2021 Mock Drafts

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — OT CHRISTIAN DARRISAW, VIRGINIA TECH
It’s unclear what the plan is with tackle-turned-guard Ezra Cleveland going forward, but adding offensive tackles is never a bad thing. Darrisaw dominated a season ago, earning the highest grade in the Power 5

78. MINNESOTA VIKINGS — DI LEVI ONWUZURIKE, WASHINGTON

90. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS) — IOL WYATT DAVIS, OHIO STATE

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
This pick feels about as set in stone as it gets. While the Jaguars’ free agency signings give us some clue what direction the team will go later in the draft (expect Jacksonville to take a tight end sometime on Friday), all of the building is around Lawrence at this spot. — Andy Staples

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
The Jets essentially confirmed their desire to trade Sam Darnold when general manager Joe Douglas said he’d take calls on his quarterback. They’ll likely deal him before the draft. Douglas could try to get cute and trade the No. 2 pick for a ransom, move back a few spots, then take Justin Fields or Trey Lance, but odds are, after BYU’s Pro Day, there won’t be any doubt who the No. 2 pick is. Wilson is tailor-made for this Jets offense. The only question: Will he be ready Week 1? — Connor Hughes

3. Denver Broncos: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Trade: Miami (which acquired the pick from Houston) sent pick No. 3 to Denver for pick Nos. 9 and 40 and a 2022 first-round selection.

Broncos GM George Paton has made clear his plan is to build through the draft. Well, he might not get another shot like this to select a franchise quarterback anytime soon. Lance’s small sample size makes the risk here obvious, but the Broncos — with a veteran defense, a much-improved offensive line and talent at the skill positions — are in position to build with a young quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Lance appears to have all the physical tools, and his familiarity with running an NFL-style offense and making changes and protection calls at the line of scrimmage should ease his transition. — Nick Kosmider

4. Atlanta Falcons: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
The original school of thought when news broke about Matt Ryan getting his contract restructured again was that the move essentially wipes out any plans the Falcons may have had about drafting a quarterback at No. 4. Well, as the days have gone on, the Falcons have sent out feelers that they are still in the market for a quarterback. So expect the Falcons to draft a quarterback. Lance seems like a better fit than Fields, but if he doesn’t fall to No. 4, then Fields can be their guy. — Tori McElhaney

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, T, Oregon
The run on quarterbacks took a proposed trade with New England off the board that would have netted the Bengals the 15th and 46th picks, plus a first-round selection next season. Instead, the Bengals go for the biggest, baddest Joe Burrow protector they can find. After signing Riley Reiff on Friday, the Bengals have flexibility with this pick and aren’t tied to Sewell, so there’s a real consideration for Ja’Marr Chase here. Yet, the idea of slotting Sewell in as the starting guard of today and tackle of tomorrow with Jonah Williams and Reiff as bookends makes for a serious move in fixing the glaring issue keeping Burrow from taking this team to the next level. — Paul Dehner, Jr.

6. Philadelphia Eagles: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
The best-case scenario for the Eagles landing a top playmaker would be four quarterbacks and an offensive tackle going off the board in the top five — just what happened here. This leaves GM Howie Roseman with the chance to take Chase, Heisman Trophy-winner Devonta Smith, speed threat Jaylen Waddle or standout tight end Kyle Pitts. As enticing as it might be to take Pitts, a Philadelphia native, the Eagles can’t go wrong with Chase. He would become the team’s top receiver from day one and give the Eagles the type of player they badly need and have struggled to acquire. If the Eagles have buyer’s remorse for taking Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson last season, they should be comforted knowing Chase, not Jefferson, was actually LSU’s top receiver in 2019 and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. — Zach Berman

7. Detroit Lions: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
The Lions made contact with a couple of teams pre-draft about moving this pick, then left the phone lines open while on the clock for about as long as possible before the other “GMs” started getting mad. Nothin’. That early QB run stripped all the trade-down value at 7. But Waddle makes for a pretty darn good consolation prize. Detroit has short- and long-term needs at receiver — and has to find more athletes, in general — so Waddle can be a building block. For all the productive receivers the Lions have had over the past several seasons, they haven’t had a true inside game-breaker with pure speed like this. — Chris Burke

8. Carolina Panthers: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Had this mock draft happened 10 days ago, I would have been on the phone with the Texans trying to trade the eighth pick — and a lot more — for Deshaun Watson. The Panthers have more than a month to monitor the sexual assault allegations against Watson and decide whether they’re still interested. But in this mock, with the top four quarterbacks and Sewell off the board, expect Panthers GM Scott Fitterer to take the best player available with Pitts. The tight end can be the missing piece in coordinator Joe Brady’s offense. Pitts is big, fast and a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties. — Joseph Person

9. Miami Dolphins: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Trade: Pick acquired in this mock draft from Denver at No. 3.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores recently alluded to the possibility of trading down, and we made it happen. Not only do the Dolphins, who were originally at No. 3, stay within the top 10, but they also acquire Denver’s second-round selection (No. 40) and a future first-round pick — and they still end up with Smith, whom we pegged as the team’s top selection in our first NFL mock draft. Even after signing receiver Will Fuller in free agency, another talented offensive playmaker remains Miami’s biggest need. Smith was the last player from the top four prospects (Chase, Waddle, Pitts) who can help fill that hole. He offers quarterback Tua Tagovailoa an immediate sense of familiarity and comfort, and the Dolphins build more draft capital. — Josh Tolentino

10. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
The Cowboys could consider trading back in this scenario. All of the top defenders are still on the board, meaning Dallas would have its choice of cornerback. That could be Farley, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II or South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Cornerback, safety and defensive tackle are the Cowboys’ biggest needs. Farley would immediately step into the starting lineup opposite Trevon Diggs and instantly improve a secondary that has been an issue for a while. In most years, there would be an intriguing edge rusher or defensive tackle at No. 10, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in this year’s class. Note: This pick was made before it was revealed that Farley will have a microdisectomy on Tuesday. Had this information been available before the draft, Surtain would have been Dallas’ pick. — Jon Machota

11. New York Giants: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
Signing Kenny Golladay makes it a lot easier to stomach all of the top receiving options being off the board. Though the Giants agreed to a deal with former first-round cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the first round is about finding a player for the next 10 years, not just the upcoming season. James Bradberry only has two years left on his contract. Teams can never have enough cornerbacks, especially one with the pedigree of Surtain, who could become a Pro Bowler like his father. It was tempting to take Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater, but Surtain’s upside was too much to pass up. — Dan Duggan

12. San Francisco 49ers: Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan
With tackle Rashawn Slater and quarterback Mac Jones still on the board, this seemed like a good spot for the 49ers to trade back and perhaps take Paye later in the round. There were no takers in this exercise, however. After the 49ers signed Samson Ebukam in free agency, the need for a speed rusher — like Azeez Ojulari — is lessened. Paye is a bigger, stronger prospect who can rush from inside on obvious passing downs. He also could fill in if Nick Bosa (knee) is not quite 100 percent early in the season. — Matt Barrows

13. L.A. Chargers: Rashawn Slater, T, Northwestern
This is an utter dream scenario for the Chargers. They beefed up their offensive line with two big free-agent signings — center Corey Linsley and guard Matt Feiler — and the biggest remaining hole up front is at left tackle. Slater would slide in as the immediate starter there, replacing Sam Tevi. The Chargers would have a tough decision to make if Slater is off the board. They could go with Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw, the more prototypical tackle, or USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker, who some believe will project better as a guard. In this mock, they do not have to decide. Slater, the second-best tackle prospect in the class, falls. And the Chargers add even more talent to an offensive line that was among the worst in football last year, which improves both the protection in front of Justin Herbert and the efficiency of their running game. — Daniel Popper

14. Minnesota Vikings: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT/G, USC
The Vikings used their resources in free agency to address their needs on defense, signing defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and cornerback Patrick Peterson. Now it’s time to turn their attention to the offense. The Vikings have needs at both guard and tackle, and it’s not entirely clear which spot Vera-Tucker would play right away in Minnesota. But he’d have a good chance to be a day one starter. The Vikings care a lot about scheme fit and Vera-Tucker checks that box for the zone rushing system the Vikings employ. — Chad Graff

15. New England Patriots: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
First, I tried desperately to trade into the top five. The Jets wanted nothing to do with me. The Broncos then outbid me for the Dolphins’ pick at No. 3, causing me to regret not offering an additional second-rounder. And then I had a deal in place with the Bengals at No. 5, but the top four quarterbacks were gone. At No. 15, I was hoping to trade down but got no offers. I’m beginning to develop a complex over here. Anyway, I couldn’t let Parsons slide because he’s got the ability to be a generational player if he maximizes his potential. He can rotate with the Patriots’ veteran linebacker corps before becoming a starter in 2022. But I strongly considered Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw, Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins and Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau. If the Patriots can’t move up for a quarterback, there’s still plenty of talent on the board to improve their team. — Jeff Howe

14. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Biggest needs: OL, Edge, WR, CB

In a typical scenario, the Vikings are taking an offensive lineman like Christian Darrisaw or Alijah Vera-Tucker here, or maybe an edge rusher like Azeez Ojulari or Jaelan Phillips. But with several defensive players going earlier than anticipated, this isn't a typical scenario. Rick Spielman has seen Justin Fields and Trey Lance — both of whom he evaluated at their pro days — fall into his lap, and the value is too good to pass up. The Vikings take their quarterback of the future, who can sit for a year and learn under Kirk Cousins. Next offseason, Cousins will be traded and the next era will start. Fields vs. Lance is an interesting debate, but the Ohio State product is more of a proven commodity. — Will Ragatz

The pick: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

This week, The Athletic‘s lead NFL Draft analyst, Dane Brugler put together a full seven-round mock draft. In it, the Minnesota Vikings made out fairly well. Despite covering the needs of all 32 teams, Brugler did a good job of nailing both the types of players the Vikings tend to target and what they need this offseason.

First round (14th): Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan

Starting with Paye isn’t surprising. Brugler has mocked an edge defender to the Vikings in every one of his seven-round affairs, and Paye certainly fits the Vikings’ profile in some respects. While he doesn’t have the length Minnesota has generally pursued at the position, he’s one of the best athletes to play edge over the past several years and his 6.37-second three-cone — one of the fastest ever recorded for a prospect at any position and one of the most important drills for his position — still boggles the mind, even a year after it was first reported.

While not addressing the need most often brought up by fans and analysts — the offensive line — the pick still fits the Vikings’ tendencies and defense-first approach. Even though the franchise hasn’t drafted an edge rusher this early since general manager Rick Spielman arrived, it is also the first time it has needed one this badly.

One reason the Vikings may not want to go after the offensive line in this scenario is that there weren’t any linemen who fit well in this draft slot, as Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater and Alijah Vera-Tucker went seventh, eighth and 11th overall, respectively. The Vikings aren’t likely to go cornerback either, as Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn went 10th and 12th in this mock.

Instead, the Vikings could go receiver with DeVonta Smith from Alabama, address their upcoming need at linebacker with Zaven Collins from Tulsa or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from Notre Dame or reach a little bit for linemen Christian Darrisaw from Virginia Tech or Teven Jenkins from Oklahoma State.

While I personally might have considered Jenkins here, I think the pick makes a lot of sense and would make the Vikings a better team.

Third round (78th): Aaron Banks, OG, Notre Dame

This is perhaps the only moment where Brugler’s mock and the Vikings’ tendencies don’t quite line up. Banks is a mauler but not a quick player, and he seems like a better fit for a gap-scheme team or one that doesn’t rely as much on the demanding wide-zone run system.

The Vikings have drafted out of character before, but it would be an unusual pick for them. Banks isn’t just a bully, he’s a technically sound pass protector with remarkable grip strength, but he doesn’t create as much forward movement as one would expect for a player of his size in the run game. He can also lose out to quicker defensive tackles.

Nevertheless, he would help the Vikings on the offensive line, so there’s only so much criticism one can levy towards the pick. Still, better system fits like Kendrick Green from Illinois, Spencer Brown of Northern Iowa and potentially Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis were all available here and went just a few picks later.

Third round (90th): Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana

Here, the Vikings address their long-term need at safety, something they need to pay attention to given Harrison Smith’s age, their lack of depth and the fact that Xavier Woods is only on a one-year contract. Sitting for a year would be great for Johnson, who doesn’t have a lot of experience on the field. Nevertheless, it’s difficult to find a coverage defender this talented at this point in the draft, and he can provide immediate depth and turn into a long-term investment under the right tutelage.

He’s not a particularly willing tackler and loses angles in the run game, but the Vikings have turned coverage safeties into better run defenders time and again and might be able to do so again with Johnson. He doesn’t avoid contact, blitzing with the best of them, but he just seems to play less enthusiastically and assignment-sound against the run.

He can become a good system fit given his blitzing capability, and he offers man coverage upside, potentially even operating as slot depth given the concerns that have cropped up there for Minnesota.

The position makes sense and there aren’t any safeties that go soon after Johnson that are of similar quality, so the Vikings pounced on a talent cliff here. Still, it is at least worth asking if rounding out receiver depth could be useful, with D’Wayne Eskridge, Nico Collins and Tylan Wallace all finding teams in short order after the Vikings pick. Nonetheless, it strikes me as a solid pick for the team.

Fourth round (119th): Kyle Trask, QB, Florida

Fourth round (125th): Derrick Barnes, LB, Purdue

Fourth round (134th): Seth Williams, WR, Auburn

Fourth round (143rd): Tommy Doyle, OT, Miami (Ohio)

This allotment of positions makes a lot of sense. Though the Vikings are committed to Kirk Cousins for the next two years, they still haven’t secured a second-string quarterback, unless they anticipate Nate Stanley or Jake Browning taking the job. Trask, though he suffers from accuracy issues, is more talented than the two of them and shows a good understanding of offensive concepts, timing and touch. He needs mechanical work, but the tools and knowledge are there, and he could be a capable backup.

Derrick Barnes is one of perhaps two linebackers in the draft — the other being Collins from Tulsa — who might be able to truly fill Anthony Barr’s role long term if Barr leaves in free agency next year. With a lot of experience as an edge rusher and as an off-ball linebacker, he might be able to fill the role as a threatening blitzer that forces one-on-one matchups in pass protection. He needs more seasoning in coverage and could take blocks on better, but he’s smart, long and athletic. This is perhaps the most quintessentially Vikings pick of the whole mock.

The Vikings need a third receiver, and Seth Williams could be an interesting addition. While the receivers on the roster already win in the areas Williams excels in — as an intermediate receiver who picks up first downs late in the progression — he also can win deep or short as the situation needs. Williams was able to take targets away from one of the fastest players in college football and operated as the lead receiver despite a nominally complementary role. He’s a physical player used to winning jump balls and could help Minnesota replace the hole it has in its red zone package with Kyle Rudolph gone.

Tommy Doyle is a huge player and may remind hardcore Vikings fans of a previous practice-squad player in Storm Norton. At 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds, Doyle looks more like a stretched-out linebacker than a guard or tackle. He’s physical but also has a decent amount of quickness, leveraging both his strength and athleticism as a four-year starter at Miami of Ohio. Despite their reputation for grabbing undersized players, the Vikings have had a number of tall offensive linemen like Doyle in the past, like Norton, Oli Udoh and Cedric Lang. Doyle seems to fit that prototype.

Fifth round (157): Shemar Jean-Charles, CB, Appalachian State

Fifth round (168): Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas

The Vikings have to wait a bit to address cornerback, but doing so with an aggressive player like Jean-Charles — one capable of the physical kind of play they’ve sought out the past few years — makes sense. He’s a bit small for a contemporary cornerback, but the Vikings have as much of a need in the slot as they do outside. Jean-Charles has also stuffed the stat sheet in pass deflections, an area the Vikings have seemingly targeted at CB.

Darden is a kick-return candidate the Vikings need more production from, and someone I’ve nearly mocked to the Vikings several times before changing my mind at the last second. He’s an incredibly dynamic weapon and an accomplished returner. Even if his build makes him an iffy every-down receiver, he could immediately help on special teams and might be able to provide a downfield threat as a rotational third receiver.

Sixth round (199): Javian Hawkins, RB, Louisville

There aren’t that many great athletes at running back in this year’s draft who might be able to fill the role that Michael Boone played for the Vikings, but Hawkins is one of the few. Minnesota has targeted high-level athletes for its third running back spot, and Hawkins could be the next candidate. He might also see the field right away as a receiving specialist. Despite his limited receiving production in college, his film shows a confident and technically sound receiving back, likely a product of his slot receiver background in high school. A super-elusive back, he may not astound anyone with his 40-time (4.51 seconds), but his overall athleticism, including a 40 1/2-inch vertical, 6.85-second three-cone and 4.14-second short shuttle point to an athletic package that, on the field, has translated into rare make-you-miss ability. He could be a fun addition.