Nick Bolton – Page 18 – Syndication Server

2021 NFL mock draft: David Dorey

The Huddle’s David Dorey releases his first NFL mock draft of 2021.

David Dorey’s first mock draft of 2021 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.

We’ll be unveiling more mock drafts than ever before this year, so be sure to check back with our 2021 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.

2021 NFL Mock Draft: Round 1

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

2021 NFL mock draft: Round 1

The first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is a no-brainer, but from there all bets are off.

Here’s my first 2021 NFL mock draft. I tend not to project trades, and this year is no different — at least for now. The draft process is quite different this year, most notably without a scouting combine, so collegiate pro days will be more valuable than in recent years. Also valuable, in-game data retrieved from chips embedded into equipment.

Anyway, we’ll be unveiling more mock drafts than ever before this year, so be sure to check back with our 2021 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.

2021 NFL Mock Draft: Round 1

The New York Jets’ No. 2 pick … I’m not convinced they’re done with Sam Darnold, and putting more weapons around him will help see what he can bring to the table. He’s only 23, and Zach Wilson is far from a sure thing. I can envision Wilson being the pick and Darnold remaining on the roster, but for a few reasons (durability questions, level of competition, overrated QB class), I’m not nearly as high on Wilson as others. This pick is extremely fluid.
A trade is absolutely in play, and Carolina jumps out as one of the most viable partners. The Panthers could secure Wilson, while New York then moves back just a handful of spots and picks up multiple picks. It would then allow the Jets to spend a more palatable No. 8 overall pick on a receiver and build around Darnold.
That being said, it makes the Miami pick at No. 3 all that much harder to project. I’m not sold on DeVonta Smith being the second-best receiver, let alone the second one chosen, and this pick almost certainly becomes Ja’Marr Chase if Wilson is the Jets’ No. 2 overall selection.
Several situations that appear to be obvious directions for teams to turn don’t necessarily compute for me. I’m not saying Chicago, New Orleans, New England and/or Washington won’t add a quarterback in Round 1, but I’m not seeing the scenarios playing out favorably.
Free agency opens March 17, and the player movement will undoubtedly create cause for an update after some of the dust settles.

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Pick	Team	Pos	Player	School
1	Jacksonville Jaguars	QB	Trevor Lawrence	Clemson
2	New York Jets	WR	Ja’Marr Chase	LSU
3	Miami Dolphins (from HOU)	WR	DeVonta Smith	Alabama
4	Atlanta Falcons	QB	Zach Wilson	BYU
5	Cincinnati Bengals	OT	Penei Sewell	Oregon
6	Philadelphia Eagles	TE	Kyle Pitts	Florida
7	Detroit Lions	WR	Jaylen Waddle	Alabama
8	Carolina Panthers	QB	Trey Lance	North Dakota State
9	Denver Broncos	QB	Justin Fields	Ohio State
10	Dallas Cowboys	CB	Caleb Farley	Virginia Tech
11	New York Giants	EDGE	Gregory Rosseau	Miami (Fla.)
12	San Francisco 49ers	CB	Patrick Surtain II	Alabama
13	Los Angeles Chargers	OT	Rashawn Slater	Northwestern
14	Minnesota Vikings	OG	Alijah Vera-Tucker	USC
15	New England Patriots	LB	Micah Parsons	Penn State
16	Arizona Cardinals	LB	Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah	Notre Dame
17	Las Vegas Raiders	EDGE	Jaelen Phillips	Miami (Fla.)
18	Miami Dolphins	RB	Najee Harris	Alabama
19	Washington Football Team	WR	Kadarius Toney	Florida
20	Chicago Bears	OL	Teven Jenkins	Oklahoma State
21	Indianapolis Colts	OT	Christian Darrisaw	Virginia Tech
22	Tennessee Titans	EDGE	Kwity Paye	Michigan
23	New York Jets (from SEA)	EDGE	Zaven Collins	Tulsa
24	Pittsburgh Steelers	OT	Jalen Mayfield	Michigan
25	Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)	DE	Christian Barmore	Alabama
26	Cleveland Browns	CB	Jaycee Horn	South Carolina
27	Baltimore Ravens	EDGE	Ronnie Perkins	Oklahoma
28	New Orleans Saints	EDGE	Joe Tryon	Washington
29	Green Bay Packers	DL	Levi Onwuzurike	Washington
30	Buffalo Bills	EDGE	Azeez Ojulari	Georgia
31	Kansas City Chiefs	OG/C	Landon Dickerson	Alabama
32	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	LB	Nick Bolton	Missouri

Nick Bolton pegged as Bills’ ‘dream draft target’ by B/R

Buffalo Bills 2021 NFL Draft ‘dream scenario’ is LB Nick Bolton says Bleacher Report.

As of now, linebacker Matt Milano has one foot out the door.

He could circle back to the Bills, but at minimum, Milano is reportedly going to test the free agent market. In the past when defenders like Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson did that… the other foot followed.

If that scenario does unfold, linebacker could become a position high on the Bills’ list of needs heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. Bleacher Report recently made a guess that this would happen.

Pegging a “dream prospect” for every NFL club, Mizzou linebacker Nick Bolton is the pick for the Bills:

Nick Bolton has the short-area burst with the ability to cover shallow zones on the second level. As a full-time starter over the last two seasons, he’s accumulated 198 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, 12 pass breakups and two interceptions.

Although Bolton isn’t an elite athlete, his football instincts serve him well at the position. He’ll sniff out the run on early downs, fire through gaps for stops in the backfield and has enough speed to cover athletic tight ends. His adequate lateral quickness helps him chase down running backs in the flat, too.

Next to linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Bolton could fill an every-down role.

Currently Bolton’s draft status is somewhere toward the end of the first round at the upcoming draft. That could change, but Buffalo picks at No. 30, so he could very well be on their radar.

If Milano does depart, the Bills will likely have to consider finding a long-term answer as soon as possible. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott runs a nickel-based defensive scheme, which means only two linebackers take the bulk of the snaps. Because of this, the Bills will want to find the best-possible solution. A stop-gap or short term answer just won’t do.

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Saints get better on offense and defense in Draft Wire’s latest mock

The New Orleans Saints improved on both sides of the football in Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, adding LB Nick Bolton and WR Rondale Moore.

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Ask ten fans which position the New Orleans Saints should target in the 2021 NFL draft and you might get ten different answers. But the most common responses might be linebacker and wide receiver; both spots were highlighted as vulnerabilities in 2020 when the Saints struggled to find a compliment to All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis while injuries hit almost every receiver on the depth chart. An injection of young talent would be welcome.

The Saints ended up checking off both boxes in Luke Easterling’s latest mock over at Draft Wire. New Orleans picked Missouri Tigers linebacker Nick Bolton in the first round (at No. 28 overall) and saw Purdue Boilermakers slot receiver Rondale Moore fall to them in the second round (at No. 60).

That would be quite a haul to start the draft. Moore is considered a first round prospect, but the quality of this year’s crop and some questions about his game could see him fall. His highs were impressive at Purdue but he was limited to lining up out of the slot, with 966 of his 1,103 career snaps coming from that alignment. There will be a learning curve for him in the NFL despite his great athleticism. Still, he’d be another nice weapon to add to the group.

But let’s not lose sight of what adding Bolton would mean to the defense. Right now, the Saints don’t have a clear No. 2 linebacker next to Davis. Kwon Alexander could be a salary cap cut if he’s able to return from a torn Achilles tendon. Zack Baun is an unproven position-switch who couldn’t get on the field as a rookie. His usual sidekicks Alex Anzalone and Craig Robertson are both free agents. That leaves Baun and Kaden Elliss with practice squad holdovers Chase Hansen and Andrew Dowell as your best options.

Bolton is slightly undersized for the position and hasn’t quite shown the top end speed to compensate, but he has the skills, smarts, and football instincts to compete with anyone. It would be good to see him clean up his tackling (28 misses over the last two years, per Pro Football Focus) but he’s still the SEC leader in tackles for loss since 2019 (30).

Making these kind of additions at two positions of need with their first two picks would be great for New Orleans, but maybe their priorities look dramatically different in a few months. Free agency is still ahead of us and the Saints still need to navigate a complicated salary cap situation. But at this stage in the offseason, there’s definitely value in an optimistic outlook like this.

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NFL mock draft roundup links Saints to linebackers, and a Sam Darnold trade

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft roundup links the New Orleans Saints to linebacker prospects and a possible Sam Darnold trade with the Jets.

The last round of 2021 NFL mock drafts doesn’t feature much consensus for where the New Orleans Saints may look to improve, but the flip side to that is noting how many options they have to work with. And the projections aren’t limited to draft prospects; one brave speculator has the Saints trading their first-round pick for embattled New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. Here’s what’s new in draft circles:

Mock Draft Monday: Cowboys focus on defense for Dan Quinn’s arrival

The Dallas Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn is going to need a lot of reinforcements to get the ship going in the right direction. If the Cowboys can find some spending capital, they’ll need to address some of their biggest needs in free agency, and that is even more of the case when looking at the strengths in this year’s draft class.

There isn’t a Top-10 lock player at either defensive tackle or safety, two of the three biggest needs going into 2021. Assuming Dallas addresses those needs in some level of free agency, they’ll still need reinforcements there as well as front-line starters at other positions. Here’s our attempt to round out those positions with impact players using The Draft Network’s simulator and scouting reports.

Saints land an All-SEC linebacker in Todd McShay’s 2021 NFL mock draft

The New Orleans Saints landed Nick Bolton in Todd McShay’s 2021 NFL mock draft for ESPN, an All-SEC linebacker out of Missouri.

Could the New Orleans Saints invest in a rookie linebacker in the 2021 NFL draft? They haven’t gotten much of an impact from Zack Baun, a third-round pick they traded up to acquire in 2020, so it’s possible that they go back to that well in search of help.

And they just might need it. Of the eight linebackers on their roster right now, Kwon Alexander is a possible salary cap casualty (in addition to a long recovery from Achilles surgery) while Alex Anzalone and Craig Robertson are both headed for free agency. It’s a good thing Demario Davis signed a multiyear contract extension, because the remaining linebackers have totaled just 88 combined snaps on defense this year between Baun (82), Kaden Elliss (5), and Chase Hansen (1).

For an idea of who they could bring in to reinforce the middle of their defense, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay linked the Saints to Missouri Tigers linebacker Nick Bolton, writing:

“The Saints could use a talent like Bolton, as inside linebacker is perhaps the only question mark on their stout defense. He plays fast and has great instincts in coverage, compiling 95 tackles this season. Sliding him in at the second level would help keep New Orleans’ run defense strong.”

Bolton earned All-SEC recognition in each of the last two seasons, totaling 220 tackles (139 solo, 17.5 tackles for loss) in his Missouri career. He’s also got some ball skills with a couple of interceptions and a dozen passes defensed on his resume. He’s a little undersized, listed at 6-foot-0 and 232 pounds, but good instincts can make up for a low height-weight combination. Just look at what Sam Mills accomplished.

LSU Wire: Tigers coverage from USA TODAY Network

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Potential 2021 Chiefs draft prospects: Group 15

Bowl season is officially here and we’ve got several prospects set to play on the big stage. There are a few teams playing today, but I’ve already highlighted several of the draft-eligible players in those games. We’ll look at a few players who play …

I’ve identified a number of college prospects to keep an eye on ahead of the 2021 draft. All of them are potential fits with the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ll be releasing my thoughts on many of the prospects in random groups of four on Saturday’s throughout the season.

Check out our fifteenth group of prospects down below:

Kyle Pitts is one of the most exciting players in the SEC, per PFF

With SEC football set to get underway in less than 24 hours, members of the media have been giving their opinions on matchups and players.

With Southeastern Conference football set to get underway in less than 24 hours, members of the media have been giving their opinions on various matchups and players who will be featured this Saturday.

PFF’s lead draft analyst Mike Renner released his list of the most exciting players in the SEC on Friday via Twitter, with one prominent Florida Gator at the head of the pack. Junior tight end Kyle Pitts, who has earned quite a few lofty expectations coming into his 2020 campaign, was the first mention on Renner’s roster of five players from the around the league — all of whom were underclassmen.

SEC IS BACK TOMORROW@PFF_Mike's most exciting SEC players⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ray3c6HgO7

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 25, 2020

Also mentioned was the Alabama Crimson Tide’s junior wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Ole Miss Rebels’ sophomore quarterback John Rhys-Plumlee, LSU Tigers’ sophomore quarterback Derek Stingley Jr. and Missouri Tigers’ junior linebacker Nick Bolton.

Two of the names mentioned will be facing off against each other on Saturday when Pitts’ Gators travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on Rhys-Plumlee and his Rebels, kicking off both schools’ 10-game, SEC-only schedules.

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Broncos select LB Nick Bolton in 2nd round of 2021 NFL mock draft

The Broncos select Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton in the second round of this 2021 NFL mock draft.

In his latest two-round 2021 NFL mock draft for Draft Wire, Luke Easterling has the Denver Broncos selecting Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade. That’s the same defensive back Easterling had the Broncos selected in his previous 2021 NFL mock draft.

In the second round of his new mock, Easterling has Denver landing Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton. The Broncos still have to play the 2020 season but as of now, cornerback and inside linebacker do appear to be two of the team’s top positions of need for the future.

Bolton (6-0, 235 pounds) totaled 74 tackles — including 8.5 tackles for losses — one sack, two interceptions and seven pass breakups in 2019. He could be exactly the kind of linebacker Denver’s defense has been missing.

Alexander Johnson appears poised to anchor the middle of the Broncos’ defense for the foreseeable future but the team will probably bring in a replacement for Todd Davis sooner than later. Bolton might be that replacement.

The Washington Redskins select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the mock draft. View the complete mock here.

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