2021 Nfl Draft Grades For Every Round 1 Pick Loving Bears And Justin

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 5:37 PM

2021 nfl draft grades for every round 1 pick loving bears and justin

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.

But level of competition was obviously a factor, and Lance played just one game last year. If you’re a 49ers fan, you have to be excited about this pick after weeks of Mac Jones rumors. There are no guarantees. Only 42 percent of first-round quarterbacks over the past 10 years have made it to a second contract with the team that picked them. But Lance has smarts and athleticism and offers a huge upside. The 49ers’ goal now immediately becomes to maximize their chances of competing for a Super Bowl while Lance is on a rookie contract.

Grade: B+ Reaction: Matt Barrows' analysis Historically, NFL teams have not scouted the tight end position well. Among the 22 tight ends that have been selected in the first round over the last 20 years, only two have been All-Pro selections. Having said that, there’s reason to believe Pitts can be an exception. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, he ran a 4.4 40. Forget safeties and linebackers.

He was beating SEC corners one-on-one. Pitts has a high bar to clear to justify being picked so high, but his realistic best-case scenario is a blend of Darren Waller, Jimmy Graham and Travis Kelce. Given that he’s only 20 years old, it’s reasonable to think Pitts has plenty of room to grow. We’ll find out whether the Falcons had opportunities to trade back. If they did, that’s something they should have strongly considered. But if there weren’t attractive offers, taking Pitts is justifiable.

With Arthur Smith calling plays and Matt Ryan returning, the Falcons are positioned to field a top-five offense in 2020. Grade: B Reaction: Tori McElhaney's analysis The Chicago Bears welcomed seven new players to their roster this weekend during the 2021 NFL draft, including two of the top prospects in the draft class in quarterback Justin Fields and offensive tackle... While it's far too early to start evaluating this draft class before they've even hit the field, it's fair to wonder if, down the line, we might be looking back at this 2021 draft... Here's a round-up of all of our grades for each of the Bears' seven selections in the 2021 NFL draft. While Chicago gave up a decent haul — this year’s fifth-round selection, a first-round pick in 2022 and fourth-round pick in 2022 — it was necessary in order to get who many dubbed the...

Fields is everything you would want in a quarterback — he has a big arm, good accuracy, mobility, toughness and the kind of leadership that Matt Nagy wants in his quarterback. And with the right people in place — Nagy, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and veteran Andy Dalton — the hope is that Fields will develop into the Bears’ long-term franchise quarterback. The Chicago Bears' selection of Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017 backfired in a major way. However, while the NFL Draft can be cruel to some teams, it is also the best place for redemption. The Bears are hoping their big trade to get Justin Fields will be that redemption. Below are grades for Chicago's picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Some mock drafts had Fields going to the New York Jets second overall, with others pegging him to the San Francisco 49ers right after, but somehow Fields was available all the way down to... The Bears saw an opportunity to trade up and get a potential franchise quarterback in Fields. He is one of the safer picks in this draft and possesses many traits one looks for in a signal-caller. Fields is an accurate passer and even his deep balls land right in his receivers' hands. He is a terrific athlete with enough mobility to extend plays and has a strong arm. This selection is one of the best values in the entire draft.

The 2021 NFL draft is officially in the books, and the Chicago Bears came out of it with some great prospects, including their potential franchise quarterback in Justin Fields. General manager Ryan Pace was praised for his selections of Fields and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in the first two rounds, and Pace finished off Day 3 with some great value picks that have... Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bears’ draft class from various sports outlets and, spoiler alert, everyone thinks Chicago won this draft. The Bears have needed a playmaking quarterback for decades. Trading up to land Fields was well worth the price. Upgrading the offensive line was also a priority, so trading up for a player of Jenkins’ caliber at a reasonable price made sense.

Borom was a solid selection in the fifth round because of his pure power coming off the ball. He could work his way into a contributing role. Herbert will make plays as a rusher and receiver for the Bears as a rookie. Newsome is a solid late-round receiver who brings toughness and elusiveness rather than pure speed. Graham could be a good third or fourth corner in 2021. When Tonga plays low, his width and foot quickness make him a tough ask for offensive linemen.

What a move by the Bears, trading up for Justin Fields. I love the kid. You can read more of my thoughts in my post-Round 1 column, but this is a young quarterback with absolute star potential. Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace are under pressure, and they needed to make a big move to get a frustrated fan base off their back. The Mitchell Trubisky pick didn't work out, but Fields is going to be an upgrade. This makes them better in 2021 and beyond.

I have to give them a good grade here, even though they gave up some big-time picks (Nos. 20 and 164 this year, plus a first- and fourth-round pick in 2022) to move up. Elsewhere, Pace & Co. got an instant right tackle starter in Teven Jenkins (39), who I had pegged to the Bears in Round 1 in a couple of my mock drafts. It was a clear need for them, and they got him in the second round. Chicago's next pick wasn't until Round 5, but Larry Borom (151) is the type of swing tackle prospect that makes sense on Day 3.

Their other picks afterward were late-round grades for me. 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 How well did your team fare in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft? Sporting News has you covered in tracking all the picks and issuing grades beginning in real time Thursday night.

Going on the clock in Cleveland, the spotlight again is on the quarterbacks, starting with the first three picks. But there's plenty of franchise-changing talent at other positions both in terms of immediate impact and long-term shine. MORE 2021 NFL DRAFT:Full results | Winners & losers | Team-by-team grades The key questions to ask right away: Did the team get the right player at a position of need? Did it pass on someone else who could have been a better fit? Was the player it took worthy of that high of selection vs.

2021 Nfl Draft Grades For Every Round 1 Pick Loving Bears And Justin

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