How Did the Draft Play Out for the Top Quarterbacks?
1. The Jacksonville Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence; Quarterback, Clemson
Logan Bowles/NFL via Getty Images
This pick was just about locked in by February of 2020, so to see this pick not made official until 8 minutes into the clock was genuinely surprising. The Jaguars have had a top-10 selection in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
Lawrence has been touted as a can’t-miss prospect for a long time, and with new head coach Urban Meyer now leading the charge in Jacksonville, this could be a match made in football heaven.
What Lawrence does very well, despite not being much of a threat on the ground, is throwing the football from RPO and play-action situations. The Jags would be smart to keep Lawrence comfortable in his rookie season.
The Jaguars also did Lawrence a huge favor by using their second first-round selection on running back Travis Etienne, Lawrence’s teammate in college. Source: USA Today
2. The New York Jets select Zach Wilson; Quarterback, BYU
via Tony Dejak/Associated Press
Wilson seems to be the complete package. He’s got arm talent, mobility, excellent vision, etc. The downside is his level of competition, playing zero Power 5 teams in his senior season.
He was incredibly efficient, throwing 33 TDs and only 3 INTs in his senior season. This is a huge change of tune for NYJ, who has had turnover trouble at the quarterback position dating back to the days of Mark Sanchez.
A fresh start for the Jets rings in a new hope for Gang Green. Robert Saleh will start his head coaching career with a rookie quarterback.
The Jets have already seemingly done more to help out Wilson than they ever have to help out Darnold, trading up in the first round to select USC offensive lineman Alijah-Vera Tucker to pair with last year's sensational tackle Mekhi Becton. The Jets also drafted Elijah Moore out of Ole Miss to pair with Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims and the newly signed Corey Davis in the wide receiver room.
Mel Kiper Jr. seemed to really dislike this selection, so I know this was a good pick.
3. The San Francisco 49ers select Trey Lance; Quarterback, North Dakota State University
via San Francisco 49ers
This selection was the most mysterious to NFL pundits across the country. Fields, Lance and Jones all could have gone here. Word was that San Fran, according to Steve Young, wanted Zach Wilson most of all.
This is the quarterback with the smallest sample size, having only played one full season at North Dakota St. In his one season, he scored 42 total touchdowns with 0 interceptions
The 49ers (as of selecting Lance) still have Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster, which leaves Kyle Shanahan with a very difficult decision on his hands.
If the 49ers do decide to sit Lance for a year, he will be looking at close to 30 months of no meaningful snaps on the football field before he eventually takes over for the 49ers.
There’s a saying in the NFL that if you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback.
For the third time in NFL history, three quarterbacks are taken off the board consecutively. After these three, no quarterbacks were taken until the Chicago Bears traded up to the 11th pick.
11. The Chicago Bears select Justin Fields; Quarterback, THE Ohio State University
via the Chicago Bears
The Bears are ready to start over at the leading position, having recently parted ways with former first-round pick, Mitchell Trubisky. Returning head coach Matt Nagy is already on thin ice, and he is likely hoping a top quarterback will secure his future.
The Bears brought in Andy Dalton this offseason and immediately branded him “QB1” while still also having Nick Foles on the roster.
Enter Justin Fields. One of the best college quarterbacks in recent years, his draft stock slid in a major way after his poor performance in the National Championship. Fields was marred by a season plagued by COVID-19, but his junior season was nothing but successful, scoring 51 total touchdowns.
He was drafted into a team that has had relative success outside of the quarterback spot in recent seasons. It helps big time that the Bears traded up again in the second round to select offensive tackle Teven Jenkins out of Oklahoma State.
Fields looked fairly unhappy being selected, which cannot be a good sign for their shared futures.
15. The New England Patriots select Mac Jones; Quarterback, University of Alabama
via Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Despite some rumors regarding the Patriots trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, they went ahead and selected the National Champ at number 15.
Jones had an excellent 2020 season, and his draft stock rose throughout the spring. Jones was a Heisman finalist, throwing for 41 touchdowns and led the NCAA in passing with 4,500 yards through the air.
Bill Belichick looks to return to the top of the AFC East, having missed the playoffs last season for only the second time since 1999.
The Patriots re-signed Cam Newton this offseason and retooled at most other positions. It will be interesting to see how Belichick handles this quarterback competition going into the season.
Here are my far-too-early predictions for these quarterbacks:
Trevor Lawrence: Day-one starter; 6-11
Zach Wilson: Day-one starter; 5-12
Trey Lance: Will not play in rookie season
Justin Fields: Mid-season starter; 3-5
Mac Jones: Mid-season starter 6-2
The rest of the selections:
64. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Kyle Trask; Quarterback, University of Florida
66. The Minnesota Vikings select Kellen Mond; Quarterback, Texas A&M
67. The Houston Texans select Davis Mills; Quarterback, Stanford University
133. The New Orleans Saints select Ian Book; Quarterback, Notre Dame
218. The Indianapolis Colts select Sam Ehlinger; Quarterback, University of Texas
Undrafted:
Jamie Newman; Quarterback, Wake Forest signs with the Philadelphia Eagles
Felipe Franks; Quarterback, Arkansas signs with the Atlanta Falcons
Peyton Ramsey; Quarterback, Northwestern signs with the Carolina Panthers
Shane Buechele; Quarterback, Southern Methodist University signs with the Kansas City Chiefs
Brady White; Quarterback, Memphis University is unsigned at the time of this article.