Piece by: Tyler Deakin
Well, that’s a wrap on the 2021 NFL Draft. I watched the entire first round of the draft, and it was exciting through the first 15 picks or so. Obviously there were plenty of good players available after the middle of the 1st round; however, none of those picks & players felt very compelling compared to the drama at the beginning of the draft. Nonetheless, there were plenty of takeaways from draft night as a whole for us to dive into. We won’t get to analyze every 1st round pick in this article, but I wanted to highlight a few picks that I believe defined the draft.
Jaguars get their franchise QB
The Jaguars selected QB Trevor Lawrence 1st overall, to the surprise of absolutely no one. This was a no brainer pick for them, as he was the consensus best player in the draft while drawing comparisons to Andrew Luck. We’ll see if he lives up to the hype, but the Jaguars are pumped to have him after the Jets surprisingly failed to tank properly & get him. Assuming good health for Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars should actually be watchable this year.
49ers select QB Trey Lance over Justin Fields & Mac Jones
This was really the start of the draft for most football fans, as everybody knew what the Jaguars & Jets were going to do with the first 2 picks. Time will tell whether the 49ers made the right decision or not, but this was an interesting pairing of QB & team. The plan is for Lance to sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo for a year before taking over as their QB1 in 2022. We’ll see if that plan actually comes to fruition or not, as Jimmy G has battled significant injuries in recent years.
Falcons eschew QB and trade down, pick TE Kyle Pitts
Look, Kyle Pitts was the consensus 2nd best player in the draft behind Trevor Lawrence. That being said, could the Falcons end up regretting not taking a QB here? Absolutely, but I believe they made the right call. Matt Ryan’s contract is an immovable force for the next 2 years, so they tried to bolster the passing game around him instead. It also helps that Pitts is only 20 years old, making him a crucial piece to build around for the next QB1 in Atlanta.
Bengals ignore OL need, take WR Ja’Marr Chase
Which should come first, the chicken or the egg? That’s the great debate many fans are having with this pick. Chase is a fantastic receiver, but does that really matter if the offensive line can’t hold up long enough for Joe Burrow to get him the ball? OT Penei Sewell was still on the board at No. 5, and he ended up going at No. 7 to the Lions. The bright side here is that Ja’Marr Chase & Joe Burrow are reunited after making sweet music together at LSU.
Bears aggressively trade up to get their guy
Listen, the Bears had to rectify the QB Mitchell Trubisky pick from the 2017 draft. That pick set their franchise back for the past 5 years, until they secured QB Justin Fields at No. 11. The Bears sent their 2021 1st round pick, 2021 5th round pick, 2022 1st round pick, & 2022 4th round pick to the Giants, but this trade was absolutely worth it for the Bears. They finally have hope, which was missing from the Bears & their fans for the past several years. It was amazing to me that Justin Fields fell all the way to No. 11, and this was a no brainer move for the Bears.
Patriots stand pat at No. 15, land their man
QB Mac Jones just felt like a Patriots pick all along, although I thought they would have to trade up in order to get him. He’s a vastly different type of QB from Cam Newton, so it will be interesting to see who becomes QB1 for the Patriots this year. I’m of the opinion that there is only one Tom Brady, though there are some similarities between the two players. NFL fans will watch Mac Jones’ career with great interest.