With the 2021 NFL draft just eight days away, ESPN’s draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay get together for a combined three-round mock draft.
In this mock draft, Kiper and McShay alternate picks, with Kiper beginning at pick No. 1 and are selecting based on what they would do — not necessarily what they think the teams will do.
The Washington Football Team has four picks in the first three rounds, including two selections in the third round. We will give you Kiper and McShay’s pick with their analysis and offer our thoughts on each selection.
At No. 19 overall, Kiper selects Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis.
Washington has a great front four, but it could upgrade at middle linebacker. Davis has elite tape from the 2020 season, and he has some coverage ability, too.
Davis has continued to move up the boards. He was excellent on tape in 2020 and tested extremely well. He would add much-needed speed and playmaking ability to linebacking group in dire need of it.
At No. 51 overall, Kiper goes with Stanford quarterback Davis Mills.
Kiper is sticking with this pick. He made the same choice in his solo mock draft last week.
Here’s the sixth quarterback in the class. Mills is all over the place on teams’ boards, but he makes sense in Washington, which isn’t picking high enough to take one of the top five signal-callers. Mills played in only 14 games at Stanford, so there is some risk taking him any higher.
I absolutely see why NFL teams are torn on Mills. He has the size, arm strength and overall physical tools of a top-10 pick. Then, there are the red flags of health and inexperience. If you truly believe in a quarterback, you often take them in the first round. Mills should not go in the first round, but getting him in the second round is smart if Washington believes in his skill set.
With their first third-round pick at No. 74 overall, McShay goes with Cincinnati offensive tackle James Hudson.
Yet another Day 2 lineman who can play inside or outside, Hudson needs some development time. He’s a defensive-line convert who only has one full season as a starter under his belt.
I love this pick in the third round. Hudson is raw, but the skills are there. This is where you trust your coaches, and Washington has an excellent offensive line coach in John Matsko. Hudson has the size and skills to play tackle or guard.
At pick No. 82, McShay goes with South Carolina wide receiver Shi Smith.
The Washington offense needs more weapons, and Smith is a strong route runner with good speed and hands. He really impressed at the Senior Bowl and then ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.
I like Smith. He didn’t have good quarterback play in college, or he otherwise may have been selected higher. I just don’t love the pick with some of the other players left on the board, like Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth. WFT should absolutely select another wide receiver at some point in the 2021 NFL draft, preferably someone who can work in the slot. Smith can.
In this mock draft, Washington added some players in positions of need. Davis should start immediately, while Mills and Hudson are developmental players. With Smith, Washington hopes it strikes third-round gold again after getting wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Antonio Gibson in the last two drafts.