The longest eighty-one days of the year came to an exciting end on April 29, 2021 as the 86th NFL draft kicked off in Cleveland, Ohio. The event ran for seven rounds over a span of three days, with a total of 259 players drafted by thirty-two teams. In past years, right up until the pick was announced, questions about who would go number one were still left unanswered. However, this year held an entirely different narrative.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had the worst record of the NFL season, but when the year ended, the headline around the league was not about securing the number one pick, but about Trevor Lawerence, the ultimate franchise quarterback who was now theirs. After attending only two years at Clemson, he became eligible for the NFL draft, making him the unquestionable number one pick. No QB has received his kind of ratings and perception of greatness since Andrew Luck in 2012. The grandeur of Trevor Lawerence never wavered, and, as expected, he was picked first by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will wear jersey number 16, continuing his tradition from highschool and college.
While the No.1 pick was never in question, which quarterback the New York Jets would take with the No. 2 pick was not as indisputable. The three big names in contention for the selection seemed to be Mac Jones (Alabama), Justin Fields (Ohio State), and who would soon emerge as the clear front runner: Zach Wilson (BYU). NFL analysts in February began devising different pick options for the NYJ when at that time their intentions were unclear, but after pro day, New York’s decision became almost certain.While there was still a sliver of doubt, not present in the pick of Lawrence, the NYJ followed suit and picked Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick. After failing with Sam Darnold, who was drafted in 2018 and is now a member of the Carolina Panthers, the new head coach for the Jets, Robert Salah will be awarded an improved team with a new QB at the forefront.
The third pick belonged to the The San Francisco 49ers. After trading up nine spots for a quarterback and selecting third, the 49ers chose Trey Lance (North Dakota State) over both Justin Fields and Mac Jones, the first unexpected pick of the draft. The consequences of that decision are yet to be seen. Maybe Justin Fields, picked eleventh overall by the Chicago Bears, or Mac Jones who fell to the New England Patriots at fifteen will have a better career, but then again, the draft is still a guessing game.
Each quarterback picked in the top three has potential to be great with their respective teams, but the stories of those three players were overshadowed by a QB who has been dominating in the NFL for over a decade. The night of the draft, Aaron Rodgers let it be known that he wants out of Green Bay. Not only is that the only franchise Rodgers has played for since his selection in 2005, but he won the MVP with them last year. By the end of the three day draft, however, Rodgers is still a member of the Green Bay Packers. The Denver Broncos are rumored to be at the forefront of potential landing spots for him, but it is still very uncertain where Rodgers will land, if Green Bay gives him up at all. Leave it to a veteran to steal the initial spotlight of the NFL draft away from Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, Fields, Jones, and other quarterbacks selected in later rounds. All I know is that there will be no shortage of great quarterbacks to watch in the league this year, and we will soon know who really had the best draft.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/29/sports/nfl-draft
https://www.britannica.com/sports/Super-Bowl
https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/picks
