Breaking the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class into tiers
In every draft, there seem to be quarterbacks who all the teams and draft analysis rank highly and give top draft grades. Then you have some passers who have a lot of talent, but still have some unknowns about them. Rounding out with some quarterbacks who may put up numbers, but have uncertainty that they can translate to the next level.
In the 2021 NFL Draft, we have some locks, some wildcard options who could make a splash in the league and some quarterbacks that will have to answer a lot of question marks through the draft process. With the trend of guys coming in and producing right away, here is a ranking of how the quarterbacks of the 2021 NFL Draft class stand up currently in the draft ranks.
The Locks
In the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class, there are two guys who really sit out and will most likely go one and two. First, there is maybe the most polished guy coming out of college since Andrew Luck in Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has been talked about being the guy that people want to watch on Sundays ever since he stepped onto the college football scene.
Lawrence obtains abilities on the football field that some would wish to have the factor of the talent and ability he posses while playing the game of football. Tank for Lawrence has been a thing ever since he has become eligible to enter the draft. Some former players have said publicly to the Clemson quarterback to stay another year to avoid the New York Jets and as reported by ESPN the man himself has also hinted about the possibility of staying.
Even with the worry of him going to the Jets and something similar to what happened to Joe Burrow would happen to him he would go number one in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence has great passing abilities from going long to having the ability to roll out and make passes on the run. Lawrence’s eyes are one of his best qualities in reading and faking defenses which is one of the many reasons why he is a lock as a top guy in the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class.
Another quarterback that would follow Lawrence if he was to put his name in the draft is Justin Fields. If it was not for Burrow having the season he did last year, Justin Fields might have taken home the Heisman Trophy last College Football season.
Fields have a unique dual-threat ability that many people do not obtain at the quarterback position. Fields does not have Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray speed, but he does have great feet and a lot of power standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 238 pounds.
A lot of people give him a comparison to a guy like Cam Newton because he has such a unique stature at the quarterback position. Although this is a somewhat fair comparison, a more fair comparison would be being a bigger Kordell Stewart. Fields does have a lot of ability to make plays with his feet, but he also has great arm talent that will translate well to the next level, making him a lock to go high in the 2021 NFL Draft
Wildcard Quarterbacks
In this year’s NFL Draft quarterback class there are two guys that stand out to a lot of teams and draft analysis that may a be high-risk type pick early in the draft. First, there is Zach Wilson, the BYU quarterback, that has flashed onto the scene as a potential high draft pick this year. There is a concern with him playing against low-end talent, similar to Jordan Love last year, but Wilson obtains a unique skill set that many teams might want to take a shot on in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Wilson has the ability to effectively roll out of the pocket and creates plays with his feet and also good enough arm strength and vision to stay in the pocket and deliver passes to his receivers. Zach Wilson is not flashy fast and will not beat many quicker defense players in a foot race but has nice mobile abilities and can make plays when he needs to.
Wilson is a quarterback who could be compared to a Dak Prescott, for his decent scrambling ability and good arm strength to make plays down the field. Wilson’s ability to make throws in unorthodox standings and angles is what makes him special and shows he has a lot of potential to play at the next level.
With a lot of praise for what he is doing on the field, where many have some concern is the quality of play he has faced at BYU. BYU is currently an Independent and does not play in a certain conference due to COVI-19, so the competition has not been one of SEC schools and other power five competitors. The same knock has been placed on the other quarterback in this tier of the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class.
Trey Lance, the quarterback out of North Dakota State, is another guy who is a wild card in this year’s quarterback class. Lance, similar to Zach Wilson, has great ability to make plays with his feet and some would say is the most mobile quarterback in this year’s draft class. Lance is a physical prospect standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 226 pounds. Lance a great athlete with a lot of promise at the quarterback position, although playing in the FCS has had some worried if he is up for competition.
Trey Lance played only one game where he threw for 149 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. Lance then decided to forgo the rest of the season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft, which many prospects have done because of the current pandemic our country is in.
Even though we will not be able to watch Lance for the rest of the year his 2019 season was a special one where he threw for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Lance has the talent to be an elite NFL quarterback and after the combine or guys deciding to go back for a year could rise in draft boards, but he still falls under the wild card tier for there is still a lot of questions to be asked before his name is called during the 2021 NFL Draft.
Question Marks
Every year with different quarterback classes there is a guy, in this class two, that many feel differently about whether they should be selected in the first round or they see them as overhyped. In a year with a lot of teams having quarterbacks who could retire at the end of the year, the chances of a late first-round quarterback or two being taken increases.
One guy who has recently came to form as a potential first-round guy is Kyle Trask from Florida. Trask has been putting up numbers this year, most notably his performance against Arkansas where he had five first-half touchdowns and ending the game with six. After Joe Burrow being projected a late-round draft choice the draft prior to him going number one, a lot of people have been saying Trask could be this year’s guy that was a later choice last year and a top guy this year.
Even though Trask has been throwing for multiple touchdowns a game and being considered to winning the Heisman Trophy this season he still has some question marks that need to be addressed.
Mobility stands out as an issue for Trask. He is not like Lance, Wilson, and Fields for he is a true pocket passer. Looking at the rookie quarterbacks that were mentioned earlier, they all have the scrambling ability and throw the ball well on the run. Trask does not have that capability and that is a big issue people see with him going high in the draft.
Another guy that has been putting up stats this season is Alabama’s quarterback Mac Jones. Like mentioned about Trask, Jones is another guy that did not have a lot of draft buzz last year, and now many saying he could be this year’s, Joe Burrow. Jones is making a case for the Heisman this year but has some question marks when it comes to drafting the passer out of Alabama.
Mac Jones is great between the ears and has very good decision making at quarterback. Jones is also gifted with very good arm talent and has proven to be a deep ball thrower at the college football level. Although when the pocket breaks and he has to improvise, that is where Mac Jones can be exposed.
Both Trask and Jones are interesting prospects that will be looked at being potentially taken in the first round of this draft. They do have a lot of boxes to fill on draft boards and arent as good of athletes as the guys ranked ahead of them. The question marks will be made about the guys deeper into the draft process.