Quarterback Picks in the 2021 NFL Draft

By Ilan Feldman ‘22

The NFL Draft began on April 29. It was seven rounds long and lasted for three days, going through Saturday. The first round was on Thursday, second and third on Friday and fourth through seventh on Saturday.
The first pick in the draft belonged to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the worst record in the NFL in 2020. They selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. This was widely expected to happen, since Lawrence has been the consensus top prospect in the 2021 Draft ever since he won the National Championship as a true freshman in 2018.

Junior Max Eibschutz said, “Trevor Lawrence is easily the most talented quarterback the Jaguars have ever drafted, and his elite arm and field vision will turn them into a great team quickly.”
The second pick, which belonged to the New York Jets, was used on BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. Although Wilson had not been considered an elite prospect for nearly as long as Lawrence, this was also expected. Wilson was not well-known before the 2020 season, however he had a stellar season and also impressed during the pre-draft process, including his Pro Day.
Junior Eli Berman said, “I’m a big fan of Zach Wilson, he has elite arm talent and the potential to be a great quarterback. Hopefully he can help turn the Jets around.”
Many believed that the draft truly started at the third pick, which was owned by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded up with the Miami Dolphins one month before the draft with the intention of drafting a quarterback. Reports said that the 49ers were either going to draft Mac Jones or Trey Lance, but no one knew which one it would be. Jones was coming off an undefeated season capped with a National Championship in his first full year as the starting quarterback at Alabama. Lance was more of an unknown, as he played at a much smaller school in North Dakota State. However, many scouts were enamored with his physical traits and tape from his lone year as a starter. Jones was also viewed as the more pro-ready prospect, while Lance was considered more of a project who needs at least a year of development before being ready to play in the NFL.
The 49ers wound up taking Lance, who is slated to sit behind current starter Jimmy Garroppolo to start his career. Junior Ozzie Landy says, “Lance is definitely a talented player, but I think he was picked too early. I don’t think his game will translate to the next level, and he needs a lot of work before he will be ready to start for the 49ers.”
Jones was later picked at pick 15 by the New England Patriots. After being picked by the Patriots, Jones made it clear that they were his preferred destination, as he modeled his game after the legendary Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Junior Elan Wasserman says, “[Bill] Belichick does it again. He somehow landed a pro-ready replacement for Tom Brady without having to trade up. I doubt Jones will be an elite quarterback, but he will definitely be an above average-quarterback in Josh Mcdaniels’ scheme.”
There were widely considered to be five top quarterback prospects, and the enigma of this class was Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has been well-known for some time, as he and Lawrence were the top two recruits in their high school class. After transferring from Georgia, Fields started for two seasons at Ohio State where he had outstanding stats while leading the Buckeyes to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and one National Championship appearance.
Many in the media thought Fields was the second or third best quarterback in this draft class, but NFL insiders said that NFL teams did not view him as highly. This led many to believe that Fields would fall in the draft, while others were adamant that he would still be a high draft pick because of his physical traits and production. Fields wound up getting picked by the Chicago Bears at pick 11, who traded up with the New York Giants to take him.
Junior Oren Ramer said, “the Bears won the draft with the Fields pick. He’s Cam Newton with better accuracy.”
This year’s quarterback class is considered one of the best in recent memory, and many NFL fans are excited to see how each of the top prospects performs at their respective teams.