Will Kwity Paye Be A Top 10 NFL Draft Pick? The Latest Mock Drafts Think So
Now that the college football season is all but in the books (Monday night's national championship is the only game left), 2021 NFL mock drafts are beginning to come out fast and furious.
The Michigan Wolverines' football program doesn't have as many players expected to be drafted this spring as it has had in recent years (U-M has seen 16 players chosen over the past two drafts), but nevertheless still has a few prospects who will undoubtedly hear their names called.
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Senior defensive end Kwity Paye is likely to be the first Wolverine who comes off the board this spring. ESPN's Todd McShay released his initial first-round 2021 NFL mock draft this week now that the regular-season is in the books, and had Paye being chosen No. 26 overall by the Baltimore Ravens.
"Can Baltimore bring back [outside linebacker] Yannick Ngakoue?" McShay wrote. "Will it re-sign [linebacker] Matthew Judon and [defensive end] Jihad Ward? What does [defensive tackle] Calais Campbell, who will be 35 in September, have left in the tank?
"It might not seem like a problem now, but the edge could be something for the Ravens to target in order to maintain a strength. Paye needs some time to develop, but he had 8.5 sacks over his past 16 games in college, and he could pivot to 3-4 outside linebacker.
"If not the edge, watch for the Ravens to look at the interior offensive line, potentially Ohio State's [offensive lineman] Wyatt Davis."
Though McShay projects the Tennessee Titans to select Texas outside linebacker Joseph Ossai with the No. 24 overall pick, he notes Paye could be an option for them as well.
Others are much, much higher on Paye that McShay is, however. CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso, for example, pegged Paye to come off the board at No. 9 in his NFL mock draft this week, anticipating him to go to the Denver Broncos and as a result be the first defensive lineman to hear his name called in the entire draft.
"This is under the assumption [outside linebacker] Von Miller has played his last down in Denver," Trapasso confirmed. "Paye is a solidly built, twitched up athletic freak who improved his pass-rushing moves in 2020."
Fox Sports' Jason McIntyre, meanwhile, was the highest on Paye of anyone, projecting him to come off the board at No. 4 overall to the Atlanta Falcons.
"Atlanta's QB Matt Ryan is 36 and coming off back-to-back subpar seasons following a glorious run from 2014-2018 when he graded out as a Top 8 QB in the NFL," McIntyre wrote.
"The new regime will have to decide if they want one last hurrah with this group, or to hit the reset button. For now, the decision is to upgrade the defense, which finished 14th in efficiency, its highest rating since 2012."
Like Trapasso, McIntyre is also expecting Paye to be the first defensive lineman off the board. Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner hopped on the Paye bandwagon as well this week, tabbing the Providence, R.I., native to hear his named called by the Detroit Lions with the No. 7 overall pick.
"While the Lions have some young pieces to build around defensively, they still don’t have one true difference-maker," Renner wrote. "Paye has the type of physical tools to be that guy.
"With 22 pressures in four games this season, he showed he’s much closer to realizing that potential than previously thought."
Just like several of the analysts mentioned above, Renner also had Paye as the first defensive player coming off the board. NBC Sports' Glynn Morgan, finally, wasn't quite as high on Paye as Trapasso, Renner and McIntyre were, but still had him going significantly higher than McShay did in his Jan. 7 mock draft.
Morgan tabbed the Minnesota Vikings to select Paye with the No. 14 overall pick.
"Much like Atlanta, Minnesota needs to draft a quality edge rusher, and Kwity Paye (much like my pairing of [Miami defensive end Gregory] Rousseau to the Falcons) seems to be a great fit for the Vikings," Morgan wrote.
"Paye is an athletic power rusher whose bendable flexibility and powerful lower torso make him effective defending the run, as equally well as he rushes the passer. Since Yannick Ngakoue's in-season trade to Baltimore, the Vikings as a team only produced 18 sacks during the 2020 campaign.
"Paye could provide the spark Minnesota needs when pressuring quarterbacks."
The 2021 NFL Draft is set to run from April 29 through May 1 in Cleveland.
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