The 2021 NFL draft was certainly one to remember. After having a completely virtual draft in 2020, the NFL and its fans have been eager to try and make this draft as normal as possible. This has been a very highly anticipated draft, as there is a lot of special talent at the quarterback position.
The first overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars was a no brainer, it was Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback from Clemson University. He should bring an immediate winning mentality to Jacksonville as they look to turn their franchise around with new head coach Urban Meyer. Later in the first round the Jaguars took Travis Ettiene who was Lawrence’s teammate in college as a running back.
After moving on from quarterback Sam Darnold, the New York Jets were looking to make a splash with the number 2 overall pick. They selected Zach Wilson, the quarterback from BYU. Wilson didn’t go up against the greatest competition in college, but multiple teams loved his arm strength and the Jets think that he has a bright future in New York.
The third pick is where things started to shake up a bit. The San Francisco 49ers had moved up about a week before the draft so it was almost certain that they wanted to take a quarterback. Having gone to the Super Bowl just 2 years ago, they still have a very strong team. The 49ers still have Jimmy Garoppolo, but they think that a new face running the show could bring them to the promised land. They selected Trey Lance, the quarterback from North Dakota State. Lance has a ton of talent and he is a great runner, but he only played one season of college football so it might take some time for him to make his mark in the league.
To round out the top 5 picks, the Atlanta Falcons selected Kyle Pitts and the Cincinnati Bengals selected Jamar Chase. Pitts will be a key weapon in the falcons passing attack and he becomes the highest tight end ever drafted in NFL history. Chase reunites with his college quarterback Joe Burrow as the Bengals build their young core. With the 6th pick the Miami Dolphins selected Jaylen Waddle, so he also gets to reunite with his former college quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Philadelphia Eagles moved up to the 10th pick where they selected this past year’s Heisman trophy winner, Devonta Smith from Alabama. He should make an immediate impact in Philadelphia with his former college teammate Jalen Hurts under center.
The Chicago Bears made a surprising move up to the 11th pick where they took who they hope will become their quarterback of the future in Justin Fields from Ohio State. Many people were shocked that Fields fell this far, so the Bears made the move before anyone else could and Fields will look to prove people wrong.
To round out the first round quarterbacks, the New England Patriots selected Mac Jones from Alabama with the 15th pick. After the departure of Tom Brady and having a down year this past year, Mac Jones might be the answer for Patriots fans.
