2021 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders land defensive star in full first round mock

2021 NFL Draft: Las Vegas Raiders land defensive star in full first-round mock

15. New England Patriots – LB Micah Parsons, Penn State

The Patriots looked slow on both offense and defense in 2020, so they need to add a level of athleticism and explosiveness to the roster. Before the start of the 2020 season, Micah Parsons seemed like a top-10 lock, and although he could very well still go in that range, his stock has slipped a bit.

Questions concerning his character have surfaced, but I don’t think that should drop him any further than the Patriots.

Parsons is the type of player you want playing downhill, and he’s even showed the ability to rush the passer. However, beyond the slight character concerns, what might actually drop him this low is the lack of snaps in coverage.

According to PFF, he only has 64 career snaps in man coverage, and his zone drops are not elite. He has all the athleticism to thrive in coverage, but he just hasn’t had to do it much. But I just have a funny feeling that Bill Belichick can get the most out of him.

16. Arizona Cardinals – Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami (FLA.)

In terms of physical traits, Gregory Rousseau is as intriguing as it gets in this draft class. At 6’6 and 260lbs, Rousseau is an intimidating presence, and in 2019 he dominated college football with 15.5 sacks and 19.5 TFLs. Arizona was actually pretty good in terms of sack percentage in 2020, but Chandler Jones is coming off an injury and is going into his thirties.

Jones most likely still has good years left in him, but you never know. And even if Jones is still elite, Rousseau actually excelled as an interior pass rush too in his breakout season. So Arizona could have both on the field plus if they bring back Haason Reddick, who had 12.5 sacks in 2020. Rousseau could continue to develop his still raw talent while also contributing to a potentially great pass-rushing unit.