2021 NFL mock draft: 5 quarterbacks land in the top 15 picks

NFL mock draft: Picks 11-15

While many have DeVonta Smith as the number one wide receiver in this year’s draft class, I think it’s possible that he could be the third receiver off the board due to his extremely thin frame and average athletic traits. Still, Smith has a chance to be the best of the group as he is just an incredibly natural receiver who knows how to get open and move after the catch. Considering how he had the most productive wide receiver season in Alabama’s storied history, something tells me he’s going to be good. Daniel Jones needs a number one guy and Smith could be exactly that.

It’s highly possible that Kyle Pitts is already off the board at this point, as he is regarded as one of the best tight end prospects to come out in the past decade. However, if the draft shapes up this way and he ends up falling this far, I wouldn’t put it past the 49ers to draft him. San Francisco doesn’t have a  lot of glaring needs. They could go with a player that could help improve their secondary, but Pitts is just too good to pass on. For a team that loves to run 12-personnel groupings, Pitts would be a nightmare to cover when teams must already worry about George Kittle.

Offensive tackle is going to be a high priority for the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, and keeping their budding star quarterback, Justin Herbert, upright is going to be key to their success. Christian Darrisaw has left tackle traits and presents solid value at this point in the draft. Darrisaw doesn’t have the fastest feet, but has incredible size and strength. In many drafts, he could have been the number one offensive tackle.

This pick seems a little risky to me. Gregory Rousseau has a lot of talent and tools to work with, but the fact that most of his production came from rushing inside is a bit concerning to me. He also decided to opt-out of the 2020 season and he has just one year of production to go off. Still, if anyone can get the most out of him, perhaps it is the Vikings. Rousseau is very much in the mold of Danielle Hunter, and if he turns out to be good, these two could be a nightmare when it comes to getting after the quarterback.

I’m not convinced that the Patriots are going to love Mac Jones as much as everyone else thinks they will, and it’s possible that they even try to move up in the draft this year to grab a different quarterback. However, Bill Belichick knows the value of a good quarterback and Jones is certainly smart enough to run his system. Jones doesn’t have a big arm or plus athletic traits, but he is very accurate in the intermediate passing game – something that is almost a requirement for a Patriots quarterback. This could be a good fit.