarterback prospect to come along since Andrew Luck in 2012.

Through two seasons at Clemson, Lawrence has 66 touchdown passes, 10 rushing touchdowns, and has completed over 65 percent of his throws.

He’s the real deal.

Whatever NFL team gets Lawrence is going to get a guy who is physically and mentally capable of starting from day one, and not only that, he will excel early on at the NFL level. The moment is not too big for Lawrence, who is a leader among his peers and a playmaker with accuracy to every level of the field and a great understanding of exploiting defenses.

The Washington Football Team has a pleasant distraction from their offseason name change and ownership issues with the return of quarterback Alex Smith, whose gruesome knee injury a couple of years ago nearly cost him his NFL career.

https://twitter.com/WashingtonNFL/status/1295043028525158403

The Washington Football Team doesn’t have enough talent offensively to likely make a lot of noise in the NFC East, but their defense is going to be nasty with Ron Rivera as the new head coach and Chase Young coming in as the team’s top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Washington has one of the most talented defensive front seven units in all of football.

If the team is picking this high next year, you might automatically assume quarterback and that’s not necessarily wrong. With that said, I think Washington has a better chance at long-term success by taking Penei Sewell here and maybe trying to commit another year to Dwayne Haskins.

Sewell is tremendous as a pass protector, and with Washington trading away Trent Williams during the 2020 NFL Draft, there’s no question left tackle is a top need for this team.

Trusting the process with Haskins is crucial, and getting him both protection and weapons is a necessary piece of that.

After going defense with every single one of their selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, Matt Rhule and the Panthers need to turn their attention to the offensive side of the ball.

It’s not a terrible strategy if it works. There’s no rule against having an unbalanced draft class and if you think about it, it can make some sense on a macro level to rebuild a roster by starting with one side of the ball in one draft, the other side in the next.

The Panthers’ next draft class probably needs to start with the quarterback position.

Teddy Bridgewater has some upside as the starter, but unless he really elevates this Panthers roster, I don’t think they would pass on a talent like Justin Fields.

Fields is quite likely to leave the college ranks having only played one full season, which is a travesty for college football fans. His lone season as the starter at Ohio State was awesome as he spread the ball around the field to the tune of 51 total touchdowns (41 passing, 10 rushing) and only three interceptions.

Fields can obviously run a quick-strike passing attack, but he can also make big throws downfield. He would be in a pretty nice situation with a playmaker like Christian McCaffrey to lean on.

The New York Giants invested their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on protecting quarterback Daniel Jones.

This time, they invest in getting him a weapon.

Ja’Marr Chase can work his way open at every level of the field, and he has just as much big-play ability as he does finesse. As good as the receivers have been coming out in the past couple of years, Chase is quite possibly the best of them all if you were to put him up against the last three rookie classes.

He has size, speed, strong hands, and with an average of 21.2 yards per catch and 20 touchdowns last season, how could it get much better?

The only reason Chase is in college football in 2020 is because he has to be. He probably would have been the WR1 in a loaded 2020 class, and he will likely be the WR1 in a loaded 2021 class.

The Cincinnati Bengals used their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Heisman winner Joe Burrow. Their primary investment in the 2021 NFL Draft has to be protection for him.

There seem to be plenty of people who think the Bengals need to look at a wide receiver early on in the 2021 NFL Draft, and I’m not really sold on that. Even without AJ Green, their receiver group includes Tyler Boyd, John Ross, and now Tee Higgins.

The more pressing issue for the Bengals is on the offensive line. Burrow needs to be protected.

There aren’t many mock drafts anticipating this kind of rise from Texas offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi yet, but there weren’t many mock drafts predicting Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton as top 10 picks at this time a year ago, either.

Cosmi has tremendous natural footwork and pass protection skills. With another year of development at Texas, it’s very possible he emerges as an OT1 caliber prospect.

Will the Jets be able to absorb the blow of losing safety Jamal Adams?

Between Marcus Maye, Bradley McDougald, and 2020 rookie Ashtyn Davis, they should be okay for the long-term.

Unfortunately, the Jets’ rebuilding project was bigger than they potentially anticipated when they drafted Sam Darnold atop their 2018 class.

The Jets have failed to find the appropriate combination on the offensive line, whether through the draft or free agency, and they obviously are hoping that Mekhi Becton can help fix that problem.

They don’t have a crew of skill position players that any of their fan base can really brag about, even with a nice value pick of Denzel Mims in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2021 NFL Draft is going to be a process of patience for the Jets, who have to get the best possible value at their positions of need with the new capital they have.

The cornerback position is not good in New York right now, and Patrick Surtain II would have huge expectations on him if he was picked in this slot. The Jets probably need to spend free agent money on the cornerback position in addition to looking to a player like Surtain with their top pick in the NFL Draft.

This is a guy who has shown lockdown abilities in his time at Alabama, and he’s proven that with three interceptions and 15 pass breakups in his first two seasons on campus.

The Dolphins can’t believe their lucky stars here, getting a potential top-four talent in Micah Parsons with their first of two first-round picks.

Miami had a huge 2020 free agent spending spree which including bringing in defensive back Byron Jones and linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

Brian Flores, being a linebacker guy himself, would certainly not want to pass on the chance to take a playmaker for the defense like Parsons, who is effective on all three downs.

In just 26 games for Penn State, Parsons racked up 191 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, five pass breakups, and six forced fumbles.

This guy is the definition of all over the field.

Parsons opted out of the 2020 college football season before it was announced that the Big Ten was canceling fall sports.

The defensive front in Detroit is one of the least talented in pro football right now, even with the additions the past two years of Trey Flowers and Julian Okwara.

Devon Kennard and Flowers shared the team lead last season with seven sacks apiece, and Kennard departed in free agency.

The next highest sack total on the roster was two, and that came from off-ball linebacker Jarrad Davis.

A presence off the edge in the pass rush department is desperately needed in Detroit, and Gregory Rousseau out of Miami can provide it.

Rousseau is not an overly refined product at this point despite a redshirt freshman season in which he piled up 54 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 15.5 sacks.

The ceiling for Rousseau is huge, and if he’s still on the board for the Lions when they pick, he is one of a variety of very talented but unrefined edge players in the 2021 NFL Draft class who could be a huge boost.

Coming back with a selection from the Houston Texans, who are wildly underrated by Vegas (the Vegas 2021 NFL Draft odds are the current projected draft order), the Miami Dolphins get Tua Tagovailoa a familiar face to throw to in the pros.

I’m a huge fan of bringing teammates together in the NFL if it makes sense to do so, and adding Jaylen Waddle to the Dolphins’ offensive weaponry is certainly something that makes sense.

Waddle’s playmaking ability has been on full display through two college seasons despite being buried on the Alabama depth chart behind top 15 picks Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy and likely first-round pick De’Vonta Smith.

Waddle might have the highest upside of them all.

His return ability is insane, but he’s a tremendous all-around receiver as well with strong routes, strong hands, and big-time acceleration.

The Dolphins coming away from the 2021 NFL Draft with Jaylen Waddle and Micah Parsons would be a huge “W” but they have more picks to come.

TRADE: Bears swap spots with Jaguars

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why the Bears are so deep on the Vegas 2021 NFL Draft order, so I’ve got to swap them up a bit higher here.

The Bears have uncertainty at the quarterback position with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles battling for the starting job, and that has Matt Nagy fighting for his job.

The Bears have a talented defense, but will that be enough to overcome their potential offensive woes? Is either Trubisky or Foles capable of elevating the offense where it was at points during the 2018 season?

Chicago needs a long-term solution at the quarterback position and young Trey Lance could be the perfect option.

Lance may need some seasoning, and having Nick Foles under contract beyond this season certainly is helpful in that regard.

Lance and the NDSU Bison won’t be playing in 2020, but he’s got an impressive resumé already. The first-team All-American, Walter Payton award winner had nearly 2,800 passing yards last season with 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He also added 14 rushing touchdowns, showing off his dynamic dual-threat abilities.

Even with just one season of experience at the FCS level, Lance has shown himself to be a big-time playmaker and might transition to the NFL faster than anyone anticipates.

The Las Vegas Raiders are a tough team to project when it comes to the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Raiders have a pretty good all-around roster that needs just a bit of tinkering. They also have some position groups with aging players who could be replaced soon with high draft picks.

One particular position group that could be addressed in the 2021 NFL Draft for Vegas is the interior offensive line where Richie Incognito and Gabe Jackson currently hold starting jobs.

Incognito is still playing well but isn’t getting any younger and the Raiders are probably on borrowed time with him considering his off-field history. Jackson was reportedly on the trade block earlier in the offseason, and the Raiders got a fourth-round pick in John Simpson who might be a capable long-term option at right guard.

Alex Leatherwood has shown his versatility throughout his time at Alabama, playing both guard and tackle and I think he could do a fine job sliding into Incognito’s left guard position whenever the Raiders would need him to do so.

Another reunion of college teammates in the NFL, Creed Humphrey would be a really nice pickup for the Arizona Cardinals to snap the ball to Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals have former third-round pick Mason Cole getting a shot in the 2020 season, and if he does well, this pick becomes obviously unnecessary, but the Cardinals could see a chance to upgrade here and get potentially the best interior lineman in the entire class.

Arizona has had offensive line issues for far too long and they simply cannot be tolerated with Kyler Murray now the franchise quarterback.

They got a nice steal in the 2020 NFL Draft with Josh Jones falling to round three, and with his long-term potential, they may have plenty of pieces to protect Murray for the long haul, so long as the center position is settled.

Humphrey would settle it.

He’s an instant starter in the NFL with tremendous intelligence and a nasty streak in him.

In the interest of projecting a little bit, I don’t think enough people are talking about Jackson Carman at this point in time.

Carman is a former five-star prospect who did a tremendous job last season, his first as the full-time starting left tackle for Clemson.

At 6-foot-5, 345 pounds, Carman is a big dude with tremendous strength, athleticism, and length. He’s protecting the blind side of Trevor Lawrence and that alone will get him NFL looks.

If he plays well in the 2020 season (so long as the ACC goes through with having one) then there is no question he will be a contender not just for the top 32 picks but potentially for the top 20.

Just like we saw Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton rise over the course of the 2019 season, we could see a player like Jackson Carman rise significantly.

The Denver Broncos under head coach Vic Fangio (2019, 2020) have used five selections in the top 50 picks of the NFL Draft.

All five of those selections have been on offensive players.

Fangio’s defense typically produces stars out of unheralded guys, but the 2021 NFL Draft is as safe a bet as any for Fangio to finally get a defensive player with a top draft choice, and it could very well be on the defensive line.

The Broncos have two prominent unrestricted free agents on the defensive line after the 2020 season in nose tackle Mike Purcell and defensive end Shelby Harris. Even with Jurrell Casey still under contract, he’s passing the 30-year threshold and the Broncos’ young third-round pick duo of McTelvin Agim and Dre’Mont Jones will be counted on to play more.

But there’s no reason the team can’t look to this year’s defensive line class, a very solid one on the defensive front.

Jaylen Twyman opted out of the 2020 season despite the ACC planning on playing ball, and we’ll see if that decision pays off for him.

Twyman may not cross the Broncos’ threshold of college experience with just one breakout season in 2019, but it was a good one.

He finished with 41 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks.

Imagining a defensive line unit with him, Dre’Mont Jones, McTelvin Agim, and Jurrell Casey as the foundation pieces is a solid reload idea for Fangio and company.

He’s certainly not the first college tight end to receive the comparison, but Pat Freiermuth has been getting some Gronkowski-type love in NFL Draft circles.

The Jaguars need to continue adding playmakers on offense, especially if they find themselves in a position to pick a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence.

Freiermuth and the Penn State football team won’t be on the field in the fall at this point in time, but he probably doesn’t need the additional tape to show NFL scouts what he’s capable of.

The ceiling with Freiermuth is already incredibly high, and if he’s taken over Kyle Pitts — some view Pitts as the TE1 of the upcoming class — it will be because of the fact that he’s scored a touchdown at a near-25 percent rate.

Like Pitts, Freiermuth shows a tremendous versatility as a tight end with open-field skills that will cause defensive coordinators to lose sleep.

Considered the freak among all athletic freaks, Kwity Paye could very well be the top sleeper in the 2021 NFL Draft class right now.

At 6-foot-4, 271 pounds, Paye reportedly runs a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash with a 6.37 in the three-cone drill, showing off not only ridiculous speed but short-area burst and quickness.

Entering his fourth season at Michigan, Paye is a player who really could have benefit from another season on the field and a year’s worth of tape to get his stock maybe into the top 10 picks, but he’s going to have to rely on what’s out there as long as the Big Ten sticks with its decision not to play football in the fall.

The Falcons brought in a versatile edge player in Marlon Davidson in the 2020 NFL Draft along with free agent Dante Fowler Jr. They have prioritized bringing in pass rush help and Paye can help them further solidify that depth and bring some more burst off the edge.

The Cleveland Browns have a variety of recent mid-round picks in their linebacker corps for the time being, but if we get to the 2021 NFL Draft and Dylan Moses is available to them, they might just consider the upgrade.

Moses missed the 2019 season with a knee injury suffered just before the start of Alabama’s schedule, but he was still considered a possible first-round player in the 2020 NFL Draft.

That speaks to the ability he’s shown in a pretty limited sample size as a linebacker with tremendous toughness and play speed, even if his aggressiveness can get him in some trouble at times.

If Moses can reign it in, he can help lead the Browns’ defense to the promised land.

See what I did there?

A freak of an athlete at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, he could be a playmaker on defense in the mold of a Fred Warner type of player.

The Titans are going purely with value here with this pick, though Marvin Wilson and Jeffery Simmons doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea anyway.

After they traded away Jurrell Casey, the Titans could be looking for another force on the defensive interior, and Wilson can certainly be that.

At Florida State, Wilson has shown he can not only occupy blockers but get off blocks and make plays in the backfield.

He suffered a season-ending injury last year which likely was a major contributing factor to him returning to Florida State for 2020, but he probably would have been a top 45 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft had he come out even after the injury.

In his last 21 games, Wilson has 85 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. In tandem with Jeffery Simmons, the Titans would be able to create pressure inside and out every down.

The Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line has gotten a makeover in the last three draft classes with the team selecting right tackle Brian O’Neill in 2018, center Garrett Bradbury in 2019, and left tackle of the future Ezra Cleveland in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

In the 2021 NFL Draft? Wyatt Davis could be a force at guard next to Bradbury on the interior.

With offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, the Vikings will undoubtedly emphasize the running game to set up the pass, and in Kubiak’s iteration of the West Coast offense, that means a lot of movement for the offensive line.

Davis can move, and he can move pretty much anyone standing in front of him.

The menacing guard out of Ohio State has the look of a day one starter in the NFL and if he were invited to a camp right now, he could probably earn a starting job in short order.

His strength is overpowering at times and he is more than capable in pass protection as well.

Until they do something different, I think the Packers need to be the leading favorites for “Most Likely to Draft a Wide Receiver” in the 2021 NFL Draft.

If DeVonta Smith is on the board?

Huge “W” for the Pack.

Smith has a pretty well-rounded game, though he may not have the route running of Jerry Jeudy or the elite track speed of Henry Ruggs, or the dynamic presence after the catch of Jaylen Waddle.

Smith isn’t small, but he’s not big either.

He’s just a really good player who does pretty much everything well, and he’s got plenty of speed to work with.

The pressure will be on Smith to make plays with a quarterback change this season as well as less of a cast around him (at least, no Henry Ruggs III or Jerry Jeudy) to take attention off of him and open things up.

The Packers didn’t draft a single receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft, perhaps the most shocking and non-sensical development of the entire event.

Aaron Rodgers needs more weapons to spread the ball to. Jordan Love will need more weapons to spread the ball to.

Value, value, value.

The Pittsburgh Steelers would be salivating if the board fell this way for them because Caleb Farley has a chance — even though he’s opted out of the 2020 season — to see his stock elevate more and more throughout the pre-draft process.

Farley, a 6-foot-2 cornerback, has exceptional ball skills and athleticism, and considering his tape for two seasons at Virginia Tech is coming with limited time on task at the cornerback position, the sky is the limit.

The Steelers could go a variety of directions in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but cornerback is never a bad position to address especially with value like this.

Farley had six interceptions and 19 pass breakups in two seasons with Virginia Tech before his decision to ultimately pass on the 2020 season.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Farley has been clocked at running over 24MPH in a game. Imagine what this kid can do on the track.

Although Shaun Wade hasn’t (and likely won’t) gotten the chance to prove himself as a full-time outside cornerback, he has the toughness and aggressiveness the Buffalo Bills covet in defensive backs.

Wade is a tremendous nickel cornerback prospect who is more than willing to come up and play the run, but he’s also a tremendous cover player from the slot/safety looks he was given at Ohio State.

That versatility should endear him to a coach like Sean McDermott at the next level, and he would join a talented Bills secondary where he would be allowed to play to his strengths.

Even if the Bills wanted to develop him as an outside player, that would also be a possibility over the long term. Plus, at pick 22 overall, it can’t help but feel like Wade is an absolute steal.

This guy can blitz, too.

The Indianapolis Colts are a fascinating roster right now.

I don’t know what to make of their long-term QB situation, or even their short-term QB situation with Philip Rivers moving into Jacoby Brissett’s starting role.

Obviously this team used its top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on a playmaker in the passing game in Michael Pittman Jr., but they could go to that well again if Kyle Pitts is still there with their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Pitts has unbelievable size, length, athleticism, and movement skills for the tight end position. Guys with his height and length should not have his agility, but Pitts constantly does a good job of running routes that aren’t rounded off, and he doesn’t lumber around like many tight ends in the open field.

As much as the Colts love Jack Doyle, Pitts would be a long-term upgrade for them in the passing game.

Before the Big Ten postponed fall sports, Minnesota Rashod Bateman decided he wasn’t going to play this season.

For a projected and pretty firm first-round pick who has been drawing some comparisons to Michael Thomas and Keenan Allen for his smooth all-around game, there’s no need to risk anything, especially if the Big Ten tries to play in the Spring.

The Big Ten wide receiver of the year in 2019, Bateman is a crafty route runner with tremendous body control and strong hands.

Would the Eagles really go with a receiver two years in a row, though?

It’s possible.

They may be in a position next offseason financially where they have to move on from Alshon Jeffery and/or DeSean Jackson, the two veterans among their receiver group right now which just added Jalen Reagor in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Not only does Bateman present a better alternative financially here, he’s also probably the best overall prospect on the board.

Pairing him up with Jalen Reagor as the receivers of the future in Philadelphia would have Carson Wentz (or Jalen Hurts?) feeling good about the skill positions.

With one of the selections acquired from the Seattle Seahawks in the Jamal Adams trade, the New York Jets upgrade their receiver room with a player who only has one year of big-time production, but it was absolutely stellar.

Rondale Moore had people talking Heisman after a freshman season at Purdue in which he racked up 1,471 yards from scrimmage, 14 total touchdowns, and over 700 return yards.

Moore is small in stature, but he is tremendous in the open field and has incredible open-field speed, quickness, and instincts with the ball in his hands.

An injury limited him to just four games last season, but even as the primary playmaker on Purdue’s offense, he has averaged a touchdown every 10 touches.

The Jets are obviously hopeful that Denzel Mims can seize a WR1 or WR2 role in his rookie season, and hopefully, Le’Veon Bell emerges as a threat as a runner and receiver again, but even if both of those things happen this team needs to upgrade its offensive weaponry.

The Dallas Cowboys have left no stone unturned when it comes to revamping their defensive line rotation in 2020.

They added free agents like Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe on the interior, they brought in Everson Griffen and Aldon Smith off the edge, and they are hoping for reinstatement for Randy Gregory.

They also spent draft picks on Neville Gallimore and Bradlee Anae.

There’s no doubt that the Cowboys attempted to fill up their defensive line rotation with talent, but they might have to re-set it a little bit again in 2021. Jayson Oweh is one of the freakiest athletes off the edge in college football, the problem is we haven’t gotten to see him put everything together yet.

With his physical skills, though, Oweh is going to be an enticing late-first round option even with the Cowboys’ needs elsewhere on the roster (safety).

The tough part about picking Oweh in round one? He’s only played 13 college games and has seven sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 25 total tackles.

He may get more of a DK Metcalf treatment than 26 overall but great pass rushers are hard to come by and he has shown the potential to be great.

The New England Patriots need to continue to re-fortify their defensive front after bringing in a number of talented but slightly unheralded edge players in the past couple of draft classes.

In the 2020 NFL Draft class, the Pats picked Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings as edge players, and in 2019 they picked Uche’s former Michigan teammate Chase Winovich.

There’s a pattern developing with the Michigan defensive line/edge players and Aidan Hutchinson can keep it moving forward.

Hutchinson, to me, is one of the players hurt the most by not having a 2020 season, but he’s put enough on tape to potentially be a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Hutchinson is different from Winovich and Uche in that he is more of a down defensive line type of player than a traditional off-the-edge type of player, and his versatility to play inside and outside will endear him to the Patriots.

Alvin Kamara is entering a contract year in 2020, and while there’s no question the Saints would probably like to retain him, there is nothing wrong with this selection here even if Kamara is franchise tagged or something like that.

Travis Etienne is one of the most explosive running backs in all of college football, and it was more than a little surprising to see him return for another season at Clemson despite a career yards per carry average of 7.8 and 62 total touchdowns as a runner and receiver.

Etienne is a player who will be able to hit the ground running in the NFL, so whether the Saints would want to pair him up with Kamara or use him to replace Kamara, he’s going to be able to be effective.

The Saints could be breaking in a new quarterback soon, too. If Drew Brees is not around, having a strong ground game will be critical.

The San Francisco 49ers could look to a variety of positions with this selection after using two first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft on Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk, but the interior offensive line could be an area the team prioritizes.

Trey Smith was a big-time recruit who has to prove his health will not be an issue going forward, but on the field, he’s proven plenty.

As a matter of fact, Smith might be the best run blocker in this draft class, and we know how much the 49ers like to establish a strong ground game to set up their passing game with Kyle Shanahan calling the shots.

Smith’s raw power has made him almost impossible to beat in one-on-one situations when it comes to run blocking, and he is no slouch as a pass protector either.

A first-team All-SEC selection in 2019 and preseason All-American in 2020, Smith has a chance to really improve his draft stock in 2020 and go even higher than this.

It’s just like the Baltimore Ravens to get a tremendous value wherever they pick in whatever round they are picking in, isn’t it?

Basham came in at number two on the annual Feldman’s Freaks list, and there is no question his athleticism and strength have translated to production off the edge for Wake Forest.

Basham fits the mold of the type of edge defender the Ravens seem to prefer — guys with some size and bulk who are borderline prototype 4-3 defensive ends with little experience dropping into coverage.

The Ravens’ usage of multiple fronts allows them to develop these guys and they have developed so many tremendous edge defenders through the years.

Basham would fill a pretty significant need for the Ravens off the edge.

Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, Ndamukong Suh…

Those aren’t just the names of a bunch of the star players on this suddenly tremendous Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, those are the names of their most high-profile 2021 free agents.

How do you keep all of those guys?

Perhaps losing players like Suh won’t hurt as bad considering his age, but what if the Bucs have to pick between guys like Godwin and either David or Barrett?

It will be tough.

One way or another, the Bucs might want to prioritize the wide receiver position, even as much as I like fifth-round pick Tyler Johnson out of Minnesota.

The Bucs will most likely find a way to retain Godwin, who is a young, budding star in the NFL right now. With Bruce Arians’ air-it-out offense, the Bucs could look to a deep receiver class to add another playmaker in round one and Sage Surratt is a fun option for them.

A big body at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Surratt can run routes inside or outside and be a presence after the catch.

The Kansas City Chiefs have followed up their Super Bowl victory by seemingly just printing off a ton of cash.

The Chiefs paid Patrick Mahomes the biggest contract in American pro sports history. They gave Travis Kelce a contract extension. They were somehow able to retain Sammy Watkins, whose cap hit was among the biggest of any wide receiver in the NFL in 2020.

They were also able to franchise tag and re-sign defensive lineman Chris Jones, when a separation seemed a foregone conclusion.

All the while, the Chiefs added a first-round running back in Clyde Edwards-Helaire who makes their offense even more dangerous.

Where are the holes on this roster?

One glaring hole is at cornerback.

Kansas City lost Kendall Fuller in free agency and even though he wasn’t always healthy for them, he was probably their most talented player on the back end. They were able to bring back Bashaud Breeland, but there’s no long-term solution for KC at the cornerback spot just yet.

Tyson Campbell has plenty to prove in his time left with the Georgia Bulldogs, but he could ride a big 2020 season to all but certain first-round draft status.

At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Campbell is a long corner with ball skills who would be yet another very talented piece for a Kansas City roster that seemingly has it all.

Second round

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Walker Little, OT, Stanford
34. Washington Football Team: Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami (FL)
35. Carolina Panthers: Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
36. New York Giants: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
37. Cincinnati Bengals: Josh Myers, OL, Ohio State
38. New York Jets: Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami (FL)
39. Miami Dolphins: Caden Sterns, S, Texas
40. Detroit Lions: Jay Tufele, DL, USC
41. Miami Dolphins: Tyler Shelvin, DL, LSU
42. Los Angeles Rams: Hamilcar Rashed, EDGE, Oregon State
43. Las Vegas Raiders: Christian Barmore, DL, Alabama
44. Arizona Cardinals: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
45. Los Angeles Chargers: Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
46. Denver Broncos: Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
47. Chicago Bears: Seth Williams, WR, Auburn
48. Atlanta Falcons: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State
49. Cleveland Browns: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC
50. Tennessee Titans: Joshua Kaindoh, EDGE, Florida State
51. Minnesota Vikings: Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh
52. Green Bay Packers: Darius Stills, DL, West Virginia
53. Pittsburgh Steelers: Journey Brown, RB, Penn State
54. Buffalo Bills: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
55. Indianapolis Colts: Richard LeCounte III, S, Georgia
56. Philadelphia Eagles: Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
57. Seattle Seahawks: Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
58. Dallas Cowboys: Ar’Darius Washington, S, TCU
59. New England Patriots: Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU
60. New Orleans Saints: Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
61. San Francisco 49ers: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

62. Baltimore Ravens: Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
63. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
64. Kansas City Chiefs: Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State