2021 NFL Draft Round 1 Liveblog

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: April 29, 2021

Hello, and welcome to Good If It Goes’ coverage of the 2021 NFL Draft!

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

Lawrence is the closest thing to a sure thing you’ll see in an NFL Draft. Lawrence can make all the throws and has good mobility. His play is reminiscent of Andrew Luck.

2. New York Jets – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

The top QB on my board, Wilson’s play reminds me of another former Cougar signal caller: Steve Young. Wilson has excellent mobility and isn’t afraid to make plays with his legs. He possesses strong improvisational skills and is Patrick Mahomes-like in his ability to make throws from all over the field.

3. San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

Lance has an extremely high ceiling; think Cam Newton, but with even better athleticism. He’ll need some time to develop coming not only from an FCS offense, but one where he averaged fewer than 20 passing attempts per game.

4. Atlanta Falcons – Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

The best tight end prospect I’ve seen in my years following the draft, Pitts is an excellent receiver whose tape features a bunch of impressive plays. If there’s a knock on him, it’s that his blocking could use some work.

5. Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

The number one overall player on my board, Chase was outstanding as part of the 2019 National Champion LSU Tigers. He’s a true gamebreaking receiver.

6. Miami Dolphins – Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

Waddle was playing great football before a knee injury derailed his 2020 season. He made it back for the national championship game and should be his old self in the NFL.

7. Detroit Lions – Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

A 2020 opt-out, Sewell has all the tools necessary to be a star in this league for the next decade-plus.

8. Carolina Panthers – Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

Horn, the son of forner pro, Joe Horn, is an aggressive press man corner with the ability to be disruptive in the passing game. He’ll need to clean up his penalties, though.

9. Denver Broncos – Patrick Surtain II

Surtain, the son of take a guess who, possesses great instincts and is also a willing tackler.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (Trade from Dallas) – DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

The Heisman Trophy winner, Smith not only possesses great speed, but also great route-running skills.

11. Chicago Bears (Trade from New York Giants) – Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

Fields looked incredibly impressive at times during at Ohio State, never more so than when he nuked Clemson in the playoffs with an injured back. However, he struggled a bit against the more complex defenses he faced, like Northwestern. So the question is – which guy is he?

12. Dallas Cowboys (Trade from Philadelphia) – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

Parsons has great size and is very strong against the run. He’s got quality coverage skills as well.

13. Los Angeles Chargers – Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

Slater opted out of the 2020 season, but prior to that, was a dominant pass protector.

14. New York Jets (Trade from Minnesota) – Alijah Vera-Tucker, IOL, USC

Your author evaluated Vera-Tucker as a guard, but it’s not out of the question that he could play tackle as well. The Trojan product is a strong run blocker, but has a tendency to play a little top-heavy.

15. New England Patriots – Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

Jones put up very impressive numbers this past season at Alabama. It’s fair to wonder, though, how much of that was a result of the talent around him. Your author asserts that the answer there is “a lot.” Jones reads the field well and is an accurate passer, but has limited athleticism and a low ceiling.

16. Arizona Cardinals – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

Collins is a big linebacker with impressive speed for a man his size. He’s a punishing run defender who can also hold his own in coverage.

17. Las Vegas Raiders – Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama

Leatherwood came into Alabama with a ton of hype and showed flashes of his tremendous potential at times. Now it’s a matter of getting him to be that guy all the time, because while at times he was great, at others, he didn’t finish blocks.

18. Miami Dolphins – Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami

Phillips has great size, but needs to get better at using it.

19. Washington Football Team – Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky

Davis has the athleticism to play sideline-to-sideline, but needs to improve his strength at the point of attack.

20. New York Giants (Trade from Chicago) – Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida

Toney is a dynamic threat – get the ball in his hands and let him go to work.

21. Indianapolis Colts – Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

Paye brings freakish athleticism with good size and is strong in both the run and passing games.

22. Tennessee Titans – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

Farley would be the top CB on my board were it not for a history of back injuries, as back injuries tend to be nagging problems for guys. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a star. He’s got great instincts and ball skills.

23. Minnesota Vikings (Trade from New York Jets) – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Darrisaw has all the physical tools you want to see in an offensive tackle, but his technique could use some work.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

Harris is a smart runner, who this year, really displayed his ability as a receiver out of the backfield.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

Etienne has great top-end speed and big-play potential. He’s also a strong receiver out of the backfield. Very reminiscent of Alvin Kamara.

26. Cleveland Browns – Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern

Newsome is adept at both man and zone coverage. He may be the best zone CB in this draft.

27. Baltimore Ravens – Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota

Bateman is a strong route-runner, but not the home run threat some of the other guys in this class are.

28. New Orleans Saints – Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston

Turner wasn’t on my board at all. You can move him around the line, which is nice, but hardly worth this pick.

29. Green Bay Packers – Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia

Stokes is impressive physically and it’s easy to see why Green Bay likes him, but he needs to improve his technique in the NFL or he’s going to get called for a ton of penalties. He needs to get stronger against the run as well.

30. Buffalo Bills – Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami

Rousseau is an excellent run defender and has the tools to be a great pass rusher, but needs to improve his technique. He’s also big enough to kick inside on passing downs.

31. Baltimore Ravens – Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State

Oweh has all the physical tools, but needs to improve his technique.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Joe Tryon, EDGE, Washington

Tryon has some strong pass rushing moves, but needs to improve his play against the run. I’m surprised he was the pick here and not Azeez Ojulari.

That concludes round one. Thanks to everyone who watched the livestream and followed along on the liveblog.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

NFL Draft