APC Community Mock Draft - The Washington Football Team is ready to pick at 19

With two of their top 3 pass rushers from 2020 no longer on the team, the Dolphins picked Kwity Paye at 18. As noted before, Paye has a few similarities to Rashan Gary, the last Michigan edge rusher to be picked in the first round. Both are raw, but extremely athletic with elite traits. Miami ranked 2nd in blitz rate last year, but most of their sacks came from the 2nd level. Adding a talent like Paye will help the Dolphins’ hybrid scheme as he was used to moving around the line at Michigan. Although the pick comes with risk, Miami gets the best pass rusher in a draft with little depth at the position.

Washington’s biggest need in the draft is most likely at the Quarterback position. However, the top 5 at the position are gone at this point in the mock, so the Football Team will look elsewhere here. Kevin Pierre-Louis, WFT’s top cover linebacker, departed in free agency, leaving a hole on a defense that has very few of them. The draft’s top cover linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, is the favorite to be picked here. It’s practically a necessity to have a great cover backer in the NFC East with the many elite weapons in the division. They could also opt for a free safety here to complement Landon Collins and Kamren Curl at strong safety. Trevon Moehrig could be a perfect fit for a defense whose one weakness last year was giving up too many deep plays due to communication issues. His deep coverage skills and ability to control a game on the back end would be extremely beneficial to Washington and his type of talent simply won’t be available later in the draft. Before we analyze their options, we’ll recap the previous picks in the draft.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
5. Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
6. Miami Dolphins - Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
7. Detroit Lions - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
9. Denver Broncos - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
10. Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
11. New York Giants - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
12. Philadelphia Eagles - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
13. Los Angeles Chargers - Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
14. Minnesota Vikings - Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC
15. New England Patriots - Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
16. Arizona Cardinals - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
17. Las Vegas Raiders - Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
18. Miami Dolphins - Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

The Football Team could look to improve an already fearsome defense at pick 19.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Perhaps no recent true linebacker prospect fits the modern mold of the small, hyper-fast linebacker mold than this Notre Dame product, who measures in at just 6-foot-1-½ and 221 pounds. He is an elite, explosive athlete, however, with defensive back-like speed and change of direction ability. Though he lost much of his 2018 season to injury, JOW exploded in 2019 with 80 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 13.5 tackles for loss. He could be a perfect fit for an NFL team looking for a weak-side linebacker who can cover running backs and tight ends while providing a sideline-to-sideline presence against the run.

Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU

The consensus top safety in a draft class weak at that position, Moehrig is a standout player in coverage who projects best as a deep cover man at free safety than as a run supporter. A great special teams contributor early in his college career, he was a two-year starter for the Horned Frogs and proved to have a nose for the football. In 2019 and 2020 combined, he picked off six passes, recorded 20 total pass breakups, and forced a pair of fumbles. With turnovers at a premium in today’s NFL, a safety with his knack for game-changing plays should be in high demand.

Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

As a junior in 2020, Collins burst onto the scene and into the minds of scouts and draftniks alike. In 8 games, Collins racked up two forced fumbles, four sacks, and four interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns). At 6-foot-5 and almost 260 pounds, he’s big enough to play on the edge but fast and explosive enough to play off the ball, with a similar skill set to Anthony Barr in Minnesota.

With the 19th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Washington Football Team selects...

How will the Football Team approach the draft after making the playoffs at 7-9 last year? Is now the time to swing for the fences and trade up for a QB? Or will they be content continuing to build up their elite defense in a division loaded with offense? Check back later to see the results and at 4 PM EST, be sure to see who the Bears will consider with the 20th pick.