Bailey’s First Round 2021 NFL Mock Draft | Picks 11-20
11. Detroit Lions: DT Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh
The Lions have lacked a playmaker up the middle since Damon Harrison left the team. The lack of star talent in the middle of their defensive line has led to them being 26th in yards allowed per attempt and 29th in rushing yards allowed per game.
Twyman has opted out of the 2020 season but was dominant up the middle in 2019. He recorded 10.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He has the speed, strength, and versatility to move around the defensive line if need be, and he has shown an uncanny ability to disrupt plays in the backfields. Detroit made the secondary their focus early on in free agency and the NFL Draft, and now they must address the front seven, and they do so in this first-round NFL mock. Twyman is a can’t miss if he is available at this spot.
12. Carolina Panthers: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
The Panthers have been playing better football than expected, but their holes offensively are still clear. Chris Manhertz and Ian Thomas are the two tight ends that get the vast majority of targets at the position after the departure of Greg Olsen.
Pitts has emerged as the possible TE1 in this draft over the last month. His large 6-foot-6 frame makes him a great jump ball target in the redzone, along with over the middle of the field. In just three games this season, Pitts has 17 receptions and seven touchdowns. While the Panthers receivers have played very well, they need that threat at the end of the offensive line to be able to threaten opposing defenses and open up the offense even more. The defense was the focal point for Carolina last season, and now Matt Rhule and company should focus on getting more playmakers on offense. They do just that by snagging Pitts in my first-round NFL mock draft.
13. Denver Broncos: OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
The Broncos offensive line has gotten better over the course of the season, but some fine-tuning and re-tooling up front would still serve them well. Their offensive line is allowing three sacks per game, and that is a big reason why Drew Lock has been dealing with an AC joint injury and missed a month of playing time.
Leatherwood is known for his good pass blocking, which is the prime focus in this Denver offense. They drafted all those receivers for a reason; to throw the ball and keep up with Kansas City. Leatherwood can give Lock protection off the edge and give him more steady and clean pockets to make the throws needed for the Broncos to win games, and Denver gets that NFL-caliber protection with this first round mock draft selection.
14. Miami Dolphins: DT Christian Barmore, Alabama
As stated earlier, Miami’s defense got upgraded at several positions. One position that needs attention, though, is defensive tackle. Former seventh-round pick Zach Sieler is the current starter, and while Miami has invested draft capital into the position by taking Christian Wilkins with the 13th overall pick in 2019, and Raekwon Davis in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, there is still room for more talent.
Barmore is a big man at 6’5″, 310 pounds. His frame, along with his raw power and athleticism at his size, gives the Dolphins a big plug up the middle that would complete their defensive line rebuild. If he is what Nick Saban and the rest of the Crimson Tide coaching staff expect him to be this season, his name will continue to go up draft boards and NFL mock drafts into the first round. If he is available, the Dolphins could have a very good interior run stopper and pocket disruptor.
15. New England Patriots: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
The Patriots’ lack of talent at the receiver position is painfully obvious. While Julian Edelman has had a solid season thus far, including a career day in Week 2 in Seattle, he is 34 years of age, and the rest of the receiver room in New England is in desperate need of a tune-up.
Waddle has shown that he is a special talent. His movement in his routes, specifically at the top of his routes to gain separation, makes him a homerun threat on any play. His ability to go up and get the ball in traffic makes him a handful for opposing secondaries. Cam Newton has shown that he can make a lot happen with little talent around him. If given Jaylen Waddle, Cam and the offense would be that much more of a headache to deal with, and he ends up in New England in this first-round NFL mock draft.
16. San Francisco 49ers: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Is this Jimmy Garoppolo’s swan song with the 49ers? It very well could be. The defending NFC champions are in the midst of an up-and-down season where Jimmy G has looked sub-par, and it doesn’t seem like Kyle Shanahan has faith in his quarterback to throw the ball deep and win games. Garoppolo ranks 31st in air yards and 35th in completed air yards. While I get that this is a running offense predominantly, you eventually have to make a big throw downfield.
Trey Lance is an absolute stud out of North Dakota State. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 28 touchdowns and didn’t throw a single interception in 2019, while also rushing for 870 yards and an additional 11 touchdowns. He is Lamar Jackson-esque with a better arm. In Kyle Shanahan’s system, Lance would fit like a glove where the run is the focus. More read option could be instituted with him at the helm, and the passing game would be more dangerous with defenses selling out to stop the run. The 49ers have the skill on defense to keep them in games, and their skill positions have shown vast improvement. They just need a quarterback to rely on in big moments, and Lance can be that guy.
17. Arizona Cardinals: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
The Cardinals pass defense looks solid this season. They are the 11th best defense in terms of passing yards allowed, and Byron Murphy looks like he will be the next CB1 in Arizona when Patrick Peterson is no longer there. Besides Murphy and Peterson, though, the Cardinals could retool their depth at cornerback while also planning for the future without Peterson.
Farley is among the best football players in this draft. He has great closing speed, very good footwork, and has shown the ability to keep up with receivers and not get phased in the process. He had four interceptions in 2019, along with an additional 12 pass deflections. Drafting Farley with the plan to make him the starter alongside Murphy would give the Cardinals two of the best young corners in football, which would be quite the feat for the worst passing defense in the NFL in 2019.
18. Las Vegas Raiders: S Jevon Holland, Oregon
The Raiders rebuild seems to finally be going in the right direction as they sit at 3-2. There is still room for improvement, though, specifically in the defensive backfield. They drafted Jonathan Abram in the 2019 NFL Draft, but this is his first real NFL season after missing all but one game in 2019 with a shoulder injury. He has looked very solid this season, but Vegas needs a better running mate for him at the free safety spot.
Holland is one of the more versatile DBs in this class. He is very solid in the run game and is the man the Ducks put at nickel in that package. He had four interceptions in 2019, along with 66 tackles. He would be an upgrade over Erik Harris and give the Raiders two very good young safeties that could give them the best secondary they have had since the early 2000s.
19. Dallas Cowboys: S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State
It is abundantly clear that the Cowboys secondary is missing a lot of pieces. They lost cornerback Byron Jones in free agency, they waived safety HaHa Clinton-Dix in a head-scratching move, and now their defense has no true playmaker in the secondary, ranking last in takeaways per game.
Nasirildeen reminds me a lot of Jamal Adams with his ability to make plays in the run game and his pure hitting ability. He had 101 tackle and two interceptions in 2019 after a 91 tackle campaign in 2018. His hitting ability was put on full display in FSU’s game against Boise State last year in which Nasirildeen forced two fumbles, one of which he showed off his closing speed, making it from his safety position to just beyond the line of scrimmage in the blink of an eye to force the turnover. His explosiveness is exactly what Dallas needs and is their biggest flaw defensively right now. Don’t be shocked if the big FSU safety ends up in the Big D.
20. Indianapolis Colts: EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami (FL)
The Colts field the best defense in football, statistically speaking, but they could look to improve their edge-rushing talent. Justin Houston is 31, and Denico Autry is 30, and while both are having stellar seasons, they aren’t getting any younger.
Rousseau had 15.5 sacks in 2019 and forced two fumbles. At 6’5″, 260, he uses his length to his advantage and has a knack for getting around tackles and finding the quarterback. As good as the Colts have been, they aren’t getting to the quarterback as much as other teams are. Rousseau would give them a big presence at pass rusher and make them that much better on that side of the ball.