Recently, I did a piece on the teams we could legitimately expect to trade up in the 2021 draft after the Panthers traded for Sam Darnold. That didn’t cost Carolina any first-round picks — just a sixth-rounder in 2021 and a second- and fourth-round pick in 2022. Not bad for the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, especially if Darnold is able to do what every other offensive player has been able to do once released from the clutches of Adam Gase — improve his prospects exponentially.
The Jets off-loading Darnold puts them in the catbird seat for any non-Trevor Lawrence quarterback they want, and even money says that’ll be BYU’s Zach Wilson. If that’s the case, there are three other potential first-round quarterbacks on the hoof — North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, and Alabama’s Mac Jones.
And that’s where things could still get interesting regarding quarterback need and quarterback value. The 49ers traded up to the third pick, so one assumes they have their own quarterback in mind. After that, it’s Atlanta at 4, with a re-structured Matt Ryan contract that puts the organization in cap purgatory in the short term, and Cincinnati at 5. The Bengals already have their franchise guy in Joe Burrow, so we then move on to the Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, and Broncos — all teams who might want to move up and get their guy at the game’s most important position. No, I do not think the trade for Darnold or Teddy Bridgewater’s current presence on the roster precludes the Panthers from going all-out if somebody they want gets past San Francisco at 3.
Nor do I believe that the signings of Cam Newton in New England and Ryan Fitzpatrick in the nation’s capital precludes the Patriots or the Football Team from moving up for the same reasons. Both Newton and Fitzpatrick are bridge guys at this point in their careers — very good bridge guys, but that’s what they are.
So, with all that in mind, let’s take another shot at a mock draft, and this time, it’s all about two things: Movement, and quarterbacks.
Mock Draft 1.0: No trades, but quite a few surprises
Mock Draft 2.0: The post-free agency, trade-filled, chaos grenade!