- Trevor Lawrence goes to Jaguars with No1 overall pick
- Report: Pats tee up Jones as Brady’s successor
- Aaron Rodgers reportedly does not want to return to Packers
Final thoughts
So, there we have it, the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is in the books. As advertised it was all about the quarterbacks: As everyone expected, Trevor Lawrence was the overall top pick, the San Francisco 49ers shocked everybody by selecting Trey Lance, the Chicago Bears traded up for Justin Fields and Mac Jones fell to the New England Patriots. It was a long, eventful night and there’s several more rounds to go over the course of the next few games. This, however, will mark the end of the Guardian’s live coverage for the time being. Thanks to everybody who followed along with us, especially those who contributed, and please be sure to read the Guardian’s breakdown of the 2021 NFL Draft below.
Related: NFL draft: Patriots tee up Jones as Brady’s successor as Fields heads to Bears
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Justin Tryon, LB, Washington
The Buccaneers conclude the draft by selecting Washington linebacker Justin Tyron. It’s like how the old joke: what do you call the last player picked in the first-round?
And we have one final pick left in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and it, of course, will be made by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
31. Balitmore Ravens. Jayson Oweh, LB, Penn State
If you love sacks… well, Jayson Oweh had zero last season for Penn State. Still, he has the raw skills and the Ravens think they can get something from him.
The Ravens have an additional pick here, something they received from the Kansas City Chiefs. Oh and they’re already made their decision.
Urban Meyer said that the focus for Trevor Lawrence is to learn the offense and not sell billboards in the state of Florida. “We’re going to be very cautious about that.”
Ooooh Urban Meyer is going to learn about how the dynamics between the head coach and star players radically changes in the NFL and it’s going to be hilarious.
Rousseau was actually in the Green Room, so the announcers are trying very, very hard to be polite while essentially saying that they hate this pick.
30. Buffalo Bills. Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami
That’s back-to-back “interesting picks” from the announcers as the Bills choose Miami’s Gregory Rousseau.
Urban says he sees J-Rob, Carlos Hyde as the 1-2 punch, Etienne as a third-down back.
“We wanna be Top-8 in the league… and with James Robinson, Hyde and Etienne, we think we’re there” #Jaguars
I’m… I’m pretty sure you could have found some third-down backs lower in the draft there.
29. Green Bay Packers. Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia.
“That’s an interesting picking.” That’s analyst-speak for “this is not somebody I at all was expecting to talk about in the first round.” The Packers add to their defense by picking up Georgia’s Eric Stokes, who has impressed scouts with his super-speed.
The Green Bay Packers are on the clock. They traded up to draft Jordan Love last time and… well that might have backfired just a tad.
This time around, hard to think they would go for a quarterback once again. Just going to make that wild leap of logic.
28. New Orleans Saints. Payton Turner, DE, Houston
Saints go for defense with their pick here late in the first round as they go for Houston defensive end Payton Turner.
With the New Orleans Saints on the clock, we get a tribute to the retiring Drew Brees.
27. Baltimore Ravens. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
The Ravens boost their receiving corps with Rashod Bateman from Minnesota.
Harris definitely gets the first round’s best dressed award:
BREH I was not at all ready for the heat Najee is serving. This is the best dressed man of the draft. Another chain over turtleneck, and the blazer? yeesh
cool light fixture too pic.twitter.com/Ui8BRbNZ2d
26. Cleveland Browns. Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
Northwestern hasn’t had two players chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft until tonight. The Browns select pass-breaking dynamo Greg Newsome II.
Finally, the hometown fans get the chance to react to cheer (in theory) for their team as the Cleveland Browns are on the clock.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
Hey, if you’re already tagged Trevor Lawrence as your quarterback-of-the-future why not draft his college running back as well?
NCAA defenders say that you can’t pay players because only a few schools would get all the talent. https://t.co/Ayy6QdHGDD
Next up… the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Wait, what? Yes, they have two first-round picks, with this second coming via the Los Angeles Rams. We’re not trapped in some sort of Mobius Loop like in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
24. Pittsburgh Steelers. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Harris was the best running back available and the fact that it took three hours for his name to be called tells you everything about how evaluators look at the running back position these days.
Washington’s decision is not universally popular, it seems.
@HunterFelt It was the WFT offense that needed help, not the defense! A WR like Toney would have been more of an overall plus than LB Davis.
The Clevelanders in attendance boo the Concept Of The Pittsburgh Steelers In General.
23. Minnesota Vikings. Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Or, how about that, back-to-back Virginia Tech players as the Vikings upgrade their offensive line as their left tackle.
The Minnesota Vikings, who traded down earlier in the draft, will be picking next.
I’m going to guess LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is overdue.
22. Tennessee Titans. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
What did I just say?
Email from Nick Kocz:
Still waiting for some Virginia Tech action..
Caleb Farley
21. Indianapolis Colts. Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan
Paye has the most memorable backstory of anyone in the first round, this son of Liberian refugees who came to the US. He’s also, of course, an astounding player with 11.5 career sacks and game-changing speed. Something of a work-in-progress, but the skills are all there.
I 100% believe this explains what happened:
There’s no way you can hand Jon Gruden a list of names, regardless of the purpose, and not have him select the person named Leatherwood. I guess if there was also a guy named like Bulge Spikes it’d be close.
Email from Orion Foresee:
Can we appreciate that the Eagles have turned their old, beat up offense into a group of young talented skill players in less than two seasons?
20. New York Giants. Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
The Giants go offense, with Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who is a serious touchdown threat.
The Giants are now on the clock with the pick that they traded down to get. Justin Fields will certainly determine how the future will look at this decision by the Giants but it also matters who they pick here.
19. Washington Football Team. Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky
A late-bloomer who has racked up 102 tackles, he should be a plus for Washington’s defense.
18. Miami Dolphins. Jaelan Philips, DE, Miami
Philips goes from the University of Miami right to the Miami Dolphins. He’s a great pass-rusher but there are some health concerns.
Email from Peter Atkinson:
You haven’t actually written New England Patriots against pick 15 yet…can you not quite bring yourself to do it maybe?
Also – what did the Jets give the Vikings to trade up please?
The #Jets/#Vikings trade: No. 14 and No. 143 for 23, 66, 86. And NYJ takes #USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker. A scout’s favorite.
17. Las Vegas Raiders. Alex Leatherwood, OG, Alabama
Really? Even Mel Kiper Jr didn’t expect Leatherwood this high. He has a killer last name however, you have to give him that.
16. Arizona Cardinals. Zaven Collins, OLB, Tulsa
The Arizona Cardinals go for defense with their selection and we’re halfway through the first round.
This is a popular stance among the Patriots fans in my Twitter timeline:
If the Patriots take Mac Jones then I actually thought he was good the whole time
Email from James Walton:
Got to wonder what the Broncos are thinking about for their QB position.
They still seem to think Lock has potential; but even when they brought in Bridgewater it didn’t change the mock draft of nearly every analyst who had them picking a QB as an almost certainty (probably Fields, given their position).
15. New England Patriots. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
You lead Alabama to a championship, after throwing for 41 touchdowns, you’re probably going to get some NFL interest. Jones had a 77.4 completion percentage and averaged 11.2 yards per attempt. He’s not what you would call a mobile quarterback, and doesn’t have an eye-popping arm, but it’s hard to argue with the results so far. I guess.
14. New York Jets. Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC
And it took us 14 picks before we reached the first player I didn’t have anything pre-written about. It shows you that the Jets are very serious about protecting Wilson, they went up to grab an offensive guard.
Oh no this could mean that the Patriots might actually select Mac Jones. I’ve never rooted harder for Bill Belichick to trade down in all my life.
The New York Jets are trading up here for the Minnesota Vikings’ No 14 pick. I’m guessing not for a quarterback.
The analysts really love this pick, the idea is that the Chargers needed him to help keep Justin Herbert healthy.
13. Los Angeles Chargers. Rashawn Slater, OL, Northwestern
A second-generation talent, Slater didn’t allow a single sack of a quarterback in eleven games played in 2019 when he moved from right tackle to left tackle. He was one of those player who opted out of 2020. He’s got the versatility to play at guard but there’s also some worry about his length.
The Mac Jones watch continues. I’m never sure about the ethics of aiming the camera at prospects as they go undrafted but it makes for captivating television:
“They said they not coming” pic.twitter.com/o5t2wGbNvn
@HunterFelt what are chances of Pats going for Mac Jones now? #NFLDraft
Don’t even joke about something like that.
12. Dallas Cowboys. Micah Parsons, ILB, Penn State
Parsons had 109 tackles and five sacks in 13 games during his 2019 campaign before—stop me if you’ve heard this one before—opting out of the 2020 season. He’s one of the more raw defensive players in the first round, but he has all the physical skills.
Poorly Aged Things Part 2:
I’ve hit the “trying to come up with ways to get Justin Fields in a Patriots uniform” stage of NFL Draft preparation.
Basically, the Bears found a way to get the second-best player in the draft despite coming in with just the 20th pick. You have to be happy about this as a Bears fan.
Poorly Aged Things:
QB1. pic.twitter.com/TuyrAcpoCM
11. Chicago Bears. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
The dominating image of Fields should be throwing six touchdowns in a College Football Playoff win over Clemson, with four coming after he took a brutal hit. It’s been a bit downhill since then, with Ohio State losing to Alabama in the championship and Fields taking a surprising dip in this quarterback-filled draft. He’s a mobile quarterback with a fantastic arm, someone who has put out some of his finest moments under the pressure. He had a 41-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while also running for ten more. In just eight games in 2020, he added 22 more TDs although he doubled the number of interceptions to six.
The New York Giants got their value for their pick. The Bears *really* wanted this one.
Giants got the 20th pick, a fifth-rounder tonight, and the Bears’ first-round and fourth-round picks in 2022. Gettleman’s first-ever trade-down is a doozy.
Twitter is telling me that the Chicago Bears have traded with the New York Giants up to No 11.
They are almost certainly going to grab Justin Fields.
It really feels like Smith probably would have been there at No 12 if they had waitied but I guess better safe than sorry.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via the Dallas Cowboys). DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Yes, he won the Heisman Trophy last year, but Smith has attracted his share of skeptics, mainly because he’s listed as 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. He’s also 22-years-old and had the benefit of playing for a loaded Alabama team (you may have noticed that he’s not the first of his teammates to get selected today).
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded with the Dallas Cowboys for the 10th pick of the draft.
9. Denver Broncos. . Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
Surtain II, the son of 11-year NFL veteran Patrick Surtain Sr, is probably the most talented defensive back in this draft (although I suppose the Panthers would say otherwise). He played 13 games last year and allowed less than 25 yards in nine of them. The only problem with his numbers is that opposing teams rarely wanted to throw to him.
“How long does this go on,” one of my roommates ask, “like until ten o’clock?” I laugh. Miles to go before we sleep…
And just like that we get an image of Mac Jones and Justin Fields waiting in the Green Room looking sad.
The analysts are trying to at least suggest that a trade is coming.
Oliver French:
Getting closer to Fields, crikey. Also never a bad time for a Brady Quinn gif, so let’s cut to Mac Jones:
8. Carolina Panthers. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Well, that a bit leftfield.
The Carolina Panthers are on the clock. Do they go for a quarterback here or are they all-in on Sam Darnold?
7. Detroit Lions. Penei Sewell, Tackle, Oregon
Okay, now I can make my Penei Sewell post.
Detroit Lions are in and, I honestly have no clue. My Mock Draft is in utter shambles.
6. Miami Dolphins. . Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Maybe the fastest receiver in the draft, his name has gotten thrown around with the likes of Tyreek Hill. His last season ended with a broken ankle, something which, combined with his slight frame, might equal health concerns. He was great when he played, averaging 19.1 yards per reception, basically becoming a running back once he’s managed to make a catch. If only he had a bit more of a track record.
I won’t lie I had the Penei Sewell entry ready to post. I guess it made too much sense for the Bengals to do it.
Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins apparently have made their pick. I’m guessing Jaylen Waddle but I’m doing terribly here.
49ers did not tell their coaches or scouts their pick. They didn’t know the team was selecting Trey Lance until the pick was announced.
What?
5. Cincinnati Bengals. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
The most talented receiver in the draft, one who already is earning comparisons to Dez Bryant. In 2019 he caught 20 touchdowns and led the country in total yards with 1,780. He then, uh, took off all of 2020 to prepare for the draft. Once he has the ball—and he will get the ball—he’s tough and hard to bring down.
Email from David Tutssel:
Any idea how they get their names on the shirts they hold up so quickly?!
The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock here, the choice would seem to be about whether they go for Penei Sewell to shore up their offensive line or they aim for one of the stud receivers.
One imagines that the whole “having just picked Joe Burrow last year” thing puts them out of the running as far as the quarterbacks go.
@HunterFelt you have to wonder what SF were doing there. But then again they’re all paid a tonne of cash to scout and compare players etc and I’m just some guy sitting on his couch at home so what do I know? #NFLDraft2021
This is around the time when you wonder if the Mac Jones talk has been a smokescreen this entire time or if there was a genuine debate within the organizaton.
4. Atlanta Falcons. . Kyle Pitts, Tight End, Florida
Hey, we can talk about things other than quarterbacking! The mostly highly regarded non-quarterback in the draft, Kyle Pitts, who was the best receiver in college football last year, which is saying something as tight ends traditionally have been known as blockers-who-can-occasionally catch. In just eight games last season, he picked up 770 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He’s not really a quality blocker but considering everything he can do, it’s not what you would call a dealbreaker.
The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock right now. In the meantime, the analysts are going over the Trey Lance bombshell. One possible consequence: San Francisco might be more inclined to keep Garoppolo next year as Lance probably needs some time to develop.
3. San Francisco 49ers. Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
Well here’s the thing: Trey Lance played one game in 2020 before his team’s season came to an end. That’s bad. The good news is that all the scouts seem to be completely on board with a player who hasn’t had a lot of on-field experience. If you want to talk about the ultimate projection, Trey Lance is it. Man does he look the part, though.
hey so what do you think the Pats will do? Trade up to get a QB or stick to Belichick’s normal script and get a defensive upgrade? #NFLDraft2021
If I were them, I would try to trade up for a quarterback. Specifically Justin Fields, if at all possible. However, I feel like they might just be looking to take Jimmy Garoppolo off of San Fransisco’s hands and will instead sign the best available defender.
And now the San Francisco 49ers are on the clock. They traded up to get a quarterback, that’s clear enough, but which one? Most think they are in love with Alabama’s Mac Jones but obviously Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance are in the conversation.
This is when Mock Drafts are going to start bursting, in other words.
Zach Wilson is actually in the building and he gets the first Goodell hug of the ceremony. He also high-fives a few fans. It’s pretty much all about the physical contact in this NFL Draft.
2. New York Jets. Zach Wilson, QB, Brigham Young
Since we’re talking about touchdown-to-interception ratios? Check out Zack Wilson’s 2020 stats with BYU: In 12 games, he threw 33 touchdowns and was picked off just three times. That’s the kind of pinpoint accuracy that you just can’t teach a player. He also had ten rushing touchdowns, which just feels entirely unfair to opposing defenses. It’s just one season of greatness, of course, but there’s a reason why the Jets would be willing to go all-in here.
You know the pandemic has affected me because I see Trevor Lawrence hugging everybody in his house and all I think of is, “that’s a lot of people in one place.”
Next on the clock: the New York Jets. This is almost certainly going to be Brigham Young quarterback Zach Wilson.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Maybe the most hyped quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. Lawrence led Clemson to a national championship in 2018. In a ten-game season last year, he threw for 3,153 yards with a 24-5 touchdown to interception ratio. He’s a pure-passer who is also capable of running with the ball, when necessary. There are no “can’t miss” NFL prospects but man Lawrence sure is close to one.
There should be a rule that if you have the number one pick and everyone in the world knows who you are picking you can’t just wait until the clock goes down before announcing it. Are the Jaguars just trying not to look *too* eager here?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock!
The excitement is killing me. Who could this possibly be?
Goodell steps up and he tries to encourage Cleveland to boo him louder. “I didn’t get out of my basement for nothing!”
Listen, after the pandemic, we’re all looking for signs of a return to normalcy, so I get it.
Email from Oliver French:
Great to see a live blog up. I stand alone using my progressive and generous parental leave allowance wisely, searching for conversational company outside my sleepy fantasy league.
I like the idea that last week’s car crash super league announcement has stimulated interest in how the NFL ensures parity and competition in a closed league, and people have tuned in to see what the deal is, and they’re greeted by an ageing kings of Leon and somethingorother presented by Lexus
The fans, the commissioner and all of the invited draftees have all been vaccinated, in case you were worried. They are making big deals about the commissioner being able to hug people again. I am imagining someone’s first hug after over a year of social distancing being Roger Goodell.
Mel Kiper Jr says the words for today is “mystery.” Louis Riddick is saying to expect surprises. I think they’re jinxing us here. Watch this go exactly as planned from here-on-out.
Okay, the NFL Draft proper is set to begin, with an opening montage narrated by Kid Cudi who is just a slightly bit more current than Kings Of Leon.
Oh no here’s Kings Of Leon. They play “Use Somebody,” I guess because all of the teams drafting today “could use somebody.”
Someone thought this was clever. I am not sure they were correct.
The other question, of course, is how many picks will it be before a team chooses a player outsie the dozen or so that I have a pre-written bit written about. I am guessing it’s going to be like number 8.
Unless the Jaguars shock the world and snub Lawrence for a kicker or something. Which would be the funniest move in Draft history.
Normally I would have a “Predictions” here, but those of here at the Guardian already gave our predictions a few days ago. For the record, here were my predictions for the Top 5 and I’m pretty confident about everything except number five. The Bengals might go for a wide receiver like Ja’Marr Chase or Jaylen Waddle. (They shouldn’t, but they might.)
1) Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Related: NFL draft 2021 predictions: the stars, the surprises and the lower-round gems
“That’s Kings of Leon playing… and we’ll let your hear from them in a minute.”
Nah I’m good. Thankfully ESPN sticks with Aaron Rodgers talk and we have something resembling news here. Apparently, the Packers are resigned to the fact that they might have to trade him.
Ann Wilson of Heart is here to sing the National Anthem. Which is just fantastically random. Her voice cracks a bit at the high notes but it kinda works in a rock and roll sort of way. It would have worked better with a heavy guitar riff from Nancy underneath it.
Oh, we’re actually getting some pre-Draft ceremonial stuff right now (at least during the ESPN broadcast, which is what I’ll be watching). Yes, there’s an actual event this time rather than just a virtual one: we’ve been introduced to the the top prospects who have opted to attend the draft in person and now a choir singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
After spending last year literally in his basement, Roger Goodell will be holding court at an actual ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio complete with a limited audience. So there will actually get to hear reactions from actual fans, although since it’s not taking place in New York, we probably won’t get the annual booing of the Jets fans. Which is a shame.
If there’s one person who has to be annoyed at the timing of the Aaron Rodgers trade rumor, it has to be Tim Tebow who is looking to return to the NFL now that his baseball career has fizzled out.
The twist this time? He’s trying to come back as a tight end. He apparently has been working out for the Jaguars, who just so happened to have Urban Meyer as a head coach (Tebow used to play under him back in his days with the University of Florida). It’s hard to know if this will lead anywhere but you have to admire his determination to stay vaguely relevant.
Related: Tim Tebow attempting NFL comeback with Jaguars after spell in baseball
There was already a lot of intrigue in this year’s draft but this morning there was an additional curveball: there are serious reports that Aaron Rodgers, the reigning MVP, has demanded a trade from the Green Bay Packers. So, all of those teams who have been looking for a starting quarterback might find themselves with an additional option: instead of drafting a young but unproven QB they could try to finagle a deal with an veteran QB who could immediately help them win now. They have all seen what Tom Brady did in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after all. Now, the Packers aren’t obliged to trade their franchise quarterback but, well, he could always just quit to pursue his game show host dreams.
Related: NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers does not want to return to Packers, say reports
Preamble
Welcome to the 2021 NFL Draft where it feels like we know quite a bit and also maybe don’t know anything at all? It turns out that trying to put together the NFL Draft after a global pandemic has radically altered the college football season poses a bit of a challenge. Teams, after all, are working with far less data then they are accustomed to here.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s how Graham Searles sees the top picks shaping up in his mock draft:
1) Jacksonville Jaguars
Related: NFL 2021 mock draft: Trevor Lawrence is No1 but who are the sleeper picks?
