2021 NFL Draft: Three-round 2021 NFL mock draft with top 10 surprises
2021 NFL Draft: Round 1, 6th Overall
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. LB. 6. Penn State. Micah Parsons. player. 31
We are only six picks into this mock draft and we are already seeing our third NFC East team. What a dumpster fire that division has been this season. The sixth pick brings up an extremely interesting decision for the New York Giants. Do they take a quarterback to replace Daniel Jones?
I could certainly see the argument. Jones was considered a reach by most when the Giants took him with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Two years later and he still looks like a mediocre quarterback option. Jones has flashed some upside, but the Giants are unlikely to turn this around with him under center. I could certainly see a scenario where New York cleans house in the front office over the offseason and finds a new franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.
However, in this mock draft, the Giants give Jones another year and opt to select Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons instead. Parsons is an incredible athlete at the linebacker position who shows tremendous range in the middle of the field. He is a true sideline-to-sideline defender and also has a ton of natural upside in coverage.
Parsons should grow into a man-to-man coverage star at the next level, allowing the Giants to match him up against nearly anybody in the middle of the field. He also shows strong instincts in zone coverage and has a knack for finding the ball against the run and the pass.
On top of all that, Parsons also shows a ton of upside as a pass rusher. He can legitimately line up on the edge, bend around the corner and attack the cornerback. Parsons also shows exciting ability when blitzing from his normal linebacker position.
Taking a quarterback here is certainly tempting, but Parsons is an exciting talent who is difficult to ignore in this range. With their first pick of this mock draft, the Giants find a player who they can build their defense around and give Jones one more year to prove himself. If 2021 does not go well for Jones, quarterback is priority No. 1 for this team the following offseason.