#250: 2021 Dash To The Draft Divisional Tour (NFC West with Javier Vega)

What this episode covers

1. With the first two picks essentially in sharpie (Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the Jets), the 49ers will essentially begin this draft with the third overall pick, a selection for which they paid a heavy price to move up to. While we cannot be 100% certain which QB will be their choice (and we will get to Trey Lance and Justin Fields shortly), you and I seem to be in agreement that all the buzz around Mac Jones being the pick is a bunch of hooey. And one of the main tealeaves that gives me confidence that is the case is Benjamin Allbright’s report that several people in the 49ers organization believe Jimmy Garoppolo cost them Super Bowl LIV. And mortgaging your future to replace Garoppolo with essentially Andy Dalton 2.0 would be one of the dumbest moves in modern NFL history. What message do you have to 49ers fans and football fans everywhere who are still buying into the Mac Jones hype?  2. To me at least, in terms of whom the Niners actually do pick at three, it is a tossup between Justin Fields and Trey Lance. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan will likely get to spend some quality time with both prospects at their “second” pro days, with Fields tomorrow and Lance this coming Monday. Shortly after the Niners made that blockbuster trade, you tweeted “Lance or Fields at 3. I do not care.” Do you really think Kyle Shanahan can’t go wrong with either of them, and if so, why? 3.  This is a make-or-break year for Kliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray and the Cardinals…and we can tell that they know it because of the signing of J.J. Watt and the trade for Rodney Hudson. That said, Arizona only has two picks in the first three rounds. What are their most important areas of need to address with those two picks? 4. Ever since their heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLIX, the Seahawks have become a stagnant franchise. And even though he remains in the fold, at least for this upcoming season, it is clear that Russell Wilson is frustrated with the lack of progress the Seahawks have been making these past few years. And due in part to the Jamal Adams trade, the Seahawks only have THREE draft picks this year, including just one in the first three rounds. If you’re John Schneider and Pete Carroll, how do you make the most out of these draft picks? Do you trade back from 56 overall multiple times before making your first selection? 5. Despite having made no picks in the first round since 2016 (a streak that will likely continue through 2023), the Los Angeles Rams may currently have the best possible roster, at least at the moment on paper, to dethrone the Bucs in the NFC, especially after the acquisition of Matthew Stafford. That said, there are a lot of short and long-term concerns on that offensive line and given Stafford’s injury history, do you think the Rams should highly consider double-dipping at OL with their day two picks? 6. 49ers Mock Draft -1 (3): Trey Lance -2 (43): Joe Tryon -3 (102): Andre Cisco 7.  Cardinals Mock Draft -1 (16): Greg Newsome II -2 (49): Pat Freiermuth 8.  Seahawks Mock Draft -2 (56): Carlos Basham, Jr. 9. Rams Mock Draft -2 (57): Brady Christensen -3 (88): Payton Turner         -3 (103): Dylan Moses

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