NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints were aggressive in their attempts to trade up in the 2021 NFL draft, but head coach Sean Payton said they did not find receptive takers.

Payton appeared on the Rich Eisen Show and said the team tried to trade up for Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II. 

“It was pretty simple. There were a couple players that we’d move up for, but for us we have a ‘must’ at corner,” Payton said Tuesday. “So we had two corners graded—both Horn and Surtain—with real high grades. And very quickly, early in the week, it’s pretty common for teams to say, ‘Hey, we have an interest.’ Everyone’s basically open for business.

“But ultimately, there wasn’t a team wanting to move out of the first 10 picks. And so, I think that lasted all of a half an hour maybe, the morning of reaching out to these teams. And the cost would’ve been, if we found a trade partner, too high. So at that point, our feeling was, it’s going to come to us at [No.] 28 so let’s make sure we have our cloud of players ready. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Horn was drafted No. 8 overall to the Carolina Panthers, and Surtain went a pick later to the Denver Broncos. It's likely Carolina and Denver were among the teams unreceptive to New Orleans because they wanted the cornerbacks for themselves. 

With the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins focused on wide receiver and the Detroit Lions on upgrading their offensive line, it's not hard to see why the Saints struggled finding a trade partner.

Of course, this was not the only time in Round 1 the Saints tried making a move. Michael Lombardi of The Athletic reported the Saints tried to position themselves to move up to draft Mac Jones as well, but New Orleans was thwarted when the New England Patriots took him at No. 15. 

With two first-round picks in 2023 and a pair of third-round selections in next year's NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins may not be done loading up for what could be a long stretch as a Super Bowl contender.

Still, with a ridiculous nine first- or second-round picks from the 2020 and 2021 drafts now populating their roster, the heart of the Dolphins' rebuild is complete. 

Now, it's time to compete. 

The Dolphins have a top-five pick at quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa), three 20-something-year-old, first-round selections at wide receiver (DeVante Parker, Will Fuller V and Jaylen Waddle), and two young first-round picks up front on defense (Jaelan Phillips and Christian Wilkins).

They have four young Day 1 or Day 2 picks along the offensive line (Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt, Liam Eichenberg and Michael Deiter, at least one of whom isn't even guaranteed a starting spot with veteran addition Matt Skura and 2020 fourth-rounder Solomon Kindley on board). Miami also has two young Day 2 selections at tight end (Mike Gesicki and Hunter Long) and a secondary led by extremely well-paid veteran cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones.

Howard, Jones, safeties Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe, edge defender Emmanuel Ogbah, Fuller, Parker, Skura and incoming defensive veterans Benardrick McKinney and Justin Coleman give them plenty of experience and veteran leadership. Meanwhile, their depth chart has been bolstered by later-round surprises like linebackers Jerome Baker and Andrew Van Ginkel, running back Myles Gaskin and wild-card offensive weapons Lynn Bowden Jr. and Preston Williams. 

There isn't a weak spot on the roster—at least one that doesn't contain an immense amount of promise. 

This is a team that actually blew away expectations by winning five of their last nine games with practically none of that aforementioned talent on the roster in 2019 and then built on that with a 10-win 2020 campaign. That makes them 15-10 since the start of November 2019, despite the COVID-19 pandemic significantly limiting head coach Brian Flores' first full offseason in 2020. 

Still, Flores' defense ranked 11th in the NFL last season in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) at Football Outsiders, and only five teams surrendered fewer points than a Dolphins squad that ranked 11th in points differential. 

They ranked third behind only the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts with a turnover margin of plus-nine. 

Now, think how much better they can be when they're significantly more acclimated and experienced in 2021. 

Remember that for much of his rookie season, Tagovailoa was less than a year removed from a career-threatening hip injury. We've become low on patience for entry-level NFL quarterbacks, but if anybody deserves a break for a slow maiden campaign, it should be Tua. 

Now, a year later, in addition to Parker and Gesicki, he'll have Fuller—last year's NFL leader in yards per target as a member of the Houston Texans—and another young blazer in Waddle, who was in the Heisman conversation at Alabama before suffering an ankle injury in October. 

Tagovailoa should also get the promising Williams back from an injury-plagued 2020 campaign and will have Long at his disposal as a rookie third-round tight end who looks ready to serve as a safety valve immediately.

And then there's that young line.

Hunt improved mightily late in his rookie season as a second-round tackle and should be even more effective after an anticipated move inside next year. Eichenberg, who was a three-year starter at left tackle at Notre Dame and gave up zero sacks his last two college seasons (per Pro Football Focus), should compete immediately for one of the two offensive tackle spots. And it's far too early to give up on either Jackson or Kindley despite their struggles with consistency as rookies in 2020. 

At least there's more competition there now, and at least Skura brings plenty of starting experience from a strong Baltimore Ravens organization. 

The two biggest concerns for the Dolphins right now? 

1. It's possible Tagovailoa won't become a franchise-caliber NFL quarterback, regardless of the support he has. The majority of first-round quarterbacks become busts and fellow 2020 top-10 signal-callers Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are off to strong starts. Tua lacked playmaking ability almost entirely in 2020, and there's no guarantee that'll change in 2021. 

2. There are no sure-things along that offensive line, which might not offer Tua much continuity now that Hunt is likely to move inside and both Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras are gone. They have a lot of young talent there, but if Eichenberg experiences growing pains and Jackson or Kindley can't take the next step, they could be in trouble. Same goes for if Skura can't put it back together after he had trouble in his return from a major knee injury in 2020, or if Hunt's transition to guard doesn't go as planned.

That's why they're still not widely viewed as a Super Bowl contender despite an awesome defense and so much promise on offense, but they're really not far off if everything falls into place. 

And if it doesn't? The Dolphins might not be able to wait much longer for Tua or whichever offensive line cogs don't come through this season. They might currently own a combined three first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 thanks to the San Francisco 49ers, but they'll eventually have less draft capital than they've had during this remarkable run.

If Tagovailoa doesn't improve significantly soon, they'll have to use a lot of that capital on a new quarterback before it's too late. Or, if Tua takes off despite more line issues, they might have to rebuild that unit again on the fly. 

For now, though, the pieces are in place as a result of a deep, thorough and smart roster refurbishment.

In the AFC East, the formerly dominant New England Patriots became mortal again in 2020, and the New York Jets appear to be on the right track but won just two games in 2020. The Buffalo Bills are a prime contender, but they'll have a target on their back as quarterback Josh Allen tries to prove his breakout 2020 campaign wasn't an aberration. 

The Dolphins don't yet face pressure like that, and it would be silly to count them out in an expanded AFC playoff field. 

Pretty soon, they'll be out of excuses. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.

The Cincinnati Bengals got it wrong with this year's fifth overall pick. 

Ja'Marr Chase is an exceptional talent. He was clearly WR1 heading into the 2021 NFL draft. But Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell should have been the selection to protect quarterback Joe Burrow. 

The decision became an extension of last offseason's missteps.

Following the 2020 NFL draft, I wrote of the Bengals' class other than their No. 1 overall pick: "Previous ills can be forgiven with a smart approach. With Burrow already in tow, the Bengals should have done everything in their power to properly protect the quarterback. They didn't."

Cincinnati then made no significant investments in its offensive line in free agency or the draft. The team moved forward with the likes of Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Alex Redmond, Fred Johnson, Xavier Su'a-Filo and Bobby Hart.

It continues to repeat its mistakes. 

A year later with the opportunity to finally make a statement in the draft, the Bengals chose a lesser talent at a lesser position at less of a need in the context of what was available to them. 

Some will argue Chase was the better overall prospect, though Bleacher Report's scouting department graded Sewell as the fourth-best talent in the class and noted his All-Pro potential. In comparison, Chase ranked 10th with a grade that fell one tier below. 

Some within the NFL viewed Sewell even more favorably. 

"If I could pick one player in this draft who's got the best chance to go to the Hall of Fame, it's Penei Sewell," one coach told NBC Sports' Peter King. 

An NFL head coach told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the 2019 Outland Trophy winner is the "one surefire Hall of Famer in this draft class." Another told ESPN's Dianna Russini the same. 

Pro Football Focus graded Sewell as the best overall offensive tackle prospect since the site began doing so for collegiate players seven years ago. 

To be clear, Sewell may not ultimately fall into the same category as all-time greats like Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. He does need to refine his technique. Because of his age, 20, and his decision to opt out of last season, his floor is much lower than a typical top tackle's would be. 

Still, he warranted being the first offensive tackle selected in a good offensive line class and probably would have been last year if eligible. 

"You'd be really happy with having Sewell," an executive told The Athletic's Bob McGinn. "He will trend toward being a Pro Bowl-level player if not competing to be one of the best tackles in the league."

Granted, grades vary by team. But no one can deny Sewell's ability any more than they can Chase's. 

To be completely fair, another evaluator called Chase the "best wide receiver prospect since Julio [Jones]," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. And that's fair. After all, the short list of top-five wide receivers selected since 2012 includes Corey Davis, Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins and Justin Blackmon.

Then again, being the best since Jones doesn't mean Chase is the same caliber of prospect the future Hall of Fame receiver was at the time. It simply means he's the next best. 

Coincidentally, Cooper is the last wide receiver, among those to come off the board first, to surpass 1,000 yards as a rookie since the Bengals chose A.J. Green over Jones 10 years ago. 

Which way will Chase lean? It's interesting because, typically, the top prospects at the position haven't done well in recent years. The following is a list of the first wide receiver prospects chosen first in their respective classes since Green and Jones came into the league: 

Situations differ, and those previous numbers don't necessarily reflect what Chase can eventually do in the Bengals offense alongside Burrow. But a history exists that says top wide receiver prospects don't generally produce at the highest level at the onset. 

Knowing the hit rate of that group, understanding where Chase stands among the hierarchy that followed Jones and then factoring in the value of his position, the Bengals chose not to build their roster properly. 

Generally speaking, offensive tackle is considered a premium position, while wide receiver isn't.

Yes, today's NFL is wide-open and a pass-first league. Offenses must create explosive plays. At the same time, the wide receiver position has had two consecutive historically good classes from a depth perspective. When both tackle and receiver present quality depth—and both did this year—the logical approach is to select the premium prospect first, especially when it's an area of need. 

The Bengals offensive line ranked among the league's worst last season. They finished among the bottom three in overall performance, according to PFF. Injuries played a role, but Cincinnati never featured a complete front five and the unit lacked quality depth. Defenders hit, hurried or sacked Burrow more than the vast majority of quarterbacks. 

Ultimately, Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury. 

Going into this offseason, the Bengals had two competent-to-good starting options already in place. Jonah Williams, whom the team selected 11th overall two years ago, should be fine at left tackle. Trey Hopkins is another solid performer at center. From there, a lot of work needed to be done and didn't exactly happen. 

Frank Pollack's rehiring as offensive line coach after spending the last two seasons with the New York Jets is a definite step in the right direction, but he's still reliant on the talent available to him. In terms of free agency, the Bengals signed nine-year veteran Riley Reiff. That's it. 

Reiff, who's expected to play right tackle, agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract. Due to his age (32) and contractual status, his presence should have had no bearing whatsoever on Cincinnati's initial draft selection. If anything, Sewell's potential selection could have created a positive ripple effect throughout the unit. The rookie could have slid into either tackle spot and improved the tandem overall. From there, Reiff could have moved to guard, which was a possibility dating back to his days with the Minnesota Vikings. 

Instead, the Bengals waited to address their biggest weakness and went with another need. Make no mistake, wide receiver became a significant area of concern after Green left in free agency. The team needed someone who can be an X-receiver and create separation to make life easier on last year's No. 1 overall pick. 

Nevertheless, the roster already featured Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Furthermore, the offensive line didn't necessarily get significantly better with the draft additions of Jackson Carman, Trey Hill and D'Ante Smith. Each has potential, and Carman will likely take over one of the guard spots. But they're significant downgrades from what the team could have added up front.

Some will undoubtedly argue Cincinnati could have selected Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins, Notre Dame's Liam Eichenberg or Stanford's Walker Little in the second round and been much better off. Maybe, but the Bengals didn't go that route. The front office chose to trade down and ultimately select a local product, whereas nine more wide receivers came off the board before the end of the draft's second day. Bleacher Report's scouting staff had seven available receivers who still graded higher than Carman, and some of them significantly so. 

Issues with Cincinnati's choices are based on a macro point of view with regard to how an organization should prioritize building around an elite, young quarterback prospect. 

Their AFC North counterpart, the Cleveland Browns, tried the Bengals' approach two years ago. The Browns chose Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. Then-general manager John Dorsey acquired star wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. in back-to-back offseasons. The team improved, but it didn't start to reach its full potential until last season after current general manager Andrew Berry committed to improving the offensive line. He went out and signed the best available free-agent tackle in Jack Conklin and then doubled down by selecting Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 10th overall pick. 

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers did an exemplary job of rebuilding the entirety of their offensive lines in one offseason.

The Chiefs signed Joe Thuney, Kyle Long and Austin Blythe in free agency, traded for Orlando Brown Jr. and drafted Creed Humphrey in this year's second round. The Chargers, meanwhile, signed All-Pro center Corey Linsley and guards Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi before drafting tackle Rashawn Slater with the 13th overall pick. 

Sure, they already had weapons in place, but they also had needs elsewhere. Those two franchises prioritized their fronts to protect their exciting young quarterbacks. 

Even the Miami Dolphins, who picked a wide receiver directly behind the Bengals with the sixth overall selection, waited a year before doing so. In 2020, the organization committed to rebuilding its offensive front to protect incoming rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa by selecting left tackle Austin Jackson in the first round, right tackle/guard Robert Hunt in the second and guard Solomon Kindley near the top of the fourth. 

Despite likely playing behind another middling-to-bad offensive front, Burrow is excited to play with Chase. He should be. The two made magic together at LSU, and every quarterback would be pumped to have his favorite target along for the ride. 

Instead of trying to make their quarterback happy by adding an offensive weapon, the Bengals should have done right by him. Hopefully, everyone gets to see the best version of Burrow post huge numbers while throwing to Chase. Unfortunately, Cincinnati's lack of commitment toward protecting its franchise investment casts doubt on whether the quarterback will ever realize his full potential. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Alabama produced two top-10 receivers in Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith in the 2021 NFL draft.

According to one scout, Crimson Tide junior receiver John Metchie III's could set his sights even higher.

The scout told NFL draft analyst Matt Miller that he already considers Metchie a better prospect than Waddle and Smith ahead of the 2021 season.

Metchie recorded 55 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns in 2020, serving as the second receiver behind Smith with Waddle out of the lineup with an injury for most of the season.

The projected first-rounder will take over as WR1 in Tuscaloosa next season as part of a retooled Tide offense. Alabama will have a new starting quarterback, running back and three new starting offensive linemen, in addition to replacing Smith and Waddle in 2021.

Most of those decisions will be made during offseason battles, and Metchie's draft grade may wind up being dependent on Nick Saban's choice at quarterback. Mac Jones blasted every school passing record last season, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns against four interceptions.

Bryce Young, a former 5-star prospect, is currently considered the favorite to win the starting job. Young is a dual threat who can do a ton of damage with his feet and may not wind up passing the ball as much as Jones, who almost never ran the football last season. 

Paul Tyson is a more pro-style quarterback who is expected to compete for the job and may wind up providing a more Jones-like feel to the offense. 

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders voiced his displeasure at seeing zero players selected from historically Black colleges and universities during the 2021 NFL draft. 

In a post on Instagram, Sanders had this to say when none of the 259 players drafted this year were from HBCUs:

"And we have the Audacity to Hate on one another while our kids are being NEGLECTED & REJECTED. I witnessed a multitude of kids that we played against that were more than qualified to be drafted. My prayers are that This won’t EVER happen again. Get yo knife out my back and fight with me not against me!"

Once the draft concluded, the Undefeated did note that several HBCU players agreed to deals with teams as undrafted free agents:

Sanders just finished his first season as head coach at Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. 

When the Tigers announced his hiring in September, Sanders said one of the reasons he took the job was to bring greater attention to HBCU athletes. 

"This amazing HBCU has always enjoyed a high level of commitment academically and athletically," Sanders said. "It's my desire to continue this storied tradition and history of JSU and prayerfully bring more national recognition to the athletes, the university, the Sonic Boom of the South, and HBCUs in general."

Offensive tackle Lachavious Simmons from Tennessee State was the only player from an HBCU drafted last year. The Chicago Bears selected him No. 227 overall in the seventh round. 

There are increased efforts to give HBCU football players exposure to NFL scouts before the draft.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes announced a multiyear partnership with the HBCU Legacy Bowl in March. The game will feature around 100 draft-eligible prospects playing a showcase game at Tulane's Yulman Stadium every February beginning in 2022.