Miller’s 2-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft | Picks 17-32
17) Arizona Cardinals – Creed Humphrey, OC, Oklahoma
We’ve assumed Creed Humphrey would be the first center drafted whenever he decided to declare since first laying eyes on him centering that ridiculously powerful 2018 Oklahoma line as a redshirt freshman. This young man has everything you look for in a center. His leadership and intelligence shine through in his pre-snap responsibilities, and his actual physical ability is right there with his mental strength.
He’s not a road grater, but possesses more than enough concrete in his backside to hold up against powerful interior defenders. Arizona has long had a necessity at center, and they finally address it — at least in this 2021 2-round NFL mock draft, that is.
18) Chicago Bears – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
It’s tough losing out on the top three quarterbacks, but adding Bateman is a nice consolation prize. He very well could be the best overall receiver in the class, and they got him as the fourth receiver off the board. He’ll pair well with the BDE that Nick Foles brings to a football game.
His ability to win in contested situations in addition to his nuance as a route runner make him about as complete as they come. He doesn’t possess the elite physical traits of Waddle or Moore, but he’s a lengthy receiver that can still get up and go. You just hope he doesn’t go there to rot away slowly like the Bears have done to Allen Robinson.
19) Indianapolis Colts – Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State
After opting back in, we finally get what we want. We will see Shaun Wade defending receivers on the outside, the one thing we all desperately wanted to see from the junior cornerback. Now, he’s also spun back and played a little safety for the Buckeyes depending on motions and defense, so that experience could help as well in certain spots.
But it’s clear after watching the Colts that they need cornerback help, even though the defense has performed outstanding through the first few weeks of the season. Xavier Rhodes has bounced back a bit in 2020, but he’s still 30-years-old, and one can never have too many bodies in the back end.
20) Jacksonville Jaguars – Jaylen Twyman – iDL, Pittsburgh
He’s not Aaron Donald, but he will play a similar stylistic role to Donald in the NFL. Twyman is a gap penetrator of the highest order, and interior pressure is quickly becoming as or more important than edge rushing given how quickly quarterbacks are shoveling away the football in modern offenses.
Twyman has great vision and a natural feel for attacking the weakness of offensive linemen. He has a few different rush moves that are his bread and butter, but he displays just about everything you’re looking for in terms of primary and secondary moves. Strength and pad level consistency will be his question marks coming in. But pass rush is king over run defense.
21) San Francisco 49ers – Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee
Impressive power in an ideal frame for an interior blocker. I know my collogue here at PFN, Matt Valdovinos, has thrown around the idea of having Smith play tackle at the next level. Having that sort of flexibility is very intriguing, but I want this young mans power playing on the interior creating Mack truck size holes in “Disrespectful Kyle’s” outstanding rushing scheme. Hopefully his medical issues are all sorted out and we get to see him thrive for a nice 10-year career in the league.
22) New England Patriots – Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Oh boy, we let the Patriots get a route runner. That’s what Olave is. His body control and flexibility are absurd, and he’s taught by one of the best talent producers in the country in wide receiver coach Brian Hartline.
Olave is not the most physically gifted receiver, which will hurt his ceiling in theory, but we’ve seen to this point a plethora of examples against needing outstanding physical tools to be successful as a receiver in the league. This gives Cam Newton at least one legitimate receiving option outside of Julian Edelman.
23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Carlos Basham, EDGE, Wake Forest
Carlos Basham is just a solid football player. It’s a softer edge class than we’ve seen in a long time, and what we’ve noticed more and more is that these larger, less explosive guys are being valued less and less in the league.
However, Basham is big enough to slide down to the interior to rush on obvious passing downs, which should help his value. He’s a stout run defender with a good anchor to set the edge and possesses a nuanced set of rush moves. He won’t win with pure bend and explosion, and that does limit his ceiling, but he’s a good option here.
24) Pittsburgh Steelers – Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
Is there anything more Pittsburgh (the city, not the football team) than welcoming in a North Dakota State offensive tackle. This young man will fit seamlessly into the blue collar nature of Western Pennsylvania. And if Dillon Radunz protects Ben Roethlisberger until Big Ben retires, that’s all the fans will need to continue loving him.
He’s not overly atletic, but his pass sets are technically proficient and he dominates his level of competition as a run blocker. If he can fix the intermittent lapses in pass protection (they don’t happen often), his competitiveness and ability will be a welcome sight after Alejandro Villanueva’s contract expires.
25) Dallas Cowboys – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Like rookie Trevon Diggs, Farley is somewhat new to the position, but boy is he talented. He might end up the first cornerback drafted, but with multiple injuries in his history, the fall to the back end of the first could also happen.
He’s physical at the line and has a good blend of size and ability to mirror routes in man coverage. He’s great at attacking the ball at the catch point and he is more than a willing participant against the run. The Cowboys need bodies with the expiring contracts of Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis after 2020, and grabbing Farley at 25 is a dream come true.
26) Buffalo Bills – Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson
Another city fit here. Carman is a physical specimen at 6-foot-5 and over 340 pounds. But he possesses more than enough athleticism to boot, and pairing him either alongside or opposite of Cody Ford gives the Bills a runway on that side of the ball to run whoever their next running back is through the hole. Carman needs to become more technically consistent, and he isn’t the athlete Mekhi Becton was coming out, but he’s more than capable of keeping his half-man relationship in pass protection.
27) New Orleans Saints – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
DeVonta Smith is one of the most complete receivers from the past few classes. He’s as solid as they come. He’s technically sound throughout his routes, has incredibly consistent hands, is a good enough athlete to elevate and finish, and can wiggle a bit after the catch.
He just simply doesn’t have that one thing to hang his hat on, which is why he ends up as the fifth receiver off the board — though in some scouting circles, as noted by PFN’s Tony Pauline, Smith is graded above teammate Jaylen Waddle. Pairing someone, anyone, alongside Michael Thomas is absolutely necessary for the Saints and, dare I say, Jameis Winston, in 2021.
28) Tennessee Titans – Jay Tufele, iDL, Southern California
Lol. Pairing this large human to play the one-technique so the Titans are able to move Jeffrey Simmons up and down the defensive line is practically unfair. Jay Tufele is a fun athlete for his size and is a nice blend of brute strength and technical prowess. He’s not always consistent throughout the course of a game, but this is something that could be helped by pairing him next to absolute dominance like Simmons possesses.
29) Green Bay Packers – Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
The Packers are replacing Kevin King with… Kevin King. King and Paulson Adebo aren’t exactly the same, but they are both very much boom-or-bust players that have outstanding ball skills and equally as frustrating lapses in coverage.
Adebo’s ball production as a sophomore was a Pac-12 record-breaking performance, and if he can learn when to pick and choose his aggression and read keys in receiver’s route running, he could become and absolute problem opposite the already impressive Jaire Alexander.
30) Baltimore Ravens – Hamilcar Rashed Jr., EDGE, Oregon State
This young man doesn’t get enough love yet in this edge class. Hamilcar Rashed Jr.’s lanky frame is a great fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker type who possesses the athleticism to drop into coverage and the pass rush chops to be a difference maker in that aspect.
His play strength will need added at the NFL level to consistently set firm edges against the run, but his natural length already allows him to keep his distance, and his frame has plenty of room for future growth. As long as his bend and explosion remains through a bit of weight gain, Rashed Jr. could be an issue for AFC North left tackles for a while.
31) New York Jets – Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan
I wish I could trade for a new head coach, but a nice pass rusher will have to do. The Jets need a bit of help in a lot of different places, and EDGE is certainly no exception. Paye is a well put together pass rusher with the power to go along with it. His physical presence could lend him to a future of outstanding production as a run defender. He’s a good athlete for his size, but he doesn’t have the tilt or explosion necessary to really be a high-ceiling rusher. But he’ll certainly help a football team improve.
32) Kansas City Chiefs – Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
Listen, the Chiefs are playing with house money at this point. They have an outstanding offense that is practically unstoppable, so they can get away with going with a super high upside pick like Campbell in round one of this 2-round 2021 NFL mock draft. Campbell is an outstanding athlete that didn’t play a lot for Georgia in 2019, but a full season of tape in the SEC should see his draft stock skyrocket with a good 2020 campaign.
Admittedly, there wasn’t much technical proficiency in his 2019 tape, and he will not be a round-one selection if that continue. But if he improves that, his length/speed/fluidity combination is ideal for a press man cornerback.