NoLimitJumper’s 2021
NFL Draft HUB
Welcome to the 2021 NFL Draft Hub, brought to you by NoLimitJumper. This is your guide to the upcoming NFL draft, which includes big boards, sleepers, positional breakdowns, and everyone’s favorite … mock drafts! NLJ draft writers include Zeke Palermo, Dylan Herrick, Rami Marinoff, Aiden Hawkins, James Macey, & Brandon Rosenthal.
Make sure to check out the full slate of what this guide has to offer. There is a lot of noise around draft time — allow NLJ to be your AirPods.
Draft SZN is here babyyy!
The NFL Draft is a time for each team to make the moves necessary to get over the hump. Even teams that have later picks can make NFL draft trades to get their guy, and that is why the draft is one of the most exciting events in sports. This 2021 offseason is going to be one of the hardest to project. The QB market is flooded, and that could completely change the draft order. Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson are just two of the biggest names that could be on the move. There are a few other NFL draft trades that could potentially happen as well. Let’s try to project the hardest thing in sports, trades.Â
Trade 1: Deshaun Watson gets what he wants.
Deshaun Watson is done playing football in Houston, and I don’t blame him. Watson has requested a trade, and only give the okay to a few teams. One of those teams is the Carolina Panthers, which is close to his Clemson college home. The Panthers definitely have some of the assets to acquire Watson, but that isn’t the problem. The biggest problem for this trade is whether the Texans are willing to trade the superstar QB. As of the time of this writing, the team is still not listening to offers, but that is expected to trade. Another problem could be other teams who could produce better offers. The Jets and Dolphins are also expected to be in the Watson conversation, and they have better assets. Not only do they have higher draft picks, but they have younger quarterbacks to offer.
However, I still think the Panthers get the franchise quarterback in the end. Although I do think the other two teams have better assets to give Houston, Carolina is going to be the ones willing to make the deal. The Jets will build off their number two draft pick, while the Dolphins will build around Tua in my opinion. This trade will allow the Panthers to get their guy and the Texans to rebuild. I would assume they go after Lance or another quarterback here. The Panthers won’t have to give up three firsts because of their high overall pick in the 2nd.
| Texans Get | Panthers Get |
|---|---|
| Teddy Bridgewater 2021 No. 8 overall pick 2022 first-round pick 2021 No. 39 overall pick | Deshaun Watson, 2021 No. 100 overall pick |
Trade 2: WFT does not stick with Heinicke.
One of the lesser talked about QB situations is in Washington. Taylor Heinicke impressed in the playoffs, and the Football Team might just stick with him. Yet, I think that they will go for a youngster instead of the unproven gunslinger. Because of their playoff appearance, Washington sits at the nineteenth pick. Unfortunately, that may be too late to get their franchise guy. At best, Mac Jones will still be around, but I don’t think he has the upside of the top four quarterback options. For this reason, I think we could see the NFC East champs trade up into the top ten. I think the best spot for them is number seven, swapping picks with the Lions. The Lions are still a long way from competing and could continue to stack up their picks. Detroit goes back to 19 and stays with Goff, while Washington might just steal Houston’s pick.
| Lions Get | WFT Get |
|---|---|
| 2021 No. 19 overall pick 2022 first-round pick 2022 third-round pick | 2021 No. 7 overall pick 2021 No. 137 overall pick |
Trade 3: The highly touted Najee Harris
The Bills run game is probably the only weakness in their phenomenal offensive game. NFL draft trades for running backs don’t always go as planned, but Buffalo will take that chance. There are not many people expecting trade here, but I think Buffalo could go after the Alabama superstar. They need help in their front seven, but they also want a top tier RB. The Dolphins and Jets are the two most highly anticipated teams to take Harris at 18 and 23, respectively. If the Bills do make the shocking trade to get a running back, they would more than likely go for that 18th pick, so that Harris doesn’t slip away. The Dolphins could get a few mid round picks, and still get a defensive guy at 30. The Bills wouldn’t lose too much and could absolutely finalize their already stacked offense.
| Dolphins Get | Bills Get |
|---|---|
| 2021 No. 30 overall pick 2021 No. 61 overall pick 2021 No. 94 overall pick | 2021 No. 18 overall pick 2023 seventh-round pick |
Although some of these trades seem outlandish, they could very well happen soon, or on draft night. I believe Harris to the Bills is least likely to happen, but it wouldn’t shock me. There are many more trades that could still happen, but these are three likely and exciting ones.