2021 NFL mock draft: Random names out of a hat edition

I don’t do mock drafts. It’s just not my thing. I get the general appeal of them, and I understand that to survive in this business it benefits you to produce mock drafts since the demand for them is so high. That’s why I have been blessed to have the likes of Alex Reno, Kent Lee Platte, and Erik Schlitt, among others, to carry me through the draft season.

Personally speaking, I just don’t see much value in mock drafting. We get to a certain point in the offseason in which we all have a general idea of who we think deserves to be where, and anyone who dares counter with an opposing opinion is ridiculed. Mock drafting is groupthink at its worst in the sports world, and the recent phenomenon of Mock Draft Machines have made everyone an armchair GM.

Again, all that is fine. If you’re having fun, I’m not here to ruin your parade. But I do think the proliferance of all these mocks creates unrealistic expectations. Run the simulator enough times, and the Lions can score Trevor Lawrence. Formulate all the trade downs you want, because you don’t actually have to negotiate anything when you’re writing a solo article or battling a computer formula.

And for all the criticism that people take for their mock drafts, no one actually gets it right on draft day. There will be surprises. There will be “reaches” and “steals.” But they’re only defined as such because we prescribed draft value according to our own, limitedly-researched opinions.

All of that is to say, I think mock drafts are a waste of my time. And if I’m going to waste my own time—which I often do—I’m going to do it on my own terms.

So here is a full 2021 Round 1 Mock Draft in which I randomly pulled the top 32 prospects this year—as defined by Arif Hasan’s consensus big board—out of a hat.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars — QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
2. New York Jets — WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
3. San Francisco 49ers — S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
4. Atlanta Falcons — OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
5. Cincinnati Bengals — WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
6. Miami Dolphins — OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
7. Detroit Lions — CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
8. Carolina Panthers — CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern
9. Denver Broncos — QB Zach Wilson, BYU
10. Dallas Cowboys — EDGE Kwity Paye, Michigan
11. New York Giants — CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech,
12. Philadelphia Eagles — LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
13. Los Angeles Chargers — TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
14. Minnesota Vikings — QB Mac Jones, Alabama
15. New England Patriots — WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
16. Arizona Cardinals — WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
17. Las Vegas Raiders — QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
18. Miami Dolphins — CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
19. Washington Football Team — DT Christian Barmore, Alabama
20. Chicago Bears — EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami (FL)
21. Indianapolis Colts — RB Najee Harris, Alabama
22. Tennessee Titans — EDGE Jaelan Phillips, Miami (FL)
23. New York Jets — OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
24. Pittsburgh Steelers — QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
25. Jacksonville Jaguars — RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
26. Cleveland Browns — LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
27. Baltimore Ravens — WR Kadarius Toney, Florida
28. New Orleans Saints — EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
29. Green Bay Packers — OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
30. Buffalo Bills — OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
31. Baltimore Ravens — LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn State

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos for decidedly winning this draft. What other picks do you like? Any you think could actually happen?

In case you’re curious, I do this every year, following a tradition started by the site’s founder Sean Yuille. You can see how they held up against history by looking at our previous editions:

• 2020 Random Hat Draft
• 2019 Random Hat Draft
• 2018 Random Hat Draft
• 2016 Random Hat Draft
• 2015 Random Hat Draft
• 2014 Random Hat Draft