2021 NFL Draft: Patriots nab star wide receiver in full Round 1 mock
By Adam Weinrib
The New England Patriots are selecting as high as they’ve been in decades in the 2021 NFL Draft, and while we know what you’re thinking, we’re just going to come out and say it: as far as our mock draft is concerned, there will be no trades.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Could Bill Belichick once again parlay Pick No. 15 into more picks further down the line, as he’s wont to do, and select a D-II star with New England’s first pick at, say, 42? Sure. That could easily happen.
But that’s far less fun for the prognosticators among us.
There’s a bevy of offensive talent available early on in this draft, and we suspect some will trickle down to the Patriots as long as they decide not to move anywhere.
This full Round 1 mock draft reflects where we’re at right now — though obviously, yes, we acknowledge that keeping the Pats right where they are is the first risk we’ve taken.
Clemson University. 1. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Trevor Lawrence. 52
See, this is already a wonderful draft for the Patriots, seeing as it’s serving as a nightmarish one for the New York Jets.
That’s almost as good as hitting on a QB early yourself.
Up until the final weeks of the season, it sure seemed as if the bumbling Jets would’ve dropped one final water-filled bucket, going 0-16 at exactly the right time to secure a generational QB talent in Trevor Lawrence.
Regrettably, the scrappy underdogs ignited and kept Lawrence out of the AFC East. Aw. Dang. What…what a travesty.
2. player. 30. QB. BYU. Zach Wilson. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
2021 NFL Draft: Jets get a QB even after playing themselves.
Unfortunately, New England doesn’t get off quite so easy.
I suspect, by the end of this cycle, the Jets will come to the realization that, while arguments could be made for beefing up their offensive line with Penei Sewell, none of those arguments make as much sense as simply grabbing the draft’s second-best quarterback. After all, this chance doesn’t come around often. Unless you’re the … New York Jets … you know what, disregard, you might have another shot at this in a year or two.
New York can’t overthink this, though. Evaluate the QBs, choose the one you deem to be second-best, and select him.
BYU’s strong-armed, pocket-sized Wilson seems to be currying favor faster than Ohio State’s Justin Fields.