NFL Draft Round One Review
The first round of the 2021 NFL draft is now complete and one thing for sure is that it didn’t disappoint ! Plenty of teams trading up to get their guy and other teams trading back to stock pile picks in their draft arsenal.
Last night was the biggest night of many young men’s lives after getting drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Whilst for us mere mortals it was the end of the draft smokescreens and endless mock drafts.
Below we review each team’s picks, in brackets are the players that I predicted to go to that specific team before drafts were made.
Jaguars pick Trevor Lawrence QB ( Trevor Lawrence )
Jacksonville did what everyone expected them to do by taking the best player in the draft and what they hope will be their franchise QB for the next 10 years. Since High School the general consensus is that he would go number one with him being a generational talent.
Jets pick Zach Wilson QB ( Zach Wilson )
The Jets decided to have a fresh start at QB after moving on from Sam Darnold, the uber athletic playmaker who will team up with the new head coach who will be salivating at the potential effect this will have on his team.
49ers pick Trey Lance QB ( Justin Fields )
This pic will turn out to be the most pivotal personnel decision in Kyle Shanahan’s coaching career after the capital it took to go get Lance. If it works out and Trey develops similar to how they expect they will be Superbowl contenders and Lance will be a superstar.
Falcons pick Kyle Pitts QB ( Penei Sewell )
Falcons are going all in with veteran QB Matt Ryan by getting him a potentially dominant pass catching TE. Kyle Pitts comes out of the draft drawing comparisons towards one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Darren Waller.
Bengals pick JaMarr Chase WR ( JaMarr Chase )
Cinci went and got their young QB Joe Burrow his number one target from LSU where they went 15–0 and won a national title. These two need to hit the ground where they left off in college to bring the Bengals back into relevance in a stacked division.
Dolphins pick Jaylen Waddle WR ( RaShawn Slater )
After rumours that the Fins might go and get a QB in this draft they silence them by surrounding Tua with weapons. It seems as though it was between Waddle and fellow Alabama WR DeVonta Smith who went after Chase.
Lions pick Penei Sewell T ( Micah Parsons )
The Lions will have been surprised to see the physical specimen that is Penei Sewell fell down to them at 7. It’s a pick that undoubtedly will sure up the O-Line in front of new QB Jared Goff and should open up huge holes for his RB nightly.
Panthers pick Jaycee Horn CB ( Kyle Pitts )
Carolina needed to improve on what was once a dominant Super Bowl worthy defense, they stayed in state by getting Horn. Explosive athlete that will if developed correctly turn into a true dominant lockdown corner.
Broncos Patrick Surtain II CB ( Patrick Surtain II )
As you would expect from the son of a former NFL player Patrick Comes out of the draft a very polished cover corner. Has all the noise of an NFL vet with the only concerns been his lack of elite athleticism.
Eagles pick DeVonta Smith WR ( Jaylen Waddle )
One thing for certain is that the Eagles won’t be boring on offense next year with the Smith and Hurts combo. If Smith can add 10 pounds or so of muscle to protect his frame he could be as dangerous as Tyreek Hill.
Bears pick Justin Fields QB ( Alijah Vera Tucker )
Chicago traded up for their guy after the Mitch Trubisky era didn’t work out, in my
opinion he is the second best QB in this draft behind Lawrence. Fields has excelled against elite competition, don’t be shocked to see Fields lifting the rookie of the year award come the end of next year.
Cowboys pick Micah Parsons LB ( Jaycee Horn )
Dallas are loaded on offense but are held back by their defense, after veteran Shaun Lee retired they got his replacement in the best LB in the draft in Micah Parsons.
Chargers pick RaShawn Slater T ( Greg Newsome II )
The Chargers have seemingly always been in need of significant improvement in their O-Line, especially now they have reigning rookie of the year Justin Herbert. I had Slater ranked as my number one tackle in the draft.
Jets pick Alijah Vera Tucker G ( J.O Koramoah )
The Jets trade back up into the top 15 to get their shiny new QB some much needed protection. Ultra versatile player who is just as happy at tackle as well as guard.
Patriots select Mac Jones QB ( Devonta Smith )
Bill gets his next QB in arguably one of the most divisive players in the draft though no fault of his own. We all know what happens when the Pats have a solid field general who is equally accurate as smart.
Cardinals pick Zaven Collins LB ( Christian Barmore )
Arizona seems content with what they have on offense but they were let down by the once solid defense at times last year. Very versatile player who can line up in a number of areas and can fill many roles.
Raiders pick Alex Leatherwood OT ( Caleb Farley )
Seen as a reach by some analysts but the Raiders needed to get help on the O-Line they picked their highest rated tackle in the draft. Looks set to be a solid starter in the pro’s.
Dolphins pick Jaelen Philips E ( Rashad Bateman )
Miami adds a pure athlete in the sack artist that is Jaelen Phillips, after going offense earlier in the first round they improve on the other side of the ball with this pick.
Washington pick Jamin Davis LB ( Trey Lance )
Turnover machine whether its interceptions of fumbles, Davis is the athletic playmaker that this defense was crying out for.
Giants pick Kadarius Toney WR ( Christian Darrisaw )
The New York Giants traded back in the draft and they picked up the Florida WR at 20, Toney is an exceptional athlete with elite stop and start route running and speed.
Colts pick Kwity Paye E ( Kwity Paye )
Indianapolis got arguably the best all round athlete in the draft, hasn’t lived up to his potential as of yet but if he does this pick will be looked back at as a steal.
Titans pick Caleb Farley CB ( Asante Samuel JR )
Another pick that may well be looked at as a steal in years to come after Caleb fell in the draft due to injury concerns. The Titans secondary needs a ball hawk and they get this in Farley.
Vikings pick Christian Darrisaw T ( Trevon Moehrig )
Another team who seems to have always needed improvement on the O-Line, when protected Kirk Cousins is an elite QB and they hope this will go some way to bring this to fruition.
Steelers pick Najee Harris RB ( Walker Little )
The Steelers have a history of having top tier running backs in recent history with the likes of James Connor and Le’Veon Bell. Harris is the best RB in this year’s draft and will bring instant production to Pittsburgh.
Jaguars pick Travis Etienne RB ( Teven Jenkins )
Jacksonville doubled down on Clemson offensive players in the first round by giving Lawrence his college running back. Big play machine who will be on many highlight reels this season.
Browns pick Greg Newsome II CB ( Jayson Oweh )
The Browns secondary gave up too many points last year and was in need of fresh impetus, they got this in the Northwestern cornerback who is about as polished as a corner comes out of college.
Ravens pick Rashod Bateman WR ( Elijah Moore )
One thing that was made clear during the bigger games of last season was that Lamar Jackson was in dire need of weapons. The Ravens add this in Bateman who is a true number one receiver.
Saints pick Payton Turner DE ( Terrace Marshall JR )
Payton is not the finished product by any means but has all the skills needed to be successful in the NFL. None stop motor who will out effort his way into sacks in his first year.
Packers pick Eric Stokes CB ( Nick Bolton )
The Packers pick could have been very different this year with franchise legend Aaron Rodgers saying he’s not coming back to play QB. But he is there for now and they address a need on defense in CB.
Buffalo pick Greg Rousseau E ( Jaelen Phillips )
Long and rangy pass rusher who has drawn comparisons to the NFL veteran Jason Pierre Paul. He will be a valuable asset if he realises his potential in Buffalo.
Ravens pick Jayson Oweh E ( Dillon Radunz )
Baltimore inherited this pick from the Orlando Brown trade with Kansas City. Comes out of college as a five star recruit but needs to hone his craft as a pass rusher.
Bucs pick Joe Tyron E ( Elijah Molden )
With the final pick in the first round the Bucs get another pass rusher to go along with their already impressive pass rush.
