2021 Draft Complete

Crack open a cold one, DUUVAL County! Trevor Lawrence is OFFICIALLY a Jacksonville Jaguar!!!

To put things into context, Trevor Lawrence hasn't lost a regular-season game in his ENTIRE life! During his 3 seasons with the Clemson Tigers, Trevor Lawrence has thrown for a combined 10,098 YDS, 90 TDs, and 17 INTs. There is a reason he is being billed as the most pro-ready QB to come through the NFL Draft since Andrew Luck, and is already drawing comparisons to the likes of John Elway and Peyton Manning!

In the words of PFF, Trevor is "The best quarterback prospect we have ever scouted. There may not be one singular thing Lawrence hangs his hat on, but he's got the fewest weaknesses of any quarterback we have ever graded."

Jacksonville is READY, Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer is READY, Tim FREAKING Tebow is READY, and you already know T-Law is READY... The NFL is NOT!!!

Grade: A+

- Cody Lachney, DraftTek Senior Analyst

As expected, the Jets land their QB of choice in Zach Wilson here. Wilson is a 3-year starter at BYU that took huge strides in his final season, jumping from an expected mid-round prospect before the 2020 season started, to almost reaching the summit of this year's class. That quick rise for a QB is not unheard of, and results from previous examples vary from great to awful. While nobody is ever a sure thing, I like his chances of ending up in the positive column .

Wilson fills an obvious need, and now that the new regime has tied themselves to their QB, fans can finally feel like things can take off, and real progress can be made. While not ideal, he is landing in a better environment than the one Sam Darnold found himself in as a rookie, and Joe Douglas has a lot more draft ammo to further improve the roster . Another thing that will get overlooked is the positive that rookie contract will have over its duration. When you consider Darnold was due a new deal, that cap saving will help build a better roster long after this draft is in the books.

- Rich Tinley, Jets Analyst

Grade: A

We have our first surprise of the night!...sort of. During the pre-draft press conference, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan asked fans to be patient and trust they would make the right decision. That faith proved to be well-founded, as the Niners have selected the QB with possibly the highest ceiling in the 2021 Draft. Trey Lance only has 17 games under his belt, but he took a ton of snaps under center, had NFL level control at the line of scrimmage, and better pocket presence than Justin Fields (who ranked as a better prosepct).

Lance will need to clean up his footwork to correct accuracy issues that plagued him in college and he faces a big leap in competition from the FCS level, but his ceiling is enormous and the 49ers' future looks bright with him at the helm.

Grade: A+

- Brett Clancy, 49ers Analyst

In the end, Arthur Smith decided that Matt Ryan has plenty of football left in him and the former Tight Ends Coach went with one of the highest-rated TE prospects in recent history. Also, Terry Fontenot actually went with the "best available player." A "cheat code" of an athlete with an impossible combination of height, weight, and speed, Pitts will combine with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to create nightmares for opposing defenses. Atlanta struggled to convert in the Red Zone under Dirk Koetter, scoring TDs only around 50% of the time in the last two seasons, and that will hopefully change under Smith's tutelage. Adding a weapon like Pitts could be the key to unlocking touchdowns rather than field goals.

We might never know if the option to move down was available to them, but adding Pitts opens up a lot of options. Could Atlanta trade Julio Jones, having added a comparable talent? Could they patch together a defense and hope to simply bludgeon opponents to death? Whatever the plan is, there will be plenty of highlights from Falcons' games this fall.

Grade: A

Whelp, I was wrong! I was one of very few that stuck with OT Penei Sewell over WR Ja'Marr Chase, and I believe quite firmly that would've been the right pick. Offensive Tackle is the second-most important position on offense (and likely overall on any team), so securing the best one in the 2021 NFL Draft was simply a home-run in my mind. However, Ja'Marr Chase is a potential electric playmaker, and as long as the Bengals can land more OL help tomorrow, Joe Burrow should be able to get the ball to his former LSU teammate early and often. While I understand the pick here, I just don't think a top-flight WR prospect presents the same value as a top-flight OT prospect, especially when considering the drop-off to Day 2 options at those positions.

Grade: B

- Kennedy Paynter, Senior Draft Analyst (@Kennedy_Paynter on Twitter)

I have mixed emotions. I like Jaylen Waddle; he's an excellent player. Waddle reuniting with Tua is great and he's exactly the type of WR we need to add quickness and dynamism to the offense. On the flip side, I feel we could have traded back and still got the former Alabama star. There is also the lingering concern about the ankle injury that derailed Waddle's 2020 season.

Passing on Penei Sewell is notable as that would have been inconceivable only weeks ago. Chris Grier was determined to get an offensive playmaker, but Waddle was undoubtedly third choice after Pitts and Chase had left the board. However, I'm excited to see Waddle in Aqua and Orange; welcome to South Florida Jaylen!

Grade: B-

- David Payne, Dolphins Analyst.

For most of the offseason, given the players available in our mocks, we were locked into Detroit going wide receiver, but in the end the Lions wound up with the best offensive linemen in the entire draft.

Even though I was a big advocate of Detroit addressing their wide receiver group, having a player of Sewell's caliber basically fall into your lap is simply put, a no brainer. Sewell is a beast of an offensive linemen and his toughness, grit, and overall skill is most definitely going to help boost Detroit's offensive production. Strengthening the o-line will allow more opportunities for the offense to flourish, possibly sneaking Swift, Williams, or yes, even Kerryon Johnson, outo of the backfield for checkdowns if the deep threats Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman aren't open. Thinking deeper, with this pick, Detroit will now likely shift Vatai to Guard and allow Sewell to take hold of the Right Tackle position. Also, knowing that T.J. Hockenson is also a more than solid run and pass blocker, Detroit may now have arguably the best offensive line in the NFC North. I love the selection.

Grade: A+

- Doug Hyde, Lions Analyst

With the 8th-overall pick, the Carolina Panthers select, Jaycee Horn, CB South Carolina!

Jaycee Horn is a prototype CB prospect who is dominant in press-man coverage and projects to be a Day 1 starter as an outside corner! Horn is an aggressive ball-hawk who does a tremendous job locating the football in the air in contested catch situations and is incredibly diligent in reading the eyes of the QB. Jaycee uses his 33"-inch arms to jam receivers at the line and is able to stay in phase against even the most shifty WR's.

It has long been rumored that Carolina has been looking to upgrade its defensive backfield through the draft. They do so with my #1 CB prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft!

Grade: A-

- Cody Lachney, Panthers Analyst

This one caught me off guard a bit. It's not that Denver doesn't need to get better at Corner, and I love the fit of Surtain with Kyle Fuller in Vic Fangio's defense. He's the most polished defensive back I've graded in some time. I also agree with not taking a quarterback considering Fangio is on the hot seat. You'd hate to draft Justin Fields and then have to change coaches a year later. I thought that is what they would do, but I think they are right for passing on that option.

Grade: B+

~ Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst

As I watched this RD1 unfold, I was struck with this thought: Howie Roseman read this Draft perfectly when he traded back to 12 for an extra 2022 RD1 pick. With Pitts, Chase and Zach Wilson gone, the next 10 players or so were very similar on my board.

End the end, Roseman got the guy most Eagle fans wanted at Pick Six: Heisman Trophy winner and 'Bama WR Devonta Smith. It took a RD3 pick to leapfrog (screw over) the Giants, but that's OK: they turned the sixth pick and a RD3 pick, into Devonta Smith and a 2022 RD1 pick.

Grade: A+ (when trade is factored in).

Wow, well done Ryan Pace. Decisive action was needed in Chicago and that's what was delivered. As Fields slipped further, the opportunity to grab him could not be passed on. A trade with the Giants that gives a RD1 pick in 2022, as well as a 5th this year, and a 4th in 2022, is a small price to pay to get the future of the franchise.

Justin Fields is the hope that this organization needs. After an offseason where Andy Dalton appeared to be the future, Bears' fans can breathe a sigh of relief tonight. Fields does everything well, but could benefit from sitting a while in his rookie year. Whatever is thought about Dalton, he will be a good mentor to the former Ohio State man. Eventually, Fields will give the Bears a dynamic offense to pair with their awesome defense.

Grade: A

- David Payne, DraftTek Senior Analyst.

Even though the Cowboys needed help on their defense, I don't like this pick for them. They've invested in linebackers with very similar skill sets to Parsons, and while 2020 wasn't a good year for them, that's true of everyone on that defense. Yes, Parsons is the best defender in this draft, but those character issues scare me. I thought it would be Slater, who can be one of the better guards in the league very early in his career. He also provides insurance at the left tackle position if Tyron Smith continues to struggle with injuries. This team has always prioritized their offensive line in the draft, and after paying Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott all that money, that made sense. Not saying Parsons can't be a great pick, but the character concerns are very real. Grade: B

~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst

They weren't able to reunite QB Justin Herbert with his Oregon running mate Penei Sewell, but the Chargers got the other top-tier Offensive Tackle in this draft by grabbing the massive Rashawn Slater out of Northwestern. An agile 315-pounder, Slater figures to have every opportunity to start right away on a retooled Chargers' front line. But after starting every game of his college career, Slater appears ready for a quick start in LA. The "hole" at LT referenced by GM Tom Telesco recently just got filled in a big way.

Grade: A

Joe Douglas is quickly building up his reputation as a GM who will move up and down the draft board when the opportunity arises. Joe traded back in RD 2 last year and still landed a nice prospect in WR Denzel Mims. If there was any position that would have tempted Joe to trade up to this spot, it was for an OG and someone the quality of Alijah Vera-Tucker. Douglas missed out on improving the position in Free Agency when his reported number 1 target, Joe Thuney, opted to join Kansas.

The importance of improving the position rose even higher with the pick of Wilson 2nd-overall, and it looks like a wise move to try and protect the investment. Teams picking ahead of the Jets had reportedly shown lots of interest in Tucker, the highest rated interior lineman on our Big Board. Tucker has only started 19 games in his USC career, so this pick is in no way a slam-dunk, but if Joe feels like this is the guy that best improves the roster at one of its biggest weaknesses, then trading up to get him was a nice bit of business.

Grade: A

After a dominant performance in a high-pressure environment taking Alabama to the national title, Mac Jones gets a chance to step up to six-time Super Bowl-winner Bill Belichick. The heir apparent to Tom Brady is the top pocket passer in this year's draft, and could be a fit in the precision passing game in Foxboro. Like Brady, Jones has average arm strength, a less-than-chiseled physique and modest footspeed. Whether he will have preternatural accuracy and leadership ability remains to be seen. His ability to read defenses and make intelligent decisions with the ball suggest he has a good chance to revive the Pats' briefly-sagging fortunes.

Grade: B

SHOCKER! The Cardinals surprise most and go with a linebacker. With some good corners and other positions of need still on the board, instead opting for the coverage and playmaking ability of Zaven Collins. The Tulsa 'backer showed great production as a three-year starter and displayed some great awareness over the middle that helped him win the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards as the nation's best defender. He should suffice for Arizona, though he still needs work on his pursuit angles and tackling.

Still, the pick is an unexpected one to say the least, with a glaring hole still at cornerback after the departure of Patrick Peterson and with Caleb Farley and Asante Samuel Jr. still on the board. GM Steve Keim obviously didn't like the surviving options there and thought better of it. In any case, the Cardinals still have plenty of time, though they now have just one more selection remaining until #160, so expect more moves to come.

Grade: C

- Dylan Rudolph, Cardinals Analyst