2021 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks fall and a major run on tackle in mock draft
By Ian Higgins
Scouting Report. Alabama. Christian Barmore. player. 35. College Stats. DT. 22
With questions swirling around the status of defensive tackle DaQuan Jones in Tennessee, finding a cap-friendly alternative in the 2021 NFL Draft could be the course of action to enable the expenditure of valuable free-agency funds elsewhere. Making $7 million annually on his most recent contract, Jones would command the remainder of Tennessee’s cap space (if not more) for a return.
One of the few defensive tackles within the 2021 NFL Draft class with clear first-round potential, Alabama’s Christian Barmore is a powerful 300-pounder with subtle agility enabling him to effectively penetrate interior pass-protection.
Typically aligned as a three-technique in his college days, Barmore has the physical capability to operate as a focal-point nose tackle but would likely see immense return aligned as a 3-4 defensive end alongside an even more imposing physical interior presence concentrated on the run.
30. Azeez Ojulari. 23. player. Scouting Report. College Stats. EDGE. Georgia
With the arrival of new head coach Robert Saleh, the New York Jets defensive personnel will see a massive shuffle in their conversion from a 3-4 to 4-3 defensive front. Led by Quinnen Williams, the Jets pass rush lacks in talent and youth, requiring a fresh-faced addition to inherit one of the two crucial slots on the end of the defensive line as a three-down pass-rusher.
At number 23 overall though, the Jets find themselves in the thick of the 2021 NFL Draft’s second-tier of pass-rushers including Georgia Bulldog’s playmaker Azeez Ojulari. Athletic with a nose for making plays on the football, Ojulari is a developmental prospect who has made the most of his athletic ability in his collegiate career.
Slightly undersized for a conventional 4-3 defensive end at six-foot-three, 240-pounds, Ojulari would offer complimenting speed to the power of the current interior defensive line. With room for growth and time to be afforded for development in the rebuild of the Jets defense, Ojulari could take the time to become a three-down player while contributing as a rotational pass-rusher.