Although the football world has been relatively quiet since the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in February, the NFL took center stage for the highly anticipated 2021 NFL draft. Headlined by rare offensive talents like Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence and BYU QB Zach Wilson, this draft seemed to be one of the most loaded classes in recent history, as there was incredible talent at every position. While the first two picks went as expected, with Lawrence going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Wilson going second to the New York Jets, there were many question marks surrounding the third pick, as the 49ers traded up into that spot with no clear selection. 

The 49ers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL, but had their season spoiled due to injuries of many of their biggest stars, such as defensive end Nick Bosa’s season-ending torn ACL and tight end George Kittle’s broken foot. Despite all the talent on their roster, many believe their main position of need was a QB, as their starter Jimmy Garappolo has struggled despite his Super Bowl appearance in the previous year. There were multiple ways San Francisco could have gone here, with multiple viable options on the board, but they rolled the dice and went with North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. Lance is an incredible athlete, but has struggled with injury in the past, as he started only one game in his final season. This is one of the most intriguing storylines in the entire draft, as the Niners traded multiple first round picks to move up to select him, so it will be very interesting to see how his career shakes out.

Along with the top three picks, there were two more potential starting QBs selected in the first round. Ohio State standout QB Justin Fields fell to 11th overall, where he was scooped up by the Chicago Bears as they traded up with the New York Giants, who have a solid core but were in desperate need of a quarterback. They are hopeful that Fields will turn out better than the last QB they took in the first round, as second overall pick in the first round of the 2017 draft Mitchell Trubisky turned out to be a major bust and is now a backup in Buffalo. The remaining QB taken in the first round was national champion Mac Jones from Alabama, as the Patriots selected him 15th overall. Although they have Cam Newton, he was very disappointing last year and is not in their long-term plans. The Patriots were by far the busiest team in free agency, signing many weapons — such as TEs Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry and WR Nelson Agholor — along with new elite defensive players like LB Matthew Judon. Despite many believing a rebuild was looming, it appears that Belichick and New England are hoping to get themselves back into the playoffs after the departure of Tom Brady, and they are optimistic that Jones can help them do so. 

The quarterbacks this year were one of the main stories heading into the draft, but they certainly were not the only one. As mentioned, this year’s talent was spread out all across the board. Another area with some of the most elite talent was wide receivers, as there were three taken in the top 10 along with a generational tight end talent. Although he went fourth overall to the Falcons, many experts believe that Florida tight end Kyle Pitts was one of the top two prospects in this year’s class, along with Trevor Lawrence, as he has a rare combination of size, speed and skill that has never been seen before. With star wide receiver Julio Jones rumored to be on his way out of Atlanta, Pitts will be a more than viable option to fill this role, as he will line up alongside breakout star Calvin Ridley as a new 1-2 punch for the Falcons. 

Along with Pitts, the three wide receivers who went in the first round were also all very unique in their own ways. The fifth pick in the draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Jamarr Chase, could very well be one of the best receiving prospects the NFL has ever seen. He was absolutely huge as a sophomore playing alongside now Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson in LSU’s 2019 national championship run, but sadly we did not get to see him this last season, as he opted out of the year and focused on preparing for the league. The good news, however, is that we get to see him reunited with his old college QB and the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, Joe Burrow. The next receiver, Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle, is the fastest in the class and could be one of the fastest in the entire league. Taken by the Dolphins at sixth, Miami looks to have found an elite number one receiver to pair with QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft. Although he never ran the 40-yard dash at the combine due to a foot injury, coaches believe he is just as fast or faster than former teammate Henry Ruggs, who ran the dash in a near record 4.27 seconds.

Eagles fans could not have been happier with how the draft went, or at least the first round, as they got the player they have been wanting and the biggest team need, Alabama wide receiver, national champion and Heisman winner, Devonta Smith. In a trade with Dallas, Philly leapfrogged the Giants in order to get their guy, and the city finally found its new wide receiver number one. Although he is undersized, Smith appears to have the makings of a generational talent at the position due to his production in college, and all Eagles fans should be ecstatic to watch him go to work this upcoming season. 

One under-the-radar position in this class really thrived was offensive linemen. Headlined by Oregon tackle Penei Sewell, who was selected seventh by the Detroit Lions, there were five total linemen taken in the first round who will all look to make an immediate impact with their new teams. The final offensive position that had a lot of potential in this class was the running backs. While they might’ve been the weakest of them all, they still had some great talent, like Steelers first round pick Najee Harris from Alabama and Jaguars other first round pick Travis Etienne from Clemson. Etienne played with Lawrence at Clemson for three seasons, and the two developed some great chemistry that should be fun to watch in the NFL. 

While the main spotlight was on the offense this year, there was some great defensive talent as well, specifically in the secondary. The cornerbacks this year were probably the best defensive position, as it contained players such as South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, who was selected eight by the Panthers, and Alabama’s Pat Surtain II, who was taken with the very next pick by the Broncos. Both children of incredible former players (WR Joe Horn and CB Patrick Surtain Sr., respectively), these two appear to be excellent shutdown corners that should make instant impacts on their respective teams. Additionally, there were some solid linebackers as well as edge rushers this year, as seven were selected in the first round. Of all those selected, the earliest choice and perhaps the most exciting is Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, who went 12th to Dallas. Parsons decided to opt out of his final college season, similar to Jamarr Chase, to train for the draft, and if he’d played he could have been a top five pick. This speedy linebacker could definitely be someone to keep an eye on for the 2021 defensive rookie of the year. 

Many fans stop watching by the middle of the first round, but it often turns out that many of the great players from every draft are taken in later rounds. This year should be no different, as there was an extremely deep draft. I believe there were many steals in either late rounds or just players that should have gone earlier than they did in early rounds, and that is the case with my first sleeper, Greggory Rousseau. 

Taken 30th overall by Buffalo, he appears to be in the perfect situation, as he fills a position of need for one of the best teams and defenses in the league. For a long time, he was regarded as a top 10 pick, but his draft stock fell as he opted out of Miami’s season and many other edge risers surpassed him on draft boards. Despite this, he is still extremely talented and is someone to look out for to surprise some people. 

My second one is the most obvious of the draft to those who watched it, being Jeremiah Owusu- Korammoah, who fell to pick 52nd before the Browns traded up to get him. Going into the draft, he was a surefire first rounder if healthy, but a heart condition caused him to drop on teams’ boards. If he can stay on the field, I believe he will show why he should have been a first round pick.

There are many more, but the final steal I am going to cover is USC receiver Amon-ra St. Brown, who fell to the Lions in round four. In college, St. Brown showed out for the Trojans, scoring seven TDs and nearly 500 yards in just six games. With Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. out of Detroit, the Lions are desperate for weapons and Amon-ra may be able to be a day one starter that can make an immediate impact. 

There are many more great players I did not cover, as the 2021 draft class looks primed to do great things next season. The draft is always one of the most exciting days of the year for football fans, and this one did not disappoint with the mixture of trades, surprise picks and amazing talent on the board. This class could shake up the entire league in the future, as well as provide certain teams with that push they need to win it all. I will certainly be watching to see what many of these players can bring to their teams, as will many other football fans, and cannot wait to see the biggest steals, busts and best players that came out of this year’s draft.