NFL mock draft: Full round one after first wave of free agency

Picks 11 through 20 (still no Seahawks)

Pick 11 – Caleb Farley – CB – Virginia Tech – NY Giants

Up until the Golladay pick-up, this was going to be Jaylen Waddle. But taking the first CB off the board to play opposite James Bradberry will make an already decent Giants defense even better.

Pick 12 – Trey Lance – QB – North Dakota State – San Francisco

The support from the 49ers front office for Jimmy Garoppolo has been regular but not entirely convincing. Jimmy G may be the QB to start 2021, but drafting Lance gives them a development project to replace and upgrade down the line. Maybe even mid-season 2021. Lance is potentially special, like Lawrence and Wilson, but is more of a gamble than they are at this time.

Pick 13 – Jaylen Waddle – WR – Alabama – LA Chargers

With Keenan Allen moving toward the twilight of his excellent career, and doubts over the long term future of Mike Williams as a Charger, bringing in Waddle makes a ton of sense. More weaponry for Justin Herbert cannot be a bad thing either.

Pick 14 – Kwity Paye – DE – Michigan – Minnesota

I know the Vikings added Stephen Weatherly from free agency, but this guy is the future. He is a quick learner and has developed nicely through his college career. The Vikings D need to improve and this is a step in the right direction.

Pick 15 – Zaven Collins – DE/LB – Tulsa – New England

There has been plenty of speculation about the Pats moving up to get a QB, and Justin Fields in particular, but given that they would need to trade up to the 3 position, I don’t see that happening. The Pats linebacker corps has been upgraded by the additions in free agency of Matt Judon and Kyle Van Noy at outside LB, but adding Collins at the inside LB position strengthens it even further.

Pick 16 – Patrick Surtain II – CB – Alabama – Arizona

With the departure of Patrick Peterson, a replacement is needed and here he is. Arizona will hope he is anywhere near as good as his father, the former Dolphins and Chiefs CB of the same name. He certainly has the potential to be a fine corner in the NFL.

Pick 17 – Jackson Carman – OL – Clemson – Las Vegas

The Raiders O-line was really poor last season, Carman can play guard or tackle and should help along with the additions of Richie Incognito and Denzelle Good via free agency.

Pick 18 – Jaelen Phillips – DE – Miami – Miami

Having already picked fellow Hurricane Gregory Rousseau, why not add the guy who stood in for him so well whilst Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season. DE is a real need position for the Dolphins, Phillips may be nearer the finished article than Rousseau, while Rousseau has more long-term upside.

Pick 19 – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – LB – Notre Dame – Washington

Whilst the defense was the reason that WFT made the play-offs last season, they could upgrade at LB, and Owusu-Koramoah is not your archetypical LB. He has speed to burn, is great in coverage and can pretty much cover any of the Giants LB positions, which is an invaluable asset in the modern game.

Pick 20 – Alex Leatherwood – OL – Alabama – Chicago

The O-line was a weakness for the Bears last season and with a less mobile QB in Andy Dalton arriving, the O-line will need to improve. Leatherwood could be deployed at guard or tackle and is the first piece in place to upgrade the O-line, as they have not added from free agency this far.