2021 NFL Draft First Round Review

Well, that was the first round of the NFL Draft. It wasn’t the most thrilling draft I’ve ever sat through, with only one huge trade and only a couple major reaches. But I still had a lot of fun, because the draft is always fun.

Tomorrow I’ll pull together my usual in-depth review of the first round. But for tonight, here are my thoughts on each selection typed up as they happened.

If you want to read deeper breakdowns of any of the players selected, click the link for the position group below (except for defensive tackles, since there were no defensive tackles selected).

Wide Receivers
Cornerbacks
Linebackers and Safeties
Running Backs
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Tackles
Edge Defenders
Quarterbacks

1) Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

We’ve known this was going to happen for a while, but we should still take a moment to appreciate how good a quarterback the Jaguars got. Lawrence is pretty much a sure thing as an NFL starter, and he’s ready to start right away. There are questions about a few parts of his game, and I’m not confident in the coaching staff the Jaguars have assembled to develop him. But on paper he has everything a quarterback needs to be successful in the NFL, combining physical tools with an extremely advanced understanding of the game.

2) New York Jets – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

This is another pick that has been more or less assumed for a month now, so everything that can be said has already been said. I think it’s a mistake to take Wilson over Justin Fields, but that doesn’t mean Wilson is a bad player. He’s a good fit for the offense they want to run in New York, and he has the talent to be a very effective quarterback. I worry some about how he will handle pressure after thriving at BYU where he was almost untouched, but the Jets have the foundation of a decent offensive line and the assets to build on top of that.

3) San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

This pick is even more puzzling. Fields is everything Lance is physically, just much more polished and much more accurate. There was a lot of talk about them potentially going with Mac Jones, and while I have Lance ranked ahead of Jones, this is one case where the Alabama quarterback might have made more sense. The 49ers have a really good team in place, and with capable quarterback play they can compete over the next two or three years. Lance has long-term upside, but he’s not going to help this team in 2021. And if he doesn’t work out, the 49ers have just tanked their entire contending window.

4) Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

I can spend the next however many picks it takes explaining that each team erred by not selecting Fields. But I’ll just let this pick be what it is, which is a team with a talented offense adding a one-of-a-kind player at tight end. After a decade of Julio Jones dominating on the outside, they have another freakish player who can do this joining the team. The only difference is that Pitts has the blocking skills to play tight to the line as well. It would be no surprise if his career matches what Jones has given Atlanta for years.

5) Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

A lot of people expected the Bengals to try to add protection for Joe Burrow, and I probably would have gone with Penei Sewell myself. But Chase is a hell of a player too. He has good size and plays even bigger than he is, with excellent ball skills and overwhelming physicality. He tested a lot more explosively than he played on the field, suggesting there may be even more there if he continues to develop his game. We last saw him playing when he was 19 years old and tearing up the SEC, and he has flashes of developing true elite route running skills to round out his game.

6) Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

For the second straight pick, a rookie quarterback from last year is reunited with one of their star receivers. Waddle is pure speed who will open up Miami’s offense by threatening defenses over the top from the moment he steps on the field. The question is, does he have more to his game than speed, or is he just another John Ross or Marquise Brown? I think he does have more, both in his quickness with the ball in his hands and in his ability to elevate and make plays on the ball. It just may take some time for him to integrate these skills into a complete game.

7) Detroit Lions – Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

So far my mock draft is correct on six of seven selections. Not a lot of surprises so far, though this was a pick that could have gone a few ways. Offensive line isn’t the biggest need on Detroit’s offense, but as we saw in Los Angeles Jared Goff is a very different quarterback depending on the protection in front of him. Sewell is a very gifted athlete who is already a good pass blocker with the potential to get even better. He’ll lock down a spot on this offensive line for a long time.

8) Carolina Panthers – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

Here is the first mild surprise of the draft. It isn’t a surprise that the first defensive player off the board is Horn, but I think most people expected Carolina to address their offense after spending every draft pick on defense a year ago. But cornerback is still a need for this defense, and Horn has the physical tools to be truly great. He’s big, he’s fast, and he’s capable of driving wide receivers into the ground in pass coverage. Carolina is building something very interesting on defense, and seem to be committed to Sam Darnold to power their offense.

9) Denver Broncos – Patrick Surtain Jr, CB, Alabama

The second of the top two cornerbacks goes off the board to the Broncos, a pick that would have made a lot of sense if Justin Fields wasn’t sitting on the board. But like I said, I’m just going to move past that and focus on the player that was taken. Surtain is a very skilled cornerback who is as ready to start from day one as any rookie cornerback can be, for a defense that should take a step forward this year with Von Miller returning.

10) Philadelphia Eagles – Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama

For the second straight year the Eagles take a wide receiver in the first round, but this time it is going to work out. Smith is not just my favorite receiver in the draft, but my favorite receiver I’ve scouted in eight years of doing this. He’s fast enough to break away from defenders down the field, he has the route running skills to separate from any coverage underneath, and he has the catch radius and physicality to make life easy for his quarterback. The only reason he’s available at this point is because he weighed in at 170 pounds, which I don’t care about. This is a future superstar wide receiver that Philadelphia just added.

11) Chicago Bears – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

The Bears made the big move of this draft, giving up a first round selection to jump nine spots. They needed a quarterback, and they got the second best one in the class in Fields. Fields is a tremendous athlete, and he’s also the most accurate quarterback in this draft. He’s going to be a superstar, and he gives the Bears the best future at the quarterback position of any team in the NFC North.

12) Dallas Cowboys – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

Dallas was probably pissed off when the top two cornerbacks went right before their selection, but they managed to pick up some value by sliding back two spots and grabbing the top defensive player left on their board. I probably would have goen with one of the pass rushers ahead of this, but Parsons is a good player with tremendous upside. He’ll have the same issues adjusting to the NFL that most young linebackers do, but in a defense without much else he has the playmaking skills to be used in a lot of interesting ways.

13) Los Angeles Chargers – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

The Chargers may have been tempted by trying to improve their defense, but with Horn, Surtain, and Parsons off the board there wasn’t a great value to be had for a team that is already set at pass rush. So instead they decide to bolster their offensive line. It will be interesting to see if they keep Slater at tackle or move him to guard, but whatever position he plays he is going to be a very valuable piece in front of Justin Herbert.

14) New York Jets – Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC

Remember what I said about the Jets needing to improve their offensive line? Well clearly they agreed, because they traded two third round selections to jump up and grab the top guard in the draft. This is higher than I would have wanted to take Vera-Tucker, but it isn’t too much of a reach. Put him beside Mekhi Becton, and the left side of that offensive line is going to open some massive holes in the running game, which will make life a lot easier for their young quarterback.

15) New England Patriots – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

This ends up being decent value for Jones. He has his limitations, but he’s still a good player with the potential to be a solid NFL starter. That said, New England is not my favorite fit for him. He excelled at Alabama surrounded by elite weapons, and he’d be best suited in a similar situation in the NFL. That is not the case in New England. He has nothing to throw to, and he is going to have to create offense on his own, which is the biggest hole in his game.

16) Arizona Cardinals – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

This is the first pick that I’ve really absolutely hated. This is way too high for Collins, a linebacker with a ton of holes in his game. He is big and fast and looks physically overwhelming on the field, and at a low level in college that was enough to lead to a lot of flash plays. But he struggles to play through traffic, and facing NFL blockers he will be basically useless in the running game. He has some potential to develop in pass coverage, but he may be too large to move the way you need to against quick lateral routes. Maybe they think he can fill in for Haason Reddick, who had tremendous success after moving from linebacker to edge rusher last year. But Collins doesn’t have the flexibility to consistently succeed on the edge. So I’m just not sure what he does at a high level to be worth a selection in the top half of the first round.

17) Las Vegas Raiders – Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama

Leatherwood is the first player off the board I haven’t studied in depth. He’s a very good athlete who was effective as a tackle in the SEC, but I’ll reserve my judgment until I can write up a full scouting report tomorrow.

18) Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami

Unsurprisingly Phillips is the top pass rusher off the board. He has the length and the burst to be a special player, if he can develop a more well-rounded game. He had a rocky college career that involved two different stops and numerous injuries, but he turned it on his final season to suggest he’s on the verge of capturing his potential. Miami needs a pass rusher, and though Phillips wasn’t personally my favorite edge rusher, I like the value of this selection.

19) Washington Football Team – Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky

Three picks after the Cardinals leap on Collins, Washington selects an even better linebacker. Davis is a dominant run stopper who also ran a 4.44 forty at his Pro Day. He still has some work to do in pass coverage, but I like the foundation he has to build on there. I’m a little skeptical of Washington grabbing a linebacker to help an already excellent defense when there were better players available on the offensive side, particularly at offensive line and wide receiver.

20) New York Giants – Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida

This pick feels like a stretch to me. Toney is a slot receiver with incredible skills running with the ball in his hands. He moves in space like a running back, and if you can get the ball to him special things will happen. Of course with a statement like that, getting the ball to him is the tough part. He has the quickness to be a dangerous route runner but hasn’t yet harnessed it. He’s small and doesn’t really go outside his frame to make catches, or play through physical coverage. There were better receiving options here, and players the Giants could have added on defense as well.

21) Indianapolis Colts – Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

This is one of my favorite picks in the first round. Paye is an excellent athlete who has shown flashes of being able to win in every way possible in college. He has speed and he has power, and he just needs to harness his skills more than two or three times a game. I think he’ll get there, and in the meantime he can be an impact situational player for a Colts defense that really needed an edge pass rusher.

22) Tennessee Titans – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

The Titans counter their division rival with another pick I love. A healthy Farley is the best cornerback in the class, with the ability to change direction and make plays on the ball that neither of the players selected ahead of him can match. Of course the health concerns are the reason he was available here in the first place, and I have nowhere near enough information to comment on that. So let’s just stick with the positive angle here.

23) Minnesota Vikings – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

The Vikings played this pretty much perfectly. They missed out on the top tier of offensive linemen, so they moved down, added some extra picks, and still got the best tackle in the second tier. Darrisaw doesn’t have the athleticism of Sewell or Slater, and that will limit him some. But he’s one of the only players in this class with the prototypical size of an NFL tackle, and he fills a huge need for the Vikings. It remains to be seen which tackle position he will play, but he’ll likely be an impact player for their offense right away.

24) Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

I like Harris, but I don’t like this pick. The Steelers have much bigger problems with their offense than running back, and I think they would have been better off addressing the offensive line here and grabbing a running back on day two or three. That said, Harris is the best running back in the class, a physical pounder who is impossible to bring down, and he will be around in a couple years when the Steelers likely will have to scale back the passing game of their offense.

25) Jacksonville Jaguars – Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

I certainly did not expect this pick. Last year the Jaguars got excellent production from an undrafted free agent, so you'd think that would teach them that running back isn’t a position you need to invest a lot in. Instead they decided to ignore their defense and grab Etienne. He makes sense from a fit perspective, as an explosive element to an offense that is going to spread the ball around a lot. It’s just not a good move from a value perspective.

26) Cleveland Browns – Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern

The Browns make an excellent move here by grabbing the best cornerback remaining on the board. With him across from Denzel Ward (and if they can get anything from Greedy Williams) this has the makings of a very good secondary, to go along with a top notch defensive line. This team will still go as far as Baker Mayfield can carry them, but the roster they’re building gives them the potential to compete for a championship if he can take another step forward.

27) Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

I didn’t love Bateman as much as most people, but I think this is decent value for him and a good fit in Baltimore. He is a physical receiver with a big catch radius who will give Baltimore a much needed threat in the intermediate range. The past couple years their offense has been limited by having only tight ends and deep threats. I have concerns about Bateman’s ability to separate, but he can create opportunities on the boundary. There are still some questions about Lamar Jackson’s accuracy in that part of the field, and I personally would have gone with Terrace Marshall ahead of Bateman. But at this point in the first round this is a piece that can help their offense.

28) New Orleans Saints – Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston

Turner is a player who has risen a lot lately, and I haven’t watched him at all. Will try to have thoughts by tomorrow.

29) Green Bay Packers – Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia

Stokes is a track star who is still figuring things out at cornerback, and I think he has the ability to develop into a good cornerback in the right circumstances. It may take him a year or two to get onto the field on a regular basis, but once he makes it there he is going to be impossible to beat over the top. They may need to give him some help against quicker underneath routes, but with Jaire Alexander on the other side, the Packers are positioned to do this. There were better cornerbacks on the board in Asante Samuel Jr and Tyson Campbell, but this is a pick that could look really good in a couple of years.

30) Buffalo Bills – Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami

Rousseau is a fascinating player. He looks like a dominant pass rusher when he’s standing still, and he produced a lot of sacks in his final year in college in 2019. But he doesn’t have flexibility or quickness that you usually see from elite pass rushers, and it’s unclear how he’ll best be used in the NFL. That said, he could be an excellent situational pass rusher for a Bills team that already has a couple good options on the edge. Rousseau is at his best rushing on the interior, and putting him in a unit with Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, and Ed Oliver would be a nightmare for opposing offenses, especially in what the Bills likely hope will be a playoff rematch with Kansas City.

31) Baltimore Ravens – Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State

I was pretty sure Oweh would find his way into the first round. He’s just too athletic for someone not to fall in love with him. He also has no pass rushing skills right now, and he is going to have to take a massive jump forward to be an effective player in the NFL. Baltimore will have to find creative ways to use him the first couple years while he grows as a player. I liked a couple other edge rushers more, but I can’t fault a team for falling in love with the best athlete in the draft.

32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Joe Tryon, EDGE, Washington

It isn’t a surprise that the Buccaneers decided to go with a pass rusher here. Tryon is a bit of a reach though. He has moments of very good burst off the line, but he doesn’t seem to finish well in the backfield. He also has a tendency to freelance and isn’t very strong against the run. He’s the sort of player that would have been good to grab at the end of the second round, but at the end of the first it feels like a mistake.