RANKED 5 TO 1
#5 Payton Turner, EDGE, NO
Honestly, I thought Turner would be a Day 2 pick, but the Saints took a flyer here at 28. I expected the Saints would go with Trevon Moehrig, but EDGE is a need for New Orleans. All-Pro Cameron Jordan could use a complement. Turner should be a Day 1 starter for the Saints.
#4 Mac Jones, QB, NE
Jones fell into the Patriots’s laps. I believed they would trade back and acquire more picks, so there’s the twist. The Pats re-signed Cam Newton, but they also secured their future QB. Jones was in consideration for the 3rd overall pick, but the Niners went with Trey Lance instead.
#3 Najee Harris, RB, PIT
I’m not feeling this pick. Nothing personal, Najee! Pittsburgh needs help on both offensive and defensive lines. With Teven Jenkins still available at 24 and Christian Barmore on the board, I can’t understand why they passed on either.
#2 Jaycee Horn, CB, CAR
Very surprising with Pat Surtain II waiting in the wings! I consider Surtain II the best corner in this year’s class. Horn did bring the hype the last few weeks – there is a “day night difference between him and Surtain.” As a result, Horn will need to outplay Surtain II to live up to the expectations.
#1 Alex Leatherwood, OT, LV
SHOCKED. Vegas needs an EDGE rusher badly! Why not Kwity Paye or Azeez Olujari? Leatherwood was borderline horrendous in 2020, giving up twice the number of 2019 sacks. In recent years, Mike Mayock has made questionable selections. The picks acquired from the Khalil Mack trade resulted in low impact players bar Josh Jacobs. Expectations are high for the new Raider.
I think the Horn vs. Surtain thing was more about scheme. One is a better man corner and the other better zone, I don’t remember which one, but Carolina probably saw Horn as a better fit to their scheme rather than just who was the best CB overall.
I thought Horn was a top-15 pick, but over Surtain, I don’t like it.