Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
A 2021 NFL mock draft with no trades.
A year after selecting DROY Chase Young second overall and with an impressive 2020 campaign in the books, Washington is gearing up for NFL Draft No. 2 under Ron Rivera. There is no bigger need for Washington than QB and they will need to land one if they have any hopes of repeating as NFC East Champions in 2021.
Here’s a look at who they could land in a 2021 NFL Mock Draft.
Trevor Lawrence
Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
No surprise here. The best QB prospect since Andrew Luck is tasked with taking the Jaguars from bottom feeder to contender. Since his freshman year Trevor “Touchdown Jesus” Lawrence has been projected to go first overall when he declares for the NFL. Now, the lucky fans of #DUUUVAL finally have someone to believe in.
Justin Fields
Quarterback, New York Jets
It’s the start of a new era for the New York Jets and with that comes the new regime hand-selecting their own QB. With the second pick, they take the No. 2 quarterback in this draft class.
For most of the year gang green looked like they would be cheering Trevor Lawrence’s name on draft night. Unfortunately, as weird as it is to say, some late-season wins pushed them out of the top spot and out of the running for Lawrence.
Zach Wilson has gotten some hype regarding his 2020 campaign. However, Fields is another special talent and had he gone back to OSU, teams would be tanking for him next year. Despite missing out on Lawrence, the future is still bright for the Jets.
DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver , Miami Dolphins
This could simply be a combination of recency bias and familiarity for Tua Tagaviloa. Either way, Miami gets a much needed playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. Smith, the 2020 Heisman winner, had a dominant year at Alabama, finishing off his collegiate career with a mind-blowing 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns en route to a national title.
There is some speculation that Miami might not be sold on Tua, but its unlikely they move on from him after only one season. Reuniting him with one of his college weapons could help in his development.
Zach Wilson
Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons
This probably won’t be the pick for any number of reasons. Mainly because there will most likely be a number of teams trying to jump into the No. 3 spot to grab whichever of Wilson/Fields gets past New York.
Another major reason is that Matt Ryan has shown he still has some football left in him, and he comes with a hefty cap number. But lets just assume the Falcons are, in fact, looking for the successor to Matt Ryan.
Insert Zach Wilson. Wilson’s stock has skyrocketed over the past year and its easy to see why. His athletic ability to create off-script, an NFL ready arm that can make any throw needed, excellent decision making, and elite ball placement had draft Twitter gushing all season.
Wilson could be the next big thing at the QB spot in the NFL and depending on where he lands and how quickly he sees action, he could find success earlier than any other QB in this class. Atlanta gets the man of the future and has him sit and learn behind a former MVP.
Penei Sewell
Tackle, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have a plethora of holes to fill but perhaps none bigger than that of left tackle. A year after selecting Joe Burrow No. 1 overall, the Bengals organization will watch with knots in their stomach has Burrow battles back from a torn ACL sustained in the team’s Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team.
If Cincinnati has any hopes of building a winning team it starts with keeping the franchise QB upright, Sewell will absolutely help in that regard.