Here at The Bulldog Insiders, we're obviously going to bring as much coverage of Barton College Athletics. But we are also sports fans ourselves. NFL, MLB, and so on.
I have been a big fan of the business side of the NFL and what it takes to build a team from not only the financial side with the contracts but also the evaluation of the talent available and how a general manager will put their teams together. A big part of this is the annual NFL Draft where teams have the opportunity to draft the rights of college players moving up to the pro ranks.
Before our site was up in 2020, I tweeted a mock draft out where I thought players would go. I intend to continue to do this to add some various content to the site, but most importantly, I dream of the day that I will be able to project when a player from Barton College will be included in draft projections and prospect lists. If you would have asked me when I thought that day might come before the shortened spring season of 2021, I would have said maybe a decade at the earliest.
Now that I have seen the talent our players have and the way our coaching staff has coached them up over the course of the small sample size we saw this Spring, I am predicting it will be before the 2031 season or the 10 year mark. Big things are happening and this isn't me being a Bulldog homer. Our players have talent. Actually they have Talent with a capital "T". The offseason work and conditioning, the work in the classroom, the work in the position meeting rooms...that's all on them to refine and improve. And I've seen the hunger when watching them play. It's going to happen.
Now, don't get me wrong: We very well could have a superb talent get into the mix before this 2031 estimate. But I am taking into account when things get established throughout the program and college. But even as I'm saying this, current DB Jordan White was listed by the site NFL Draft Diamonds in June 2020 (Link). It is possible that someone might break through, standout, and sign as an undrafted free agent (UFA), be invited to the NFL Combine or even drafted.
The most likely scenario will be that a player or players get invitations to all-star type bowls like the Resse's Senior Bowl held annually in Mobile, AL. This is a great display for players from smaller schools, HBCU, and D2 & D3 schools to go up against the big boys from Power 5 schools.
Now...how do I think the 2021 NFL Draft will play out? Here are my predictions for the first two rounds. Each NFL team is listed along with the player, their position, and the school they come from.
I'm sure I will miss on quite a few, probably all of them knowing my luck. But here is my best estimates. Trades are included and notated.
Feel free to share your thoughts about your team and who will go where!
Round One
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
NY Jets: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
San Francisco 49er's: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Atlanta Falcons: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU
Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
Miami Dolphins: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Detroit Lions: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
New England Patriots (Trade w/Carolina): Zac Wilson, QB, BYU
Denver Broncos: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
Los Angeles Chargers (Trade w/NY Giants): Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Philadelphia Eagles: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
NY Giants (from LAC): Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Minnesota Vikings: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC
Carolina Panthers (from NE): Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Las Vegas Raiders: Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU
Miami Dolphins: Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia
Washington Football Team: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
Chicago Bears: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
Indianapolis Colts: Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
Tennessee Titans: Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
NY Jets: Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan
Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Jacksonville Jaguars: Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
Cleveland Browns: Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
Baltimore Ravens: Elijah Moore, WR, Mississippi
New Orleans Saints: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Green Bay Packers: Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, LSU
Buffalo Bills: Jaelan Phillips, Edge, Miami
Baltimore Ravens, Payton Turner, Edge, Houston
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
Round Two
Jacksonville Jaguars: Asante Samuel Jr, CB, Florida State
NY Jets: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
Atlanta Falcons: Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami
Miami Dolphins (from HOU): Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
Philadelphia Eagles: Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
Cincinnati Bengals: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
Carolina Panthers: Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame
Denver Broncos: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
Detroit Lions: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
NY Giants: Jason Oweh, Edge, Penn State
San Francisco 49er's: Jevon Holland, CB, Oregon
Dallas Cowboys: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Jacksonville Jaguars (from MN): Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
Carolina Panthers (from NE): Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
Los Angeles Chargers: Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State
Las Vegas Raiders: Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson
Arizona Cardinals: Alim McNeill, DT, North Carolina State
Miami Dolphins: Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina
Washington Football Team: Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Chicago Bears: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
Tennessee Titans: Josh Palmer, WR, Tennessee
Indianapolis Colts: Carlos Basham Jr, Edge, Wake Forest
Pittsburgh Steelers: Brady Christensen, OT, BYU
Seattle Seahawks: Walker Little, OT, Stanford
Los Angeles Rams: Trey Smith, G, Tennessee
Kansas City Chiefs: Ronnie Perkins, Edge, Oklahoma
Cleveland Browns: Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
New Orleans Saints: Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
Buffalo Bills: Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF
Green Bay Packers: Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Kansas City Chiefs: Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jamar Johnson, Safety, Indiana