The 2020 NFL season is just two weeks old, but we’re already gaining a grasp for what teams might be early favorites for the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
There’s little to question when it comes to who should be the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Time after time, Trevor Lawrence has proven that he will be one of the best quarterback prospects in recent draft memory, being included in groups with players like Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.
Before the 2020 NFL season even began, there was a lot of speculation around what teams would be “Tanking for Trevor.” With such high potential, it is was widely believed that teams would attempt to lose to gain the first pick, something that has become almost an every-year occurrence to land the top player.
However, now that the season is two weeks deep and we have been given a taste of the talent across the league, as well as some injuries, some teams are emerging as the favorites for the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Early indications that the Jacksonville Jaguars were tanking were quickly muted by the play of Gardner Minshew in the first two weeks of the season. Opening with two solid performances against divisional opponents in the Colts and Texans, the Jags are looking much better than anyone expected.
The same can be said for the Chicago Bears, although their wins aren’t as impressive coming against the Lions and Giants. Regardless of who the wins are against, the Bears are in fact tied for the NFC North lead after two weeks.
While there have been surprises of success, there have been just as many disappointments early in the year. The Philadelphia Eagles have had a rough start with two losses despite lots of offseason expectations and they are joined by the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans as highly touted teams that are winless after two weeks.
So, with the year taking shape and injuries taking their toll, these are five teams to watch the rest of the season as they battle for the basement and the top pick to land Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Carolina Panthers (Currently 0-2)
Although the Jacksonville Jaguars were the team most expected to tank, the Carolina Panthers weren’t far behind. New Head Coach Matt Rhule is still installing his system and getting his type of players in, so despite some star power and a defense full of rookies, the Panthers were entering the year with an uphill battle ahead.
To make matters worse, starting running back Christian McCaffrey just went down for multiple weeks with what is being reported as a high-ankle sprain. No one wants injuries to occur, but in the long run, this one might help the Panthers.
Without McCaffrey, the offense is left without its biggest playmaker while the defense is still young and inexperienced. Having already lost to Las Vegas and Tampa Bay, the Panthers are already in a rut and play in one of the toughest divisions, thanks to Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
The positive of all of this is that Carolina is quickly becoming the favorite to land Trevor Lawrence. Just over two hours down the road from each other, Lawrence seems to be the perfect fit to get Rhule’s system off the ground. Just imagine Lawrence and McCaffrey in the same backfield for the next five or more years, it’s a scary thought.
Detroit Lions (Currently 0-2)
The Detroit Lions are off the yet another 0-2 start and the seat is burning hot underneath third-year coach Matt Patricia. His first season the team finished 6-10 and then regressed to 3-12-1 last year and are now staring down another tough season.
Should the year end with the Lions holding the number one pick, then a lot of changes will be coming to Detroit, one being Patricia. Whoever the new coach would be might be looking for a culture change and the best way to bring one about is to make a change under center.
Matthew Stafford has been solid in Detroit since being the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, but it might be time for the Lions to explore other avenues. I’ve said it before, whoever has the first pick has to take Trevor Lawrence. It’s as simple as that.
For a team like Detroit, they could have a decision on their hands of what to do. Keep Stafford and trade the pick, or invest solely in the future with Lawrence. Luckily, they have an out with Stafford.
Stafford and the Lions can part ways as his contract has an out after this year. Detroit would be left with a large amount of dead cap, but the rookie deal of Lawrence would help with the hurt from that. If it is in fact the Lions picking first in the 2021 NFL Draft, then this is a path they should highly consider taking to move the franchise forward.
New York Jets (Currently 0-2)
The New York Jets are in a similar spot as the Lions as a team that is just spinning its wheels with a poor head coach. Since arriving in New York, Adam Gase has been less than impressive to the eyes. Last year’s record of 7-9 might have been the best case for Jets fans and this year’s 0-2 start might be more indicative of Gase’s performance.
Again like the Lions, the Jets could be in the market for a complete culture change next season and although this is just Sam Darnold‘s third season, it could be very difficult for them to pass on Trevor Lawrence.
Two weeks in, Darnold is averaging less than 200 passing yards per game and has just two touchdowns, but also has only one interception. We’ll see how the year plays out, but the reality is that if the Jets end up with the top pick, then Darnold probably doesn’t perform well the rest of the season.
The Jets, along with the other teams on this list, have a lot of needs. It could be very tempting for them to consider someone other than Lawrence since they already have Darnold. But at the same time, Lawrence will be better than Darnold, so trading Darnold for a mid-round pick and taking Lawrence is the better option if they end up first overall.
New York Giants (Currently 0-2)
The New York Giants position is a combination of where the Panthers and Jets are at as well. They have a young quarterback in Daniel Jones, but the loss of Saquon Barkley could be detrimental to their season.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Jones has thrown three interceptions while completing just over 62% of his passes and he has been sacked seven times. The sacks are because of the young and stumbling offensive line of the Giants, but the interceptions could be a concern.
In the second week of the season against Chicago, a team that is very evenly matched with the Giants, Jones failed to throw a touchdown while logging two of his three picks so far this year. He also gave away a fumble, something that showed to be a concern last year as well.
Should the Giants’ season completely derail because of the loss of Barkley and they end up with the first pick, then considering Trevor Lawrence will be something they have to do. As promising as Jones might be in the eyes of the team, Lawrence is such a highly regarded prospect, that it might be worth it to restart the process under center.
This is only Jones’ second season, but it wouldn’t be the first time that a team has changed course from one young quarterback to another in order to land a top prospect. The Arizona Cardinals just did and it is looking like a smart decision as they are 2-0 and tied atop the NFC West.
Atlanta Falcons (Currently 0-2)
The Atlanta Falcons have fallen short of expectations since their collapse in Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots. Every year there are high hopes and every year they don’t reach their potential. So far, this season looks to be the exact same.
At 0-2, the Falcons could be left with a difficult decision at the end of the season. They have weapons in the passing game with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Hayden Hurst and Russell Gage, but they still can’t seem to live up to the hype.
In week two they blew another big lead, falling to the Cowboys. Although Matt Ryan wasn’t the problem, this could be another one of the those culture change moves. If they end up with the top pick, then it will likely spell the end of Dan Quinn’s tenure in Atlanta and bring about a slew of changes.
Ryan is currently 35-years old and is one of the more expensive contracts in football. However, the Falcons could have an out with the deal, like Stafford and the Lions. Ryan would cause a lot of dead cap and Atlanta would have to wait another year for that loophole in his deal, but it would be worth it.
Lawrence would bring a new energy to the team and a lot of youth to the quarterback position as well. This could be along similar lines of the Chargers and Rivers parting ways, as Ryan still has a lot left to offer, but Atlanta might not be the place for him anymore, especially if they pick first in the 2021 NFL Draft and select Lawrence.