The 2021 NFL Draft is officially three weeks away. With only three weeks to go, it’s possible that the top three picks are already known.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are taking Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick.
The New York Jets are going with BYU quarterback Zach Wilson.
The San Francisco 49ers, somewhat shockingly, appear to have traded multiple first-round picks to move up from the 12th spot to the 3rd spot (with Miami) to select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
Although it’s possible at this point that the San Francisco 49ers could change course, the top two selections in the 2021 NFL Draft appear to be set and all signs right now point to the third pick being Mac Jones.
If that’s the case, the 49ers’ trade up with the Miami Dolphins might not be the last shocking move we see happen in the first round. In fact, it’s probably more likely than not that we see some more movement in the 2021 NFL Draft order.
What trades could teams make in the next three weeks? Will something go down before the 2021 NFL Draft?
Let’s take a look at five trades that could still happen leading up to (or during) the 2021 NFL Draft.
1. Denver Broncos trade up for Justin Fields
The Atlanta Falcons move back five spots in the top 10 picks and wind up adding a second-round pick in 2021 and an additional third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Although with quarterbacks involved you can typically throw the trade value chart out the window, this is a pretty substantial overpay for the Broncos anyway.
The Falcons might prefer a trade-down option where they could get a 2022 first-round option, but who knows if that opportunity will present itself?
Moving down to the 9th overall pick, the Falcons could still get a great receiver, offensive lineman, or maybe one of the best defensive players in this draft class.
Are they willing to pass on Kyle Pitts to let the Denver Broncos take a franchise QB like Justin Fields? If they can get this kind of haul, they just might.
2. New England Patriots trade up for Trey Lance
The Detroit Lions have been collecting future draft selections, and picking 7th overall, they could go a variety of different directions.
Besides the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions feel like perhaps the most likely team in the top 10 to trade down from their pick and let someone else have the chance to draft a quarterback.
The New England Patriots have long been rumored to be a team interested in moving up for a new quarterback, but it just hasn’t happened. This would go against what we’ve come to expect to be New England’s “style” but they’ve already gone against the grain by spending a boatload of cash in free agency.
With the way the Patriots just attacked free agency, is it possible they could be one of the most aggressive teams in the 2021 NFL Draft?
I would say yes.
The Patriots liked the foundation they set in 2020 with Cam Newton at the quarterback position. There might not be better options to run the same type of offense than Justin Fields and Trey Lance in this draft class given their ability as runners, and Lance is the better runner of the two.
As a matter of fact, while he was at North Dakota State, Lance averaged 18 pass attempts per game while the offense averaged over 40 rushing attempts per game. The Patriots are built for that kind of offensive attack with a high-percentage passing attack and two weapons at tight end in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry.
Although Justin Fields would also make sense here, Lance’s ability as a runner would fit much more in line with what the Patriots established in 2020 and if they could get him in the building, he’d be in a great situation to learn behind Cam Newton and maybe even see the field in some packages along with him.
3. Arizona Cardinals trade up for TE Kyle Pitts
The Carolina Panthers just traded a 2021 6th-round pick plus a 2022 2nd-round pick and 4th-round pick for quarterback Sam Darnold.
Here, the Arizona Cardinals say, “We’ll pay you back for that,” and move up to get Kyle Pitts in the process.
This would be a tough deal for the Panthers to pass up as tough as it would also be for them to pass on Kyle Pitts himself if he drops to the 8th overall selection. There have been rumblings Pitts could be the first non-QB off the board, but let’s say for the moment he’s on the board when the Panthers pick.
I would say a trade offer like this could get them off that spot and put the Arizona Cardinals in a position to have one of the more exciting groups of offensive skill players the league has seen in quite some time.
Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, free agent pickup AJ Green, Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella, and then adding Kyle Pitts?
That would be wild to watch and must-see-TV on a weekly basis.
4. Indianapolis Colts trade up for OT Penei Sewell
The Dallas Cowboys are sitting nice at the 10th overall pick right now.
Because of the number of quarterbacks (possibly five) that could go ahead of them along with the number of pass-catchers (possibly three), they could be in a position to sell their pick to the highest bidder for one of the top two offensive tackles in this year’s class — Rashawn Slater or Penei Sewell.
Although the hype has been building for months, it’s becoming clearer by the day that Rashawn Slater has a chance to be the first offensive tackle off the board.
If that happens within the top-9 picks, the Cowboys’ spot at 10 overall could be a hotspot for some team needing a tackle to trade up for Penei Sewell.
That team could be the ever-aggressive Indianapolis Colts, who have already traded multiple picks to get players like DeForest Buckner and Carson Wentz in the building.
Bringing in a guy like Wentz, the Colts would be fools not to try and solidify the left tackle position, and if Sewell falls out of the top nine picks, they should be doing what it takes to go get him.
5. Tennessee Titans trade up for CB Patrick Surtain II
The Minnesota Vikings are a team with multiple, I would say pressing, needs heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
They need help in the pass rush department. They need help on the offensive line. They possibly need help at cornerback (again).
Because of the Vikings’ trade for Yannick Ngakoue last offseason, they do not currently have a second-round pick. Getting one back could be worth the price of moving down eight spots and taking the best pass rusher or tackle left on the board at that point.
The Tennesse Titans may need to move ahead of a number of teams in the teens targeting the cornerback position.
Although the Titans could look to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft for a corner like Jaycee Horn if he falls as well, there’s a decent chance that the Titans could be looking at the fifth or sixth-best option on their board if they wait until the 22nd overall pick to take a corner.
After a tremendous 2020 campaign and an absolutely ridiculous pro day, Jaycee Horn could very well be the top cornerback off the board in this class.
If that’s the case, a potentially superior player in Patrick Surtain could be left on the board into the teens, and the Titans might not hesitate to pounce in that case.