2021 NFL Draft first-round locks: A look at 27 prospects sure to hear their names called on Day 1

Jason La Canfora says the first 32 picks of the draft will include these 27 locks

The consensus among teams I have chatted with is that there are around 16 players who are definitely worthy of a first-round grade in this draft. As we all know, 32 will be selected Thursday night. The exact list of those 15-17 players varies by the team, in order and constitution, but I keep hearing 16 – half of the round – carry those grades. So who are the sure-fire first-round picks? Who could you absolutely say will hear their name called Thursday night, barring any sort of freak accident or social-media disaster or arrest or whatever? How many do I see, based on evaluations, need, and how locked-in certain teams are on certain players? Honestly, it's probably fewer than I would have listed most years, for various reasons, many of them pandemic-related. The flow of information has been different, the evaluation process has been different and the amount of universal medical data and testing date is simply not the norm. But I will take a stab at identifying those I believe are absolutes, anyway. Because, why not?