New 2021 NFL mock draft as six teams take quarterbacks in the first round.
The narrative of the 2021 NFL Draft has always been about the top two quarterbacks in the class, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. Then Trey Lance joined the conversation and rightfully so. But as the COVID-altered college football season has gotten rolling, something has transpired. In the simplest terms, more quarterbacks have inserted themselves into the picture and into one 2021 NFL mock draft after another.
To be sure, NFL teams surely aren’t unhappy about that. Because if there’s one thing that has become clear by Week 9 of the 2020 season, it’s that there is a hefty need for quarterbacks throughout the league. So the influx of quality prospects after the surefire top three players makes constructing a 2021 NFL mock draft more interesting.
At this point, we have six quarterbacks that have crept into the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft in the forthcoming mock. Some teams need a signal-caller immediately and some need to develop players. But in any case, this draft class is slowly turning even more into one that’s driven by quarterbacks.
With that in mind, let’s start this 2021 NFL mock draft at Week 9 with two of those aforementioned quarterbacks heading to the Big Apple. (Note: Draft order determined via Tankathon.)
2021 NFL mock draft for the full first round at Week 9
Despite the fact that Trevor Lawrence won’t be available for Clemson’s biggest regular-season game of the year against Notre Dame, his stock for the 2021 NFL Draft hasn’t changed. He’s still an elite talent at quarterback, a franchise-changer that the New York Jets need.
Sam Darnold isn’t hopeless but he’s damaged goods in New York as of right now. It’s time to shake up everything entirely for the Jets, cutting bait with Adam Gase and ushering in a new era with Lawrence at the helm of the offense.
Yes, the New York Giants took Daniel Jones in the top 10 two years ago. But when a player is being put in the conversation of Ryan Leaf in terms of turnovers, something has to change. That’s why the pick is Justin Fields here. The Ohio State quarterback is a phenomenal athlete who already had a live arm but has seemingly gotten better early in his 2020 season. It’s time to leave Jones behind and take a quarterback who can actually get the Giants to the next step as a franchise.
Make no mistake, the Jaguars are another team that needs a quarterback. Despite some early flashes, Gardner Minshew has proven he’s not a franchise cornerstone. But at the same time, this team needs to build a better infrastructure beyond a quarterback so, if Lawrence and Fields aren’t available, they should look elsewhere.
Oregon’s Penei Sewell is a phenomenal talent. At just 20 years old, he’s already produced tape that shows an NFL starter and the Jaguars need that type of presence for whoever eventually takes over under center.
(Pick via Texans) – The talk of the Dolphins evaluating Tua Tagovailoa so they could potentially draft a quarterback seems far-fetched to me. Granted, if he’s awful down the stretch, maybe it becomes a conversation. But as of now, Miami focuses on taking a player who can give Tua a viable No. 1 wide receiver, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase. He opted out of the 2020 season with the Tigers but his 2019 performance was enough to make him the top pass-catcher off the board.