2021 Nfl Draft Analysis And Grades For All 32 First Round Picks Aol

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 5:37 PM

2021 nfl draft analysis and grades for all 32 first round picks aol

The mock drafts are shelved. The speculation is over. We now know every pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and there are 32 new additions to the NFL family. Which teams pulled off the biggest steals, and which teams might want to re-think their choices? It’s always specious at best to grade draft picks right as they happen, but as a card-carrying member of the Draft Industrial Complex, I am obliged to do just that. Here’s how the top 32 picks in the 2021 NFL draft look, at least in one analyst’s eyes, with grades from me, and analysis from myself and Touchdown Wire colleague Mark Schofield.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson (A+) (David Platt/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports) With the first pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence, quarterback, Clemson. Analysis: A number of different comparisons have been thrown around for Lawrence. Some have gone as far as comparing him to Andrew Luck, given the expectations.

Others have made the Deshaun Watson comparison. The more I watched Lawrence over the past few months, the more I saw another quarterback: Justin Herbert. That might sound crazy, but if you look at Lawrence’s athleticism, arm talent and ability to attack leverage in the secondary, it looks somewhat similar to the peaks of Herbert during his time at... If you had said during this time last season that Lawrence and Herbert were comparable, someone would have said you were crazy. But now? Teams would take a rookie season from Lawrence similar to what Herbert did in a heartbeat.

Grade: A+. This is the move everybody knew was going to happen, and there are specific reasons for that. There isn’t anything Lawrence can’t do at the position, and he may be the most can’t-miss QB prospect since Andrew Luck. 2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU (A) The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft lived up to the hype.

We finally found out the San Francisco 49ers’ guy was Trey Lance, we witnessed multiple top 10 trades and a historic move by the Chicago Bears to go up and grab quarterback Justin Fields. Over at PFF's Live Draft Tracker that is also broadcasting our draft show (tune in a 6:00 p.m. EST tonight), we analyzed every single pick in real time and gave a grade for each selection. Here is a quick recap of all those instant reaction thoughts for all 32 first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft: R1 (1) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: QB TREVOR LAWRENCE, CLEMSON The Jaguars kick things off with the no-brainer decision to take Trevor Lawrence with the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft — a selection roughly five years in the making.

The 21-year-old produced three 90.0-plus season grades at Clemson, starting with a breakout true freshman campaign in which he led the Tigers to a national championship. R1 (2) NEW YORK JETS: QB ZACH WILSON, BYU Want to know what I think of every pick made Thursday in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft? You can find it all below. You can also follow along throughout the rest of the draft on Days 2 and 3 for more grades and more analysis. Be sure to refresh this page throughout the weekend to get the latest grades.

If you want to do all that plus track the best available prospects and get access to every pick in the draft on one page, you can in our draft tracker. Grades: Round 1 • Round 2 • Round 3 • Round 4 • Round 5 • Round 6 • Round 7 Lawrence will change the dynamic of this franchise for the next decade. They will win a Super Bowl. I like him as a player, but I would have taken Justin Fields in this spot. Fields will be a better quarterback.

The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is in the books, but how does our team at Pro Football Network grade the selections in Round 1? Let’s take a look through the first round and see how the Pro Football Network team treated all of the first-round selections. This pick has been virtually written in for the Jacksonville Jaguars since the end of the 2020 NFL season. Trevor Lawrence is the epitome of a “can’t miss prospect.” Lawrence combines size with deceptive athleticism, providing a unique dual-threat. He brings arm strength, accuracy, and football intelligence to the Jaguars’ offense. After trading Sam Darnold earlier this offseason, the New York Jets were always likely to take a quarterback in this spot.

As the 2021 NFL Draft grew closer, it became extremely likely that Zach Wilson would be the pick. The Jets fill a key need with a player who can make “wow” throws and is superb with his ball placement. After trading up to the third overall pick, it was always set to be a QB for the San Francisco 49ers. Trey Lance is a fascinating selection, given the upside he possesses. Lance has phenomenal arm talent and mobility to succeed at the position and will elevate the offense around him. The selection of Kyle Pitts to the Atlanta Falcons gives us the fourth of our A grades in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Pitts has risen to the top non-QB for many analysts due to his uniqueness as a prospect. He can line up all over the offense and provides the Falcons with a terrifying pass-catching group alongside Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. The only concern here is the positional value of adding a tight end over securing their future at QB. The 2021 NFL draft is officially underway, and we've got you covered with instant grades and analysis for every first-round pick. Keep it locked here for our live breakdowns of every pick Thursday night: Lawrence has been destined for this pick for three years, and he's lived up to the hype all along the way.

The Jaguars have a more talented roster than you might expect from a team picking No. 1 overall, and they have multiple premium picks this year to keep building around Lawrence. He's the best quarterback prospect we've seen in a while, and that makes him the no-brainer pick here. We knew this pick was going to be a quarterback, and if you watch a highlight reel of Wilson, it's easy to see why the Jets fell in love with his potential. Wilson can make some fantastic plays with his ability to create when the play breaks down, but consistency was an issue, even against inferior competition. Getting a franchise quarterback is important, but with Justin Fields still on the board, it's hard to feel like the Jets picked the wrong one.

The first surprise of the draft, but it shouldn't be. Lance is a dynamic talent who can beat opposing defenses with impressive arm talent as well as top-level athleticism. He's still a work in progress, but considering how good he already is, that's good news for the 49ers. He can sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo until he's ready, and he might have the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class, including Trevor Lawrence. I still would have taken Justin Fields, but Lance is a much better choice than Mac Jones. Taking a look at the best Week 11 NFL Survivor Pool Picks, including the Baltimore Ravens.

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Welcome to our pick-by-pick first-round grades of the 2021 NFL Draft. From Trevor Lawrence to Kyle Pitts to DeVonta Smith, we analyzed all 32 selections as the action unfolded Thursday night. For those of you who think we should wait a few years before grading the picks, we disagree. NFL teams have to make decisions under uncertainty. So we should evaluate them based on what we know at the time of the pick. The grades below will reflect not only the quality of the prospects but also the process — in other words, whether it's a wise use of resources given the state of the franchise.

Having said that, feel free to report me to Old Takes Exposed in a couple years when these look foolish. Now let's get to it. There’s no guarantee that Lawrence will be the best quarterback in this class. But he has every physical trait — size, arm, athleticism — that a team could ask for. The ceiling for Lawrence is a top-five quarterback who consistently has Jacksonville in the playoffs. The Jaguars, though, need to prove they have the organizational framework in place to help Lawrence succeed.

Having finished above .500 just once in the last 13 years, Jacksonville’s fortunes now rest on Urban Meyer finding a way to maximize Lawrence’s potential. Grade: A Reaction: Andy Staples' analysis The best version of Wilson is a quarterback who breaks the will of opposing defenses with his improvisational skills and ability to make plays outside of structure. He was not a top-50 prospect entering the fall but turned in an impressive 2020 campaign, completing 73.5 percent of his passes with 33 touchdowns and three interceptions. The upside is obvious, but the Jets are taking a gamble on someone who did not face any Power 5 competition last season. There are legitimate questions about whether Wilson’s playing style will translate against NFL athletes.

Jets GM Joe Douglas has been patient thus far. This pick will define his tenure in New York one way or another. Grade: B- Reaction: Connor Hughes' analysis He’s legitimately one of the most difficult quarterback evaluations of all-time. Lance (6-foot-4, 224) has the size and athleticism teams covet. During his one full season as a starter, he threw 28 touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 scores as a 19-year-old.

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