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Mel Kiper Jr.’s final 2021 mock draft: 6 B1G players projected in first round
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has released his final mock draft for the 2021 cycle, and he has six Big Ten players being selected in the first round.
That’s one fewer than his previous mock, which included Penn State pass rusher Jayson Oweh. Kiper said he considered projecting Oweh to the Ravens at No. 27 overall, but ended up going with Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins instead.
Here’s who did make Kiper’s final mock, along with their landing spots:
- No. 9 overall, Ohio State QB Justin Fields (Denver Broncos)
- No. 13 overall, Northwestern OL Rashawn Slater (Los Angeles Chargers)
- No. 15 overall, Penn State LB Micah Parsons (Detroit Lions)
- No. 18 overall, Michigan DL Kwity Paye (Miami Dolphins)
- No. 22 overall, Northwestern DB Greg Newsome II (Tennessee Titans)
- No. 29 overall, Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman (Green Bay Packers)
For the most part, these would be exceptional landing spots for these prospects. Fields would be paired with a group of young skill players and an excellent defense in Denver. Slater would get to protect Justin Herbert, who had a sensational rookie season with the Chargers.
Parsons would be the first selection for the new regime in Detroit. Paye and Newsome would be joining winning situations in Miami and Tennessee, respectively. Bateman would have a chance to be a Day 1 starter and have Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback.
The draft starts on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.