It was a wild first round of the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland, Ohio. Five quarterbacks were taken in the first 15 picks and three draft-day trades were made, including a rare interdivisional move.
As the dust settles and teams gear up for the remaining 6 rounds, let’s take a look at three of the winners from day one of the NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears
Did the Chicago Bears actually draft a franchise quarterback? It’s been a long time since the Jim McMahon era came to a close in the Windy City. After failing with Rex Grossman, Jay Cutler, Mitch Trubisky, and a handful of other quarterbacks, Bears fans finally have a guy under center they can rally around.
The Bears were in a tough spot at No. 20, clearly out of range of the drafts top five quarterbacks, but with Justin Fields still on the board later than expected, the Bears jumped at the opportunity to move up to No. 11 to nab the Ohio State product. Fields has all the tools to be the centerpiece of the franchise for the next decade and beyond. He’s extremely accurate, throws the ball with great velocity, and has the build (6-3, 228) to put up with the pounding he’ll take in the NFL.
The Bears front office and head coach Matt Nagy are on thin ice, and this pick buys them a little time. If they can develop Fields correctly, he has a chance to be an above average starter in the NFL for years to come.
New York Jets
Now that we’re discussing NFL teams that can’t seem to find a quarterback … how about them Jets? General Manager Joe Douglas had his choice between Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance with the second overall pick. Wilson was rumored to be the pick for the past few months as his raw talent jumps off the page and his ability to throw receivers open is widely desired throughout the league.
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The Jets offense finished last in points and yards in 2020. New offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur will be tasked with developing Wilson and putting him in a position to succeed with plenty of play-action passes.
When you draft a quarterback in the first round, the next step is making sure you have an offensive line that won’t get your young quarterback killed. Douglas, armed with a plethora of picks, moved up in the first round to draft guard Alijah Vera-Tucker at No. 14. New York was awful in pass protection in 2020 — 29th in sack percentage, 31st in pressure percentage, and 29th in pass-block win rate — and Vera-Tucker will immediately improve those numbers.
Douglas and first year head coach Robert Saleh are building something in New York.
New England Patriots
With apologies to all the New England haters out there, the Patriots win again. After a painful first season without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick — with some help from the draft god’s — has his quarterback of the future.
The past few months have been filled with speculation that New England would move up to draft a quarterback. And then they didn’t have to.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones fell right into the waiting arms of Patriots brass in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Jones seems like the perfect candidate to replace Brady. He completed 77.4% of his passes in his junior season at Alabama, and he comes from a Belichick disciple in Nick Saban. As expected, Belichick didn’t give much away when asked where Jones will fit in next year, but there’s no doubt he’s the quarterback of the future.
“Cam’s our quarterback. Whatever time Jarrett or Mac are ready to challenge and compete, then we’ll see how that goes,” Belichick said.
Atlanta Falcons
Head coach Arthur Smith and the Falcons had a decision to make — draft the heir apparent to Matt Ryan, or take the best player available on the board. The Falcons chose the latter, and fans in Atlanta should be celebrating.
The Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick, making him the highest drafted tight end in the common draft era.
“I’m definitely humbled and it’s a dream come true to even get drafted and to be top five,” Pitts said. “That’s something special, and the first tight end ever [taken] that high — I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m just elated with joy. I can’t even put into words how excited I am.”
Pitts will be added to an already loaded pass-catching unit in Atlanta, including Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.