2021 NFL Draft: Chris Simms unveils quarterback rankings

The 2021 NFL Draft has a very fun class of quarterback prospects, and seemingly nobody can agree on how to “rank” them.

Trevor Lawrence has long been the anticipated QB1 of this class, but that is apparently no consensus.

Some reports have come about that there is more than one NFL team that has BYU quarterback Zach Wilson as their QB1 of the 2021 NFL Draft, and that has since been substantiated by a number of analysts putting Wilson above Lawrence as the QB1 of this particular class.

Chris Simms, who has often had unconventional (and recently, mostly correct) quarterback rankings, put out his 2021 NFL Draft rankings at the QB position.

Perhaps more surprising than anything in Simms’ rankings here? The fact that he has Kellen Mond ranked ahead of Justin Fields and Trey Lance both.

That is sure to ruffle some feathers.

Over the course of the past few weeks, NFL analysts who have been studying the tape in preparation for draft season have really started coming around on Mac Jones, who had a good week at the Senior Bowl.

In fact, some hype started at the Senior Bowl about Jones going no later than 8th overall to the Carolina Panthers (the team that coached him in Mobile) in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Another former NFL quarterback based out of Denver, CO — Tim Jenkins — has been studying the 2021 NFL Draft crop of quarterbacks as well. His rankings are a near mirrored image of Simms’.

It is interesting that multiple former quarterbacks have Mac Jones as the QB3 of this particular class and that both have Trey Lance ranked below two guys who have been projected day 2-3 selections (Mond, Newman).

What Simms is ultimately saying with his ranking of Mond is not clear at this point. Does he think Mond is a first-round, top-10 caliber player? Or does he think that there is a substantial dropoff after Mac Jones or even after Trevor Lawrence?

The arguments among those on Twitter and in the NFL Draft community lately have centered around NFL trends and how the game has been moving towards the more mobile playmakers at the quarterback position as opposed to the traditional pocket passers.

There are so many different categories of player in that regard that it’s hard to know what anyone really means by that.

Lamar Jackson, for instance, has proven he can win as both a runner and passer, but he’s such a dynamic runner that the Ravens have built their offense around that and he has been incredibly efficient as a passer. Jackson and the Ravens have ranked 32nd in the NFL in pass attempts over the past two seasons, yet Jackson led the NFL in 2019 with 36 touchdown passes and 13th in the NFL in 2020 with 26.

Kyler Murray, by contrast, attempted 558 passes last season and used his dynamic speed as a threat in an offense that is clearly geared towards airing it out.

Justin Herbert has above average or better athletic traits by every metric, but he attempted nearly 600 passes in 15 starts, eighth-most in the league. He was still able to add five rushing touchdowns and used his mobility in a completely different way than someone like Lamar Jackson.

Joe Burrow, the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is much more of the traditional pocket passer who has to win by playing fast in the pocket rather than relying on superior athleticism to create when plays break down.

Josh Allen had major accuracy issues in his time at Wyoming and in his first two NFL seasons. He was able to help the Bills win games by being so effective as a runner, and in year three, things finally clicked for him in terms of being an efficient and accurate passer.

All of this goes to show — any young quarterback prospect needs to go to the situation where the coaching staff is not trying to make that player into someone they’re not. For far too long, NFL teams have tried to fit the square peg at quarterback into the round hole of their offense, and it has caused the discrepancy in quarterback play to be significant.

Now, all types of quarterbacks can be impactful at the next level, but what’s really in style right now is the toolsy, traits-oriented player. That doesn’t mean players like Mac Jones, Joe Burrow, or others can’t still succeed.

There is a baseline of athletic talent that you have to have to be able to play in the NFL, no question about it, but there should be a huge difference in quarterback rankings for the 2021 NFL Draft from all teams because every player can reach their maximum potential in different types of offenses.