Peter King on unabated free agency despite the Covid cap constrictions:

I was wrong about 2021 free agency when I wrote last week I thought teams wouldn’t have the same fervor out of the box. And many of the 32 teams were typically frenetic. In 2020, 30 deals of players changing teams got done on the first day of the free-agent tampering period; this year, 35 such deals got done early. Teams basically borrowed heavily against future years, and stars got paid. Trent Williams, at $23 million, matched David Bakhtiari atop the tackle market. Joe Thuney got the biggest package for a guard (five years, $80 million) in history. Kenny Golladay matched Tyreek Hill’s $18-million average. In a year when teams had a third of the cap room they had in 2020, those are monstrous commitments.

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

Peter King on the geography of QB RYAN FITZPATRICK:

Ryan Fitzpatrick, born and raised in Arizona, signed with his ninth team, Washington, last week. Barring a surprise, Fitzpatrick will extend two NFL records in 2021: He’ll be the first QB to start for nine teams, and he’ll be the first QB to throw a touchdown pass for nine different teams.

Crazy that Fitzpatrick has never played on a team in a city in Mountain or Pacific Time, and never played on a team closer than 1,100 miles from where he was born and grew up. In all, he’s played 13 seasons (including 2021) in Eastern Time, and four seasons in Central Time. Closest city to his Gilbert, Ariz., hometown: Houston, 1,165 miles east of Gilbert on I-10.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Peter King:

J.J. Watt, A.J. Green and Matt Prater were chosen for the 2013 Pro Bowl. Cute bit of trivia, but in the case of the Cardinals, not sure how good it is that players who were in their collective prime eight years ago are the keys to Arizona’s 2021 free-agent class. Watt will be 32 on opening day, Green 33 and Prater 37, and teamed with the primo center, Rodney Hudson (32 this season), acquired in trade from Las Vegas, the Cardinals seem to be hoping that Watt and Green, in particular, can have one or two golden seasons before they leave the game. It’s certainly not impossible, but Watt and Green first need to prove they can stay on the field. Both played full seasons last year, but Watt’s missed 32 games due to injury in the last five years and Green 29 over the same span. Green needs to get some fire back in his game; when I think of him over the last three or four years, the word “indifferent” comes to mind, not “great.” Maybe that comes from playing in a place, Cincinnati, where you know you’re not going to win.

This class of acquisitions, along with DeAndre Hopkins last year, shows the Cardinals are going for broke right now in a division that’s somewhere between vulnerable and the best division in football. Watt teaming with Chandler Jones and Green with Hopkins could be effective, but with the recent history of both newcomers, nothing is guaranteed. The addition of Hudson, however, should be one of the best acquisitions this month.

SEATTLE

Peter King points out that the Seahawks are scheduled to basically sit out the 2021 draft:

Seattle coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider have presided over 11 drafts for the Seahawks. Average number of picks in those 11 drafts: 9.5.

Number of picks for Seattle in the 2021 draft, as of this morning: 3.

There are 259 picks in the draft this year. Seattle owns picks 56, 129 and 250.

The Jaguars (1, 25, 33) and Jets (2, 23, 34) have three picks in the top 35.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

Peter King on Raiders free agency:

This is one strange franchise, entering its fourth year of the Jon Gruden Experiment. Three years pre-Gruden: 25-24. Three years with Gruden: 19-29, with little evidence that year four will be the breakthrough season. Good Gruden perspective on the ESPN draft podcast the other day from Todd McShay: “I like Jon. Jon is a great coach. But he’s got personnel ADD . . . He’s always plugging in guys and moving guys around.”

In 2019, the Raiders spent $105 million guaranteed on tackle Trent Brown, safety Lamarcus Joyner and wide receiver Tyrell Williams and Antonio Brown; instead of being foundational players, they’re all gone. The Raiders got 16 games out of the oft-injured Trent Brown, paid him $32.7 million, and dumped him to New England last week. Three-fifths of a good offensive line (center Rodney Hudson, guard Gabe Jackson and Brown) vanished last week, traded for third, fifth and fifth-round picks.

The Raiders made one solid signing (wideout John Brown, for one year and $3.75 million) and two curious ones. With a franchise back, Josh Jacobs, in house already, Vegas paid $14.5 million for two seasons of a good back, Kenyan Drake. Also imported: a very curious player, Yannick Ngakoue, who is now on his fourth team in seven months. He talked his way out of Jacksonville, got traded twice in two months (to Minnesota and then Baltimore) and produced only moderately in either place, and got rewarded in a stressed cap period with $13 million a year from the Raiders. With seven years left on Gruden’s deal, I can’t imagine owner Mark Davis thinking of pulling the plug yet. But another disappointing year and Davis has got to start thinking about it.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Peter King advises caution in judging QB DESHAUN WATSON:

To say this is out of character for Watson is an understatement. I spoke to someone close to Watson over the weekend, and this person was stunned at the charges and had never seen him treat women with anything but respect. So let’s wait for all the evidence to surface. It’s smart in such cases to keep an open mind until we see complete details and stories.

For today, while it seems totally insensitive to the gravity of the charges, we just don’t know enough about the cases to draw any factual conclusions. So I’ll stick to the football meaning of the Watson story for now. While lawyers are combing through the allegations, there is no way a team could trade for Watson now. Even if the Texans were to engage teams in talks, a team could not acquire a franchise quarterback as great and promising as the 25-year-old Watson with this Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. No matter how much faith you have in Watson’s goodness, there’s too much we don’t know right now to risk a mega-trade to acquire him.

Could a team try, while the allegations against Watson hang in the air? Perhaps. One former NFL GM told me Sunday he thinks a smart GM would check in regularly to tell Houston GM Nick Caserio of his interest—regardless how dire it looks now. I suppose . . . but I can’t see how even the most supportive fan base would be okay with a pursuit of Watson now.

And it’s unlikely the matter will be cleared up in the 38 days before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft. So absent a trade by draft weekend, that could knock three or four contenders for a Watson trade out of the box. The Jets (picking second overall) could draft their quarterback of the future, as could Atlanta (fourth), Philadelphia (sixth), Carolina (eighth) and another team trading into the top 10 (San Francisco?) prior to the draft. The Texans could still make a deal for Watson if he was in the clear at any time, but crucial contenders would disappear by the end of April.

The difference between civil and criminal charges is very important to Watson’s NFL future. The NFL draws a strong line between the different courses of legal action. If there are criminal charges, and the cases stretch into September, the NFL could put Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, as it did in 2014 with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson as they contested similarly ugly allegations. That would take Watson off the field and away from his team, at full pay, while the case or cases are being adjudicated. But if there are no criminal charges and the cases are civil only, the Commissioner’s Exempt List would not be an option, and Watson would likely be allowed to play. Of course, if he is still determined to not play for Houston and voluntarily does not report, then he would incur heavy fines and forfeit his $10.5-million salary for as long as he sits. Also, it’s unlikely but not impossible that any team would trade for him while any civil suits are in progress.

The forecast for Watson’s future: cloudy. But it’s premature to think of the Commissioner’s Exempt List as a landing spot for Watson—unless criminal charges are filed and the legal timeline stretches into the season.

And this from Mike Florio:

The numbers keep increasing for Deshaun Watson, as his camp remains silent.

Lawyer Tony Buzbee told FOX 26 in Houston on Monday night that the total number of assault lawsuits against the Texans quarterback has reached 14, with 24 total claims now under consideration by Buzbee’s firm.

“Most of the cases allege the same, or similar, conduct,” Buzbee said of the civil complaints alleging misconduct during massages.

Through it all, Watson and his representatives have said very little. Although the time for responding formally to these complaints has not yet arrived, Watson’s silence has become deafening, as far as the court of public opinion is concerned.

Despite Buzbee’s aggressive tactics and at-times disingenuous and/or not credible public statements (e.g., he’s not seeking publicity when he is, the cases aren’t about money when they are, he doesn’t know Texans owner “Cal or Hal [McNair] whatever his name is”), Buzbee’s approach is resonating with the public in large part because Watson’s approach has been to do or say hardly anything.

Meanwhile, it’s somewhat unusual that no other lawyers represent clients who are making similar claims against Watson. In a situation like this, other lawyers who have law firms with significant monthly expenses and who are indeed in the habit of seeking publicity and/or cash will begin coming forward with other plaintiffs of their own. With so many women making so many claims against Watson, it’s a bit odd that none of them have ended up being represented by someone other that Buzbee.

Then again, maybe that’s the next step in all of this. Given the way this matter has mushroomed, there’s no reason to think the list of potential plaintiffs ends at 24. There could be more that are being evaluated by other lawyers in Houston, or elsewhere.

Even if there are no additional plaintiffs, the sheer magnitude of claims makes it more and more difficult  to think that there’s an innocent explanation or that they are are embellishing, fabricating, or flat-out lying.

INDIANAPOLIS

Peter King on why the Colts are sitting on a stack of cash:

Common question over the past six days: The Colts have $35 million in cap room, so why aren’t they spending it? It’s pretty simple. Before opening day 2022, the Colts will already have two big salaries—Carson Wentz and DeForest Buckner—taking up $38 million in cap room. And it’s likely by then that three more current Colts will join them: guard Quenton Nelson, tackle Braden Smith and linebacker Darius Leonard, at a combined average of about $47 million a year. The Colts, then, will have five players taking up about 45 percent of their cap, or 45 percent of their average-salary compensation. Because the Colts are a pretty consistent “cash to cap” team—they don’t dish out a bunch of huge signing bonuses in any particular year, but rather try to keep cash spending in line with the cap most years.

The Colts will have to trust GM Chris Ballard to find a productive receiver with some explosion—I would aim for a low-cost option like Demarcus Robinson, or draft one, or wait till the post-June 1 cuts disgorge a good player who could be had cheap for one year.

TENNESSEE

Peter King on GM Jon Robinson’s losing streak:

GM Jon Robinson needs something to go right, and that something had better be Bud Dupree. In 2020, Robinson tried to fix a dormant pass rush by spending $21 million on Vic Beasley and Jadeveon Clowney. In 13 games between them, Beasley and Clowney combined for zero sacks; they’re gone. As disastrous: Tennessee’s first-round pick, Georgia tackle Isaiah Wilson, played three snaps in his rookie year, which featured a DUI, a positive COVID test and a terrible attitude. Tennessee traded him to Miami for a seventh-round pick last week and he lasted three days with the Dolphins before getting fired there. Still, Wilson’s awful impact echoes in Nashville: In a tight cap time, Wilson’s $4.48-million dead-cap number on the Titans’ salary cap is a reminder that lousy decisions can have enduring consequences.

Dupree, 28, was on his way to Shaq Barrett money territory when he tore his ACL on Dec. 2 for the Steelers. Confident that the knee will be fine, Robinson signed Dupree to a five-year, $82-million deal, and hopes he can pick up on his disruptive pace of the last two seasons (19.5 sacks in 27 games). “I’m going to go out there and play with my hair on fire,” Dupree said upon signing with Tennessee. If that leads to sacking the quarterback, get the matches ready.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

Peter King talks to the guy who had to pay all of the new acquisitions:

Then, of course, came the Patriots, with their 22 moves in a week: trading for a left tackle; guaranteeing between $9 million and $32 million to seven different free agents; gorging themselves on tight ends; stealing back Kyle Van Noy; and confounding those who never thought Bill Belichick would go on one of the biggest spending sprees in the 28-year history of NFL free agency.

Why’d the Patriots do it? Because they could.

“We had the second or third-most cap room at the start of free agency,” owner Robert Kraft told me Friday. (It was third, at $69 million.) “This year, instead of having 10 or 12 teams competing for most of the top players, there were only two or three. And in my 27 years as owner, I’ve never had to come up with so much capital before.”

Kraft expended about $175 million in guarantees in two days—almost the same as he spent in 1994 to buy the franchise and a dilapidated stadium. But he didn’t sound like a man with buyers’ remorse. He sounded like a man who knew his former quarterback just won the Super Bowl in another city, and like a man who just experienced his first losing season in 20 years.

“It’s like investing in the stock market,” Kraft said. “You take advantage of corrections and inefficiencies in the market when you can, and that’s what we did here. We’ll see. Nothing is guaranteed, and I’m very cognizant of that. But we’re not in the business to be in business. We’re in this business to win.”

Make no mistake: New England had to make these very expensive course corrections because Bill Belichick the personnel man badly let down Bill Belichick the coach. In the last six drafts, the Patriots have used first, third, third, fourth, sixth, sixth, seventh and seventh-round picks on tight ends and wide receivers. In 2020, five of those players were gone, and the remaining three caught 38 balls. The Patriots, by virtually any measure, had the worst collection of offense skill players in football. Tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry immediately become TE1 and TE2, while Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, depending on the future of Julian Edelman (35 in May), are likely the top two wideouts.

With so many questions about the strength and efficiency of Cam Newton’s arm, the Patriots immediately become a tight end-dominant offense. Think back 10 years ago, when the Patriots were so tight end-centric. That’s the season Rob Gronkowski and the late Aaron Hernandez combined for 169 catches, 2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns, and the season Hernandez played running back in the playoff rout of the Tim Tebow Broncos. Jonnu Smith got used in the backfield by Tennessee offensive coordinator Arthur Smith the same way Josh McDaniels used Hernandez in the 2011 postseason. Look:

Smith, Henry and Bourne will play at age 26 this year; Agholor at 28. You’d think there’s quite a bit of tread left on all their tires. And we haven’t even got to the defense, where Judon and the re-acquired Van Noy should add juice to a pass-rush that’s had one player (Chase Winovich) show promise and a second (Josh Uche) slow to flash his edge speed.

In a boomerang way, this reminds me of 2001, when the Patriots were tight against the cap and signed 23 free agents—for collective bonuses of $2.5 million. Mike Vrabel and David Patten and Otis Smith became valued pieces on the Pats’ first Super Bowl team. But that was a different time and place. Now, Buffalo and Miami make the 2021 AFC East a beast of a division. What Belichick has done with this free-agent roundup is ensure the Patriots can be a factor in the division and the conference. “He went and improved his football team by leaps and bounds,” said the agent for three new Pats, Drew Rosenhaus, on my podcast this week. “I think everybody would agree this roster is incredibly improved from the one that they ended the season with.”

“We’ll see,” Kraft said with some caution. “I do remember we always made fun of the teams that spent a lot in the offseason. So we know nothing is guaranteed, and I’m very cognizant of that.”

– – –

Tyler Sullivan of CBSSports.com on what might be involved if the Patriots want to move up for a QB:

Rumblings of New England going down that avenue have already started to spread with rumors suggesting that they really like Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. If that proves to be true and the Patriots do have an affinity for Fields or any one of the upper-echelon QBs in this class, they’d almost certainly need to trade up from No. 15 overall.

That brings us to our experiment today. With help from the Rich Hill Draft Value Chart (a new-aged version of the classic Jimmy Johnson draft chart), we’re going to take a look at a handful of potential trade partners for the Patriots who are currently above them in the 2021 draft. We’ll calculate how much of a haul it may take for New England to rise up and potentially select that future franchise QB. For those unaware of how the chart works, each pick is assigned a value in terms of points. For a trade to be deemed fair, those total points need to be in the ballpark of one another. Simple enough, right?

Of course, we’ll quickly slap the top three picks (Jaguars, Jets, Dolphins) out of hand because it’s unrealistic to think that Jacksonville will be moving No. 1 overall under any circumstance and New York and Miami likely won’t deal within the division. We’ll also toss aside a few teams with clear QB needs of their own that likely would be using their high first-rounder to address that themselves.

Atlanta Falcons – No. 4 overall

The Falcons don’t feel like a team that is completely ready to give up on the Matt Ryan era just yet and will make a legit push to try to contend with him for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, Atlanta may not be in the mindset to begin developing another first-round quarterback behind Ryan and instead will look to add pieces around their former league MVP, which could open the door for New England to rise up to No. 4. 

Getting to that level of the draft would put the Patriots firmly in the mix for Fields, Trey Lance or Mac Jones, but it’ll cost them greatly. According to Hill’s chart, the No. 4 overall pick has a value of 491 points. Meanwhile, New England’s entire draft board rounds in at 565 points.

Of course, Belichick isn’t going to throw essentially his entire draft out the window for No. 4 so this could be a scenario where the Pats would need to sweeten the pot by including a player. Two-time All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore is a name that has been heavily involved in trade rumors dating to before the 2020 season and with just one more year remaining on his contract, it wouldn’t be a total shock to see New England shop him around instead of shelling out a new deal. The Falcons also ranked in the bottom half of the league in pass defense efficiency in 2020, so adding Gilmore could prove to be a major help to that secondary.

Again, this is a rather lofty price to pay but if New England believes in a specific quarterback prospect you could argue that no price is too high.

Projected trade: New England trades No. 15 overall, No. 96 overall (354 total points), and Gilmore to Atlanta for No. 4 overall.

Cincinnati Bengals – No. 5 overall

The Bengals are set at the quarterback spot after selecting Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick last year and are now looking to build around him going forward. While they could elect to draft Oregon tackle Penei Sewell to further put a wall around Burrow or — as CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Ryan Wilson recently mocked — give him an explosive weapon in receiver Jaylen Waddle, Cincy could move down to gain more assets to further build its foundation.

Similar to the Falcons deal, moving into the top five would be a heavy price tag for the Patriots. When crunching the numbers against Hill’s trade chart, it’d likely require New England to give up its first- and second-round pick to get the conversation off the ground. Those assets get the Patriots to 443 points, which is in spitting distance of the No. 5 pick, which values at 468 points. However, this could be another avenue where adding a player could help the Patriots’ chances.

Projected trade: New England trades No. 15 overall, No. 96 overall (354 total points), and receiver N’Keal Harry to Cincinnati for No. 5 overall.

Philadelphia Eagles – No. 6 overall

The Eagles could be a team in the quarterback market at the draft as well but if they are intent on heading into 2021 with Jalen Hurts as the starter, this is another potential trade partner for New England. As we creep down outside of the top five, deals do get a bit more palatable for the Patriots, but could still require the use of a talented veteran to be included in the trade. Philly — who owns No. 6 overall (446 points) — could view the potential pairing of corners Darius Slay and Gilmore as a valuable one-two punch in the secondary that helps them contend in an NFC East that boasts a number of top-tier wide receivers (Amari Cooper, Terry McLaurin, Kenny Golladay, etc.). When you attach Gilmore with a few valuable picks, a logical deal does start to fall into place.

Projected trade: New England trades No. 15 overall, No. 122 overall (339 total points), and Gilmore to Philadelphia for No. 6 overall. 

Dallas Cowboys – No. 10 overall

It varies on whom you ask but this stage of the draft is likely where Fields is off the board. However, Jones and Lance are to be had. With Dallas inking Dak Prescott to a mega-contract earlier this offseason, the Cowboys are in no need of a quarterback and it could behoove them to move down five spots while gaining more capital. The No. 10 pick has a value of 369 points and the Patriots could get in the ballpark by moving a trio of picks and not surrendering any talent on the roster if they so choose.

Projected trade: New England trades No. 15 overall, No. 96 overall, and No. 139 (371 total points) to Dallas for No. 10 overall.

New York Giants – No. 11 overall

Ideal trade partner for New England if one of these quarterbacks falls out of the top 10. Belichick can call up his old pal Joe Judge to see if there is a deal to be made by moving up just a few spots. New York seems to be building around Daniel Jones so they aren’t in the QB market and could look to bolster their crop of picks in Day 2. The No. 11 overall pick has a trade value of 358 points, which isn’t too far of a leap for the Patriots to draw even.

Projected trade: New England trades No. 15 overall and No. 96 overall (354 total points) to New York for No. 11 overall.

THIS AND THAT

BROADCAST NEWS

Two points from Peter King about the change in 2023 television:

A Week 18 Saturday doubleheader on ESPN, with flexing options. Understand what this means. Late on Sunday night of Week 17 or on Monday morning of Week 18 (the final regular-season game week), two games would be designated for Saturday airing on ESPN. The league would also move a vital game to Sunday night on NBC. This means that two games of significance would be short-week games—coaches will love that—on Saturday, and the most important game would be set for Sunday night, the final game of the regular season. Teams will likely hate being made to play on Saturday in Week 18, their prep time shortened by a day. But $113 billion buys a lot of inconvenience. (What’s interesting about this is that it will be included for sure in the 2023 media package, but the NFL may implement it in either 2021 or ’22. Stay tuned.)

3. There is no more CBS-AFC, FOX-NFC marriage. Starting in two years, all games are created equal. The NFL now determines the TV schedule by CBS being aligned with the AFC and FOX with the NFC; the road team in all 256 regular-season games in 2020, for instance, determined the televising network unless the game was on Thursday or Sunday or Monday night. A road NFC team meant it was a FOX game, and a road AFC team meant it would be aired on CBS—with few exceptions made with a league cross-flexing rule. (We’re getting too fair in the weeds for that.) Anyway, starting in 2023, the league will lay out the schedule with the idea to get the best rating for every game. If the NFC has more power teams in bigger markets, those games will be spread equally to maximize viewership.

2021 DRAFT

Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com offers this Mock in the wake of early free agency results:

We’re one week into free agency which, for the first time since the end of the 2020 regular season, means that we have new information about all 32 NFL teams — what needs they wanted to address and which faces they wanted to bring in to address them. Those 32 makeovers will continue as the draft approaches but for now, here’s our first post-free agency mock draft. The Panthers, 49ers and Bears all move up for quarterbacks while the Jets, Eagles and Chargers move back in Round 1 in exchange for draft picks.

In case you’re interested, here are the mock-draft trades:

Panthers get No. 2, No. 147; Jets get No. 8, No. 73, 2021 1st rounder

49ers get No. 6; Eagles get No 12, No. 43

Bears get No. 13, No. 198; Chargers get No. 20, No. 52

OK, let’s get to it.

1 – JACKSONVILLE

Trevor Lawrence QB

CLEMSON • JR • 6’6″ / 220 LBS

Put it on the board.

2 – CAROLINA (Mock Trade from NY Jets)

Justin Fields QB

OHIO STATE • JR • 6’3″ / 228 LBS

We’re not convinced the Jets are going to stay put at No. 2 and if they don’t, several teams could be interested in moving up for a QB. Zach Wilson is our QB2 but that doesn’t mean he’s QB2 for the 32 NFL teams. And for the Panthers, we feel like Justin Fields would be a perfect fit, especially if the team was willing to let him sit on the bench for the first month or two of the 2022 season instead of throwing him out there.

3 – MIAMI (from Houston)

Ja’Marr Chase WR

LSU • JR • 6’0″ / 208 LBS

PROJECTED TEAM

Miami  

This is becoming a popular pick for us, primarily because the team has said publicly that it’s committed to Tua Tagovailoa. That could change, of course, but even after adding Will Fuller in free agency, Chase is too good to pass up here.

4 – ATLANTA

Kyle Pitts TE

FLORIDA • JR • 6’6″ / 240 LBS

Are the Falcons going to stick with Matt Ryan for 2021 (and possibly 2022), because if so they’ll need to continue to build around him, not to mention fix a floundering defense. Working from the premise that Ryan remains (there’s a $24.9 million dead cap hit if he’s a post-June 1 cut) and Atlanta adds arguably the best pass catcher in this class to the roster.

5 – CINCINNATI

Jaylen Waddle WR

ALABAMA • JR • 5’10” / 182 LBS

PROJECTED TEAM

Cincinnati         

PROSPECT RNK

8th       

POSITION RNK

2nd

Cincy addressed a bunch of defensive needs during the first week of free agency, but perhaps more importantly it signed offensive tackle Riley Reiff, who was a huge need. The Bengals could still target the offensive line here, but this week we have them taking the most explosive wideout/returner in this class.

6 – SAN FRANCISCO (Mock Trade from Philadelphia)

Zach Wilson QB

BYU • JR • 6’3″ / 210 LBS

This is the first time in a long time we’ve had Zach Willson falling out of the No. 2 pick, but he doesn’t stay on the board long; the 49ers trade up from No. 12 to get Wilson, who had an outstanding 2020 campaign and improved his draft stock from second-tier draft prospect to top-10 pick.

7 – DETROIT

Devonta Smith WR

ALABAMA • JR • 6’1″ / 175 LBS

Is Jared Goff the long-term answer? Almost certainly not. In fact, Detroit could still choose to take a QB here, but for now we have them targeting the best WR in college last season, Smith, who will add depth on the roster with both Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones signing elsewhere in free agency.

8 – NY JETS (Mock Trade from Carolina Panthers)

Mac Jones QB

ALABAMA • JR • 6’3″ / 214 LBS

Well, well, well. The Jets trade down six spots and still get a quarterback — along with an extra ’21 third-rounder and a ’22 first-rounder. Not bad, especially since Jones, in our mind, is the quarterback most ready to play right away after only Trevor Lawerence.

9 – DENVER

Caleb Farley CB

VIRGINIA TECH • JR • 6’2″ / 207 LBS

The Broncos cut A.J. Bouye and signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller (though Fuller’s deal is just for one year). And while Bryce Callahan was a bright spot in the secondary in 2020, he, along with four other CBs, will have his contract expire next spring. Farley, who opted out for 2020, is our CB1.

10 – DALLAS

Penei Sewell OL

OREGON • JR • 6’6″ / 330 LBS

The Cowboys need to fix their defense but it will be hard to pass up on Sewell, who we’ve routinely had going in the top 5 each week. Dallas also has needs along the offensive line, and with a healthy Dak Prescott set to return, Sewell would be a great pick here.

11 – NY GIANTS

Micah Parsons LB

PENN STATE • JR • 6’3″ / 244 LBS

The Giants have needs along the offensive line but they did sign TE Kyle Rudolph and WR Kenny Golladay, positions which were also on the to-do list. Meanwhile, the defense could use some upgrades too. Micah Parsons opted out of the 2020 season but he’s the No. 1 LB in this class.

12 – PHILADELPHIA (Mock Trade from San Francisco)

Patrick Surtain II CB

ALABAMA • JR • 6’2″ / 203 LBS

The Eagles have been mostly quiet in free agency but they did land safety Anthony Harris, though only on a one-year deal. Surtain may not seem like an immediate need for Philly, but other than Darius Slay, who is signed through 2025, no other CB has a contract beyond next season.

13 – CHICAGO (Mock Trade from LA Chargers)

Trey Lance QB

What, you thought Andy Dalton was the long-term answer? In reality, it very well may be, but the best way for GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy to insure they’re employed a year from now is to make a move for a QB. Lance checks every box as a “modern-day NFL quarterback,” he just needs experience. And if all it costs Chicago to move up is an additional second-rounder, they have to do it.

14 – MINNESOTA

Rashawn Slater OL

NORTHWESTERN • JR • 6’3″ / 305 LBS

The Vikings have needs along the interior offensive line and Slater, who was dominant at left tackle during the 2019 season — and he played right tackle the two seasons before that — has the versatility to line up anywhere. In fact, his future may be inside at guard or even center.

15 – NEW ENGLAND

Alijah Vera-Tucker OL

USC • JR • 6’4″ / 315 LBS

It feels like the Patriots filled every last one of their needs in free agency so we have them bolstering their offensive line with Vera-Tucker, who is one of the most versatile O-linemen in this class; he can play guard or tackle at a high level, providing New England with versatility across the unit.

16 – ARIZONA

Jaycee Horn CB

SOUTH CAROLINA • JR • 6’1″ / 205 LBS

PROJECTED TEAM

Arizona

Patrick Peterson is gone and Dre Kirkpatrick and Johnathan Joseph remain free agents, and Horn is a physical, athletic playmaking cornerback who would add depth at the position.

17 – LAS VEGAS

Azeez Ojulari LB

GEORGIA • FR • 6’3″ / 240 LBS

The Raiders’ defense was a mess and they have to get better at getting after the quarterback. They did sign Yannick Ngakoue, but there’s no harm in doubling down on an edge rusher here too. Ojulari had a standout season for the Bulldogs and while he hasn’t drawn the national attention of Kwity Paye or Jaelan Phillips, he’s a legit terror off the edge.

18 – MIAMI

Travis Etienne RB

CLEMSON • SR • 5’10” / 205 LBS

The Dolphins filled a lot of their needs in free agency, adding 11 players, including RB Malcolm Brown. Still, running back remains a need and Etienne, who had a great pro day earlier this month, is almost as dangerous as a receiver as he is as a runner.

19 – WASHINGTON

Christian Darrisaw OL

VIRGINIA TECH • JR • 6’5″ / 314 LBS

Even after signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Football Team obviously needs a long-term answer at QB, but after winning the division and making the playoffs they’ll likely have to trade up to get one. For now they’re staying put upgrading the O-line with one one the most athletic linemen in this class.

20 – LA CHARGERS (Mock Trade from Chicago)

Kwity Paye DL

MICHIGAN • SR • 6’4″ / 272 LBS

The Chargers addressed their offensive line early in free agency, and also added a short-term solution at tight end with Jared Cook. So it would make some sense to address the pass-rush position here, especially after trading down and still finding Kwity Paye on the board.

21 – INDIANAPOLIS

Jaelan Phillips DL

MIAMI (FL) • JR • 6’5″ / 266 LBS

DeForest Buckner and Justin Houston were No. 1 and No. 2 in sacks for Indy last season. Buckner is a defensive tackle and Houston, an edge rusher, is a free agent. While offensive tackle is on the to-do list, Jaelan Phillips, who is coming off a big campaign for the U, makes a lot of sense here too.

22 – TENNESSEE

Greg Newsome II DB

NORTHWESTERN • JR • 6’1″ / 190 LBS

The Titans cut cornerbacks Adoree Jackson and Malcolm Butler and signed edge rusher Bud Dupree. And while they could certainly target another edge rusher here, Newsome is one of the best cornerbacks in this class who has the physicality to match up against NFL wide receivers.

23 – NY JETS (From Seattle)

Gregory Rousseau EDGE

MIAMI (FL) • SOPH • 6’7″ / 265 LBS

Rousseau opted out in 2020 and in the process saw his draft stock fall with the emergence of Ojulari, Paye and his Miami teammate Phillips. Still, Rousseau is a high-upside prospect who hasn’t played the position long but will continue to improve with experience and coaching.

24 – PITTSBURGH

Samuel Cosmi OL

TEXAS • JR • 6’7″ / 309 LBS

JuJu Smith-Schuster re-upped with the Steelers, which means WR isn’t an immediate need, but with Matt Feiler signing with the Chargers, O-line remains a priority. Cosmi is incredibly athletic for his size and he can play either tackle position.

25 –JACKSONVILLE (from LA Rams)

Christian Barmore DL

ALABAMA • SOPH • 6’5″ / 310 LBS

Barmore was our DT1 coming into the season, took a while to get going, and then saved his best football for the final month of the season. He was absolutely dominant in ‘Bama’s run to the championship.

26 – CLEVELAND

Zaven Collins LB

TULSA • JR • 6’4″ / 260 LBS

For the 2020 season Collins had four sacks, four interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and two forced fumbles. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, he looks more like a defensive end but moves with the fluidity of the modern day inside linebackers that have become so prevalent around the league.

27 – BALTIMORE

Kadarius Toney WR

FLORIDA • SR • 6’0″ / 193 LBS

We love this pick. Ideally, the Ravens would land a taller wideout to complement Hollywood Brown, but Toney plays much, much bigger than this 5-foot-11 frame. He’s a playmaker from anywhere on the field and would give Baltimore a legit weapon at the position.

28 – NEW ORLEANS

Asante Samuel Jr. CB

FLORIDA STATE • JR • 5’10” / 184 LBS

Samuel may only be listed at 5-foot-10, but he doesn’t play like it. He compares his game to the similarly sized Jaire Alexander, and for us he’s a younger, more physical Janoris Jenkins, who was released last week.

29 – GREEN BAY

Rondale Moore WR

PURDUE • SOPH • 5’9″ / 180 LBS

It’s hard to imagine the Packers drafting a wideout, but Moore would be electric in Green Bay. The issues aren’t with his playmaking abilities, which border on the unreal, but his durability and experience; he played in just seven games his last two seasons in college.

30 – BUFFALO

Tyson Campbell CB

GEORGIA • SOPH • 6’2″ / 185 LBS

Tre White is one of the best CBs in the NFL but there’s not much depth behind him. Taron Johnson is coming off a good season, but has just one year left on his current deal and Campbell would add a long, physical playmaker to a secondary that improved over the course of the 2020 season

31 – KANSAS CITY

Teven Jenkins OL

OKLAHOMA STATE • SR • 6’6″ / 320 LBS

PROJECTED TEAM

Kansas City     

The Chiefs cut both their offensive tackles after the season, and while they signed guards Joe Thuney and Kyle Long, and tackle Mike Remmers, Jenkins has a chance to be really good. He can play on the right or left, and more importantly, can contribute right away.

32 – TAMPA BAY

Najee Harris RB

ALABAMA • SR • 6’2″ / 230 LBS

The Bucs don’t *need* a running back, but Harris had such an impressive 2020 season for Alabama and he would be a big upgrade from Leonard Fournette. We can only imagine how Bruce Arians would find ways to use him in Tampa Bay.