2021 NFL Mock Draft: Early 1st-Round Predictions for Next Year's Top Prospects

With the first fully virtual NFL draft in the books, the attention turns to 2021 for draft gurus like Mel Kiper Jr., Daniel Jeremiah and Bleacher Report's own Matt Miller. And for the NFL scouting departments that spent thousands upon thousands of hours studying this year's class, it's also time to turn the page.

Draft boards will begin being made in earnest, with all eyes toward Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, thought by many to be the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. For those who have already filled their quarterback needs, it will be more of a waiting game. For us, it's never too soon to look at which of the nation's best players we will (hopefully) see walking on stage in Cleveland after hearing their names called.

2021 NFL Mock Draft

1. Jacksonville: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

2. Detroit: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

3. Washington: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

4. Cincinnati: Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami

5. N.Y. Jets: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

6. N.Y. Giants: Patrick Surtain Jr., CB, Alabama

7. Miami: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

8. Chicago: Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State

9. Las Vegas: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama

10. Denver (via Pittsburgh): Walker Little, OT, Stanford

11. Atlanta: Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State

12. L.A. Chargers: Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State

13. Carolina: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

14. New England: Xavier Thomas, DE, Clemson

15. Arizona: Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame

16. Cleveland: Caden Sterns, S, Texas

17. Jacksonville (via L.A. Rams): Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia

18. Pittsburgh (via Denver): Jay Tufele, DT, USC

19. Tennessee: Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina

20. Indianapolis: Patrick Johnson, DE, Tulane

21. Philadelphia: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

22. Minnesota: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

23. Tampa Bay: Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M

24. Buffalo: Quincy Roche, DE, Miami

25. Dallas: Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson

26. Miami (via Houston): Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

27. Green Bay: Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson

28. Seattle: Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama

29. San Francisco: Carlos Basham Jr., DE, Wake Forest

30. Kansas City:  Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford

31. New Orleans: Quay Walker, LB, Georgia

32. Baltimore: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

Another Top-Heavy Quarterback Class

Much like the 2020 class with Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, the 2021 stable of quarterbacks centers around two names: Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Both will enter the season as Heisman front-runners, and each one will have a case to make as to why he should be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.

While Lawrence fits the NFL archetype to a T, Fields' mobility and ability to throw on the run make him a better fit for the new style of NFL offense. Beyond them, look out for Iowa State's Brock Purdy, who threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns last year as a sophomore in Ames. He and Texas A&M's Kellen Mond are both likely late-first-round talents, but quarterbacks are always in demand, especially for teams desperate to turn things around quickly.

Which Wide Receivers Will Break Out?

2020 was the year of the wide receiver, with a record 13 of them going in the first two rounds, including six in the first 25 picks. A league that has slowly transitioned away from run-based offenses and started to mimic college football's run-and-gun style has made game-breaking wideouts a priority.

Next year's crop might not be as deep as this one, but WalterFootball.com lists nine whom it believes could go in the first two rounds. At the top of that list is LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, who might have been the first receiver off the board this year if he were draft-eligible. As a sophomore, he was the Tigers' best offensive weapon, reeling in 84 catches for 1,780 yards and an eye-popping 20 touchdowns.

Clemson's Justyn Ross will have the luxury of playing with the aforementioned Lawrence, and Alabama's Jaylen Waddle has the chance to unseat Chase as the top available wideout. After taking a backseat to Jerry Jeudy, Waddle will be the Tide's No. 1 target, though like Chase he will have to break in a new quarterback.

Other names to watch: Alabama's DeVonta Smith, Auburn's Seth Williams and USC's Amon-Ra St. Brown. Colorado State's Warren Jackson, who caught 77 passes in just 10 games last season, is one to watch as a sleeper.

Is the 1st-Round Running Back a Relic? 

If it weren't for the Kansas City Chiefs surprising nearly everyone and taking do-it-all LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire at No. 32, there would have been no backs taken in the first round for the first time since 2014.

The 2019 draft saw just one taken (Josh Jacobs), but the best available player in 2018 was a running back (Saquon Barkley), and two more (Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette) were taken in the top eight picks in 2017. 

So have we seen the beginning of the end for first-round running backs? Probably not, but few teams still value bruisers who can run 25-30 times per game. Instead, backs like Edwards-Helaire, who was the first player in SEC history to catch 50 passes and run for 1,000 yards, are in higher demand. As the league pushes further away from run-dominated offenses and tries to replicate what Kansas City has done with Patrick Mahomes, the value of versatile backs has skyrocketed.

In 2021, don't be shocked if we only see one taken in the first round: Clemson's Travis Etienne. Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard and Mississippi State's Kylin Hill—Nos. 2 and 3 on WalterFootball.com's running back rankings—have shown some versatility, but neither projects as a big pass-catching threat. 

Follow Keegan on Twitter, @ByKeeganPope.