Shawn’s Final 2021 Mock Draft: Packers nab secondary help at 29th overall

Many years, a run on quarterbacks tends to dictate how the top of the first round will fall during the NFL Draft. This year is no different, but predicting when and to who those quarterback will be drafted is just as difficult in 2021 as it was back in 2017.

Just like that particular draft, there figure to be a number of in-draft trades by teams looking to move ahead of competitors. Recent quarterback trades by Carolina and Denver provide extra uncertainty about which teams are truly in the QB market. Therefore, making a mock draft free of trades is quite the challenge this spring. Yet, here is a final mock that attempts to do just that.

As the top half of the draft plays out, the Green Bay Packers will be eagerly awaiting their 29th pick (of course, if they do not trade it themselves) and a plethora of options to improve any number of positions.

Quick Hitters

• The Packers select TCU’s Trevon Moehrig in this mock, adding a valuable coverage safety who could also be used in the slot with regularity. Although the Packers would benefit from a cornerback, their depth at safety is also limited. Moehrig’s selection provides insurance at the position, while also freeing up a player like Darnell Savage for more slot opportunities himself and a playmaking role in Joe Barry’s defense. Still, a case could be made for the Packers to pick just about any of the players mocked from choices 23 to 29. The depth should be strong when Green Bay is on the clock.
• Kwity Paye is one of the most fascinating names of the first round. Paye would not be a surprise selection at the 11th (New York) or 12th (Philadelphia) picks, but a number of other mocks have Paye slipping late in the first round. This mock places Paye in a more middle location, but his ranking among the edge rushers in this draft has remained hard to assess.
• Denver may have just traded for Teddy Bridgewater to go along with Drew Lock, but a quarterback could still be in play as a longer-term answer. The Broncos have built a solid roster, but remain a “great” quarterback away from earning a pick outside the top 10 picks each year. They get their pick of Trey Lance or Justin Fields here, but opt for the more experienced passer.
• Where the top cornerbacks will land is becoming more interesting by the day. Although Patrick Surtain might be the consensus top corner in most mocks, Jaycee Horn could be the first off the board, as could Caleb Farley. The order is one of the more interesting side stories of the first half of the draft, but should not impact the prospects available to the Packers later in the round. This mock has Horn leading the way at 10th overall to a Cowboys team starving for a feisty corner.
• Micah Parsons has consistently been the top inside linebacker on the board throughout the draft process and remains the first one taken in this mock. However, it would not surprise if the speedy Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah or fast-rising Jamin Davis supplanted Parsons by the time the night is over. Davis has started to rise as far as ninth overall on some boards in recent days.