Ohio State, Penn State lead the way for B1G programs in Pro Football Focus Mock Draft

It’s been a week since the 2020 NFL Draft concluded and projections for next year’s draft began filtering out. Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently released its first-round mock draft for the 2021 season, which included plenty of Ohio State and Penn State names.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is currently listed as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft with Ohio State’s Justin Fields immediately behind at No. 2. If it were to play out that way, it mark the third-straight year a Buckeye has been selected with the second pick, and the fourth-straight year a former B1G player has been taken in that spot (Saquon Barkley, Nick Bosa, Chase Young).

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is another player listed inside the top five, pegged as the No. 5 pick in 2021. He’s also currently listed as the fifth-best prospect according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

Both Ohio State and Penn State had two more players included in the first-round mock draft. The lone B1G player outside of those two schools to be included was Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, who was slotted at No. 8. Below is where all seven B1G players are slotted:

• No. 2: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State — Washington Redskins
• No. 5: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State — Carolina Panthers
• No. 8: WR Rondale Moore, Purdue — Detroit Lions
• No. 13: CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State — Denver Broncos
• No. 18: DE Jayson Oweh, Penn State — Tennessee Titans
• No. 21: TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State — Indianapolis Colts
• No. 31: OL Wyatt Davis, Ohio State — San Francisco 49ers

You can view PFF’s complete mock draft here.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB