By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports

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The 2021 NFL Draft is almost here. Let’s do one last mock draft just days before the event and check in on some of the top Pac-12 storylines as the Draft approaches. We go into three full rounds for this one.

Here are some of the top storylines for the Pac-12 to watch on Thursday:

Bengals and Sewell—a match made in heaven? The Bengals seemed like the team that was going to snag Oregon’s LT Penei Sewell at the top of the Draft once their season tanked and it was clear their offensive line needed a lot of help.

Early mocks always had the Bengals taking Sewell wherever their pick landed, but after the season, it looked like the Bengals instead might snag one of the really talented receivers or Northwestern lineman, Rashawn Slater, who exploded in the off-season.

Now it seems like Sewell and the Bengals might be coming around together. Will they take the legendary Oregon OL?

Can a Husky make it into the first round? The Huskies have three players who have been labelled as wild cards to make it into the First Round—Elijah Molden, Levi Onwuzurike, and Joe Tryon.

Each player has First Round potential, and it might just be a matter of if there’s a team that specifically needs a nickel corner, a versatile DL, or a DE with a huge ceiling.

Who takes Davis Mills? The Stanford QB has emerged as a likely Second or Third Round pick, and one of the top QB prospects after the first batch who are first round locks.

It seems like Mills will land with one of the teams in the back half of the draft order who need a QB, but won’t be able to grab one of those top QBs, and that could be great for Mills, giving him the chance to step into a team that needs a QB, but not a savior like Chicago.

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—First Round—

1. Jacksonville – Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Clemson

2. Jets – Zach Wilson, Quarterback, BYU

3. San Francisco – Mac Jones, Quarterback, Alabama

4. Atlanta – Kyle Pitts, Tight End, Florida

5. Cincinnati – Penei Sewell, Tackle, Oregon

I think things come full circle and the Bengals can’t pass on a talent like Sewell to build up their offensive line, even if they also really need a receiver, and there’s a lot of great options there too. A top lineman also feels like a safer investment than a receiver.

6. Miami – Ja’Marr Chase, Wide Receiver, LSU

7. Denver – Justin Fields, Quarterback, Ohio State

8. Carolina – Rashawn Slater, Guard, Northwestern

9. Atlanta (trade) – Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Alabama

10. New England – Trey Lance, Quarterback, North Dakota State

11. Giants – DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver, Alabama

12. Philadelphia – Patrick Surtain II, Cornerback, Alabama

13. Chargers – Christian Darrisaw, Tackle, Virginia

14. Minnesota – Alijah Vera-Tucker, Tackle, USC

AVT could be perfect for the Vikings as they need a guard and a tackle, but a guard a little bit more, and he might be better suited for that anyway, as he’s on the shorter side. His flexibility would also allow him to step up at whichever spot he works better at or the one they need more once he gets into camp.

15. New England – Jaycee Horn, Cornerback, South Carolina

16. Arizona – Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Penn State

17. Las Vegas – Teven Jenkins, Tackle, Oklahoma State

18. Miami – Kwity Paye, Defensive End, Michigan

19. Washington – Azeez Ojulari, Linebacker, Georgia

20. Chicago – Caleb Farley, Cornerback, Virginia Tech

21. Indianapolis – Greg Newsome II, Cornerback, Northwestern

22. Tennessee – Rashod Bateman, Wide Receiver, Minnesota

23. Jets – Jaelan Phillips, Defensive End, Miami

24. Pittsburgh – Najee Harris, Running Back, Alabama

25. Jacksonville – Elijah Moore, Wide Receiver, Mississippi

26. Cleveland – Jayson Oweh, Defensive End, Penn State

27. Baltimore – Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU

28. New Orleans – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker, Notre Dame

29. Green Bay – Kadarius Toney, Wide Receiver, Florida

30. Buffalo – Asante Samuel Jr., Cornerback, Florida State

31. Kansas City – Carlos Basham, Defensive End, Wake Forest

32. Tampa Bay – Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Purdue

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—Second Round—

33. Jacksonville – Sam Cosmi, Tackle, Texas

34. Jets – Ifeatu Melifonwu, Cornerback, Syracuse

35. Atlanta – Zaven Collins, Linebacker, Tulsa

36. Miami – Travis Etienne, Running Back, Clemson

37. Philadelphia – Elijah Moore, Wide Receiver, Mississippi

38. Cincinnati – Christian Barmore, Defensive Tackle, Alabama

39. Carolina – Kelvin Joseph, Cornerback, Kentucky

40. Denver – Zaven Collins, Linebacker, Tulsa

41. Detroit – Ifeatu Melifonwu, Cornerback, Syracuse

42. Giants – Greg Rousseau, Defensive End, Miami

43. San Francisco – Joseph Ossai, Linebacker, Texas

44. Dallas – Dillon Radunz, Tackle, North Dakota St.

45. Jacksonville – Richie Grant, Safety, UCF

46. New England – Nick Bolton, Linebacker, Missouri

47. Chargers – Joe Tryon, Defensive End, Washington

Tryon’s potential makes him one of the top DEs on the board, and a good value in the middle of the second round as a guy who can rush the passer, and still has the size and strength to hold up against the run. If he can just put it all together and get more consistent, he could easily be the best DE in this class.

48. Las Vegas – Christian Barmore, Defensive Tackle, Alabama

49. Arizona – Kevin Joseph, Cornerback, Kentucky

50. Miami – Andre Cisco, Safety, Syracuse

51. Washington – Aaron Robinson, Cornerback, UCF

52. Chicago – Davis Mills, Quarterback, Stanford

Mills is looking like a QB who—and I wouldn’t be totally shocked—may have snuck into the back of the First Round. I’ve been singing his praises for a really long time. He is the perfect QB to grab at this point as a guy who still hasn’t fulfilled his potential, but still has the size and efficiency to likely be a solid backup if needed.

53. Tennessee – Elijah Molden, Cornerback, Washington

Molden is a great pure player who is a bit of a tweener for the NFL, given his size and need (probably) to be a nickel holds him back a bit. He could be a steal here, though, as a Honey Badger Lite kind of player who could play different positions in the secondary.

54. Indianapolis – Alex Leatherwood, Tackle, Alabama

55. Pittsburgh – Creed Humphrey, Center, Oklahoma

56. Seattle – Payton Tuner, Defensive End, Houston

57. Rams – Jalen Mayfield, Tackle, Michigan

58. Baltimore – D’Wayne Eskridge, Wide Receiver, Western Michigan

59. Cleveland – Levi Onwuzurike, Defensive Tackle, Washington

Onwuzurike is a great value here because he really only fell because of the lack of need for DTs for teams more than his skill. One thing that I think makes him a great pick is he has the ability to stop the run but can also rush the passer from the middle of passing downs.

60. New Orleans – Tylan Wallace, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma

61. Buffalo – Javante Williams, Running Back, North Carolina

62. Green Bay – Jackson Carman, Tackle, Clemson

63. Kansas City – Wyatt Davis, Guard, Ohio State

64. Tampa Bay – Osa Odighizuwa, Defensive End, UCLA

OO made himself a lot of money by playing in 2020 and having a big year. He’s one of those guys who is stout with great size for a DE, but that will do him well in the  NFL, especially because he can still really move and rush the passer.

 

—Third Round—

65. Jacksonville – Michael Carter, Running Back, North Carolina

66. Jets – Dazz Newsome, Wide Receiver, North Carolina

67. Houston – Daviyon Nixon, Defensive Tackle, Iowa

68. Atlanta – Camryn Bynum, Cornerback, Cal

I have always been really big on Bynum, and it looks like NFL is taking notice as he’s climbing draft boards and could sneak into the Second Round. He’s big, strong, and has great ball skills. Seems like a lock to at least be a solid NFL starter.

69. Cincinnati – Brevin Jordan, Tight End, Miami

70. Philadelphia – Jevon Holland, Safety, Oregon

I still list Holland as a safety but he can play anywhere in the secondary, and that’s why he goes early in the third. He’s also a great athlete with solid size who is a great value here.

71. Denver – Kary Vincent Jr., Cornerback, LSU

72. Detroit – Trey  Smith, Tackle, Tennessee

73. Carolina – Baron Browning, Linebacker, Ohio State

74. Washington – Hamsah Nasirildeen, Safety, Florida

75. Dallas – Ronnie Perkins, Defensive End, Oklahoma

76. Giants – Jabril Cox, Linebacker, LSU

77. New England – Vacated

78. Chargers – Ar’Darius Washington, Safety, TCU

79. Minnesota – Rashad Weaver, Defensive End, Pitt

80. Las Vegas – Chazz Surratt, Linebacker, North Carolina

81. Las Vegas – Landon Dickerson, Center, Alabama

82. Miami – Sage Surratt, Wide Receiver, Wake Forest

83. Washington – Walker Little, Tackle, Stanford

Little’s stock has dropped as the red flags of a guy who has barely played in years scare off teams. He’s a good risk at this point, though, as a guy who has Top 10 talent, but just has had Top 10 injury issues as well.

84. Chicago – Amari Rodgers, Wide Receiver, Clemson

85. Philadelphia – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Wide Receiver, USC

ARSB has First Round talent and just never put it together perfectly in three years at USC. He was pretty good, though, and that will be enough to get him snagged in the Second or Third round.

86. Tennessee – James Hudson, Tackle, Cincinnati

87. Jets – Kenneeth Gainwell, Running Back, Memphis

88. Pittsburgh – Paulson Adebo, Cornerback, Stanford

Adebo is the other Cardinal who lost momentum this year, mostly because he regressed in 2019, then opted out in 2020. His stellar 2018 and physical skills will make him a great CB prospect at this point.

89. Rams – Deonte Brown, Guard, Alabama

90. Cleveland – Cornell Powell, Wide Receiver, Clemson

91. Minnesota – Brenden Jaimes, Tackle, Nebraska

92. Cleveland – Tre Brown, Cornerback, Oklahoma

93. Green Bay – Alim McNeill, Defensive Tackle, NC State

94. Buffalo – Patrick Jones II, Defensive End, Pitt

95. Baltimore – Liam Eichenberg, Tackle, Notre Dame

96. Tampa Bay – Quinn Meinerz, Guard, Wisconsin-Whitewater