The Jets, Jaguars and Bengals are ruining the suspense when it comes to the 2021 NFL Draft order, but that doesn't mean there isn't movement happening in the second half of the season.
The Cowboys cemented a spot in the top-five with a Thanksgiving loss, and both the Chargers and Panthers lost in Week 12 to move up the order. There's still a lot of movement waiting to happen in the NFC East potentially, but right now Dallas is sitting at the same No. 4 spot that brought it Ezekiel Elliott in 2016.
The Panthers nearly pulled off a last-second win in Minnesota, but Joey Slye's field goal flying wide left might've actually been the best outcome for Carolina's long-term outlook. The same is true of Justin Herbert's turnover issues in Buffalo, as the Chargers will be able to get more help for their young franchise quarterback this way.
Below is the latest NFL Draft order for 2021, updated after Week 12.
NFL MOCK DRAFT 2021:
Jets finish tank for Trevor Lawrence; Patriots, Falcons, Vikings pass on QBs
NFL Draft order 2021
- New York Jets (0-11)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2-8-1)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-8)
- Los Angeles Chargers (3-8)
- Philadelphia Eagles (3-7-1)
- Carolina Panthers (4-8)
- Washington Football Team (4-7)
- Detroit Lions (4-7)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-7)
- Miami Dolphins (via 4-7 Houston Texans)
- Denver Broncos (4-7)
- Chicago Bears (5-6)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
- New England Patriots (5-6)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-6)
- Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
(Picks 19-32 are held by teams currently in the NFL playoff picture.)
Trevor Lawrence made a successful return to the field for Clemson on Saturday after missing time due to COVID-19. The Clemson quarterback threw for more than 400 yards and remains the likely No. 1 overall pick to the Jets. The Jaguars started their third different quarterback (Mike Glennon) in Week 12, so they too will likely be looking for a new passer (probably Ohio State's Justin Fields).
If Dallas brings back Dak Prescott, the current order could see picks 3, 4 and 5 all go away from the quarterback position (and Carolina invested a lot in Teddy Bridgewater, so maybe pick 6 goes elsewhere, too). That gets into NFC East territory, where the division could see a new passer drafted at least to Washington. Philadelphia may roll with Carson Wentz and/or Jalen Hurts going forward still.
Teams with older franchise quarterbacks like the Falcons (Matt Ryan) and Lions (Matthew Stafford) could also be looking at calls on whether they'd like to take the third or fourth QB off the board in someone like North Dakota State's Trey Lance, Alabama's Mac Jones, Florida's Kyle Trask or BYU's Zach Wilson. They could choose to draft a passer and groom them behind the in-place veteran.