Jalen Mayfield should be one of two Michigan football stars to go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Even after a down year for the program, the Michigan football team should be able to have two former Wolverines going in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. While defensive end Kwity Paye is a lock to go in day one, offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield should be coming off the board somewhere in the 20s to 30s.
Mayfield leaves Ann Arbor after his junior season. He was a former four-star recruit out of Grand Rapids in the 2018 class. At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Mayfield could play either tackle spot at the next level. However, he has been slipping recently on some draft boards. Though not a lock to go in the first round, if he does, he should be going to a playoff-caliber team in 2021.
Where will Jalen Mayfield fall in the 2021 NFL Draft?
This is about the earliest he could be coming off the board this spring
Perhaps the earliest where Mayfield could be selected would be to the Chicago Bears picking at No. 20 overall. This is a team that leans heavily on defense and needs to establish an offensive identity fast in 2021. Otherwise, it could be the end of the line for head coach Matt Nagy. One of the best things the Bears can do this spring is to get better in the trenches through the draft.
Doing this will help bring along whoever is the team’s starting quarterback, whether that it Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles or somebody else entirely. Mayfield could potentially kick into guard as a rookie, or serve as a swing tackle in an effort to get some early playing time. Either way, there are plenty of offensive linemen who could come off the board around this time for Chicago to take.
For Mayfield to get to Chicago at No. 20, there would have to be a run of other offensive tackles ahead of him. While he is not a top-three offensive tackle prospect in this class, Mayfield’s talent and upside should have him going somewhere in the 20s and 30s. If the Bears were to take him at No. 20, it would not be seen as a reach, but rather a best-case scenario landing spot for him.
I mean, did you even watch the Super Bowl?
It was a roster construction mismatch all of Chiefs Kingdom tried to underplay, but we all watched the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs had no answer for the relentless pass rush of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hometown Buccaneers crushed the Chiefs hopelessly in Super Bowl 55, due in large part to Kansas City being without its offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.
While I understand that Fisher is a former No. 1 overall pick out of Central Michigan and Schwartz is a perennial All-Pro, their absences in the big game left the entire Kansas City offense exposed. Both are aging veterans with significant injury concerns and the Chiefs would be wise to use their No. 31 overall pick on Mayfield out of Michigan. This team is in win-now mode with Patrick Mahomes.
Overall, Kansas City could use the second to last pick in the first round on a luxury item as they did with Clyde Edwards-Helaire at running back like they did a season ago. However, everybody knows why the Chiefs did not repeat as Super Bowl champions. It does not matter if Mayfield is not a starter in year one, Kansas City needs reinforcements in the trenches to avoid total disaster.
They have to replace Anthony Castonzo along the front five
With Anthony Castonzo retiring, the Indianapolis Colts must address the offensive line in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Colts were a playoff team a season ago, albeit the No. 7 seed in the AFC. So this team does have plenty of talent entering year four under Frank Reich. However, Indianapolis must keep incoming quarterback Carson Wentz upright if he wants to have any success there.
As with the Bears picking at No. 20, this may be a tad early for Mayfield to be coming off the board at No. 21. With that in mind, you cannot put a price on offensive continuity. If the Colts do not address Castonzo’s retirement properly in the draft or free agency, they might consider kicking out all-world guard Quenton Nelson to offensive tackle. Let’s not make a strength a weakness, please.
Overall, the Colts are in great shape to get back to the playoffs and contend for an AFC South crown with the Tennessee Titans. What is important is for Reich’s team to build on a good 2020 with the hope the 2021 Colts can be great. The only thing we know for sure is Wentz needs pieces around him to avoid potentially washing out in this league. Mayfield can keep the pocket clean.
Maybe a slightly better offensive line gets them to the Super Bowl?
At this point of their competitive life cycle, it is all about the micro-adjustments for the Buffalo Bills. This is one of the best teams in football. They are coming off back-to-back postseason berths, their first division title this century and were one win away from getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993. Maybe adding to the offensive line is what gets them there?
Taking Mayfield at No. 30 would be right around the time he should be coming off the board, so the Bills would not be reaching by picking him with this selection. By doing so, it would also mean taking a former blue-chip prospect coming out of high school and preventing him from going to the one team you need to beat in the AFC if you want to get to the Super Bowl: Kansas City.
This would be a great way to stick it to the Chiefs, as there could be a run for offensive linemen in the latter stages of the first round. While Buffalo was not embarrassed in the Super Bowl because of poor tackle play, offensive issues were a reason the Bills were unable to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead back in January. Buffalo can afford to take Mayfield here and may be rewarded for it.
Could be integral in helping usher in a new franchise quarterback
We have arrived at the most likely destination for Mayfield in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers make the most sense here for a few reasons. One, they will be picking around the time he is projected to come off the board at No. 24. Two, Pittsburgh has historically done a great job of developing offensive line talent. And three, he can help usher in a new era at quarterback for them.
Ben Roethlisberger will be year-by-year at this point in Pittsburgh. Unless you are a Mason Rudolph or a Duck Hodges truther, you know darn well Pittsburgh’s next franchise quarterback is not on their roster. So by getting out ahead of it and drafting an offensive tackle prospect like Mayfield in the first round, he could be seasoned by the time a new star signal-caller arrives.
For as long as Roethlisberger is on the roster, the Steelers are in win-now mode. Investing in a position group that will help get every last little drop out of him before he retires would be advantageous. So would investing for their future. Pittsburgh is not expected to take a franchise quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, but come 2022, the Steelers will surely be in the mix for one.
As we look at these five potential landing spots for Mayfield in the draft, one thing rings true. He is not going to be coming off the board in the teens under any circumstance. Though he may be dipping down draft boards, he could end up in a better situation for him by going to a winning organization that already has other high-quality offensive linemen on their competitive roster.
What teams should look at drafting Mayfield out of Michigan in the first round of the NFL Draft?
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