5 quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
#1 William Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) \u2013 Jacksonville Jaguars<\/p>\n
#2 Zachary Wilson (BYU) \u2013 New York Jets<\/p>\n
#3 Trey Lance (North Dakota State) \u2013 SF 49ers (via trade with Miami Dolphins)<\/p>\n
#11 Justin Fields (Ohio State) \u2013 Chicago Bears (via trade with NY Giants)<\/p>\n
#15 Michael \u201cMac\u201d Jones (Alabama) \u2013 New England Patriots<\/p>\n
NFL team fan bases are very optimistic when a quarterback is drafted in the first round but history tells us when 4 or more quarterbacks are drafted in the first round, 1 maybe 2 will pan out.\u00a0 This draft will be no exception.\u00a0 Before I examine whether I believe Trey Lance was the right choice in this year\u2019s draft, let\u2019s look at the previous drafts this has happened over the last 22 seasons.<\/p>\n
2020 – Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s too early to put a stamp on this draft class but judging by last year, Justin Herbert looks like the cream of the crop.\u00a0 Herbert was supposed to be the unquestioned first QB taken a year before this draft took place but Joe Burrow put together an historic season at LSU and thus got drafted #1 overall.<\/p>\n A lot of people like Joe Burrow but I don\u2019t trust his offensive line to keep him upright nor any QB for that matter playing for the worst coaching staff in football in an incompetent organization like the Cincinnati Bengals.<\/p>\n The Miami Dolphins defense is solid and they have new toys on offense, if Tua doesn\u2019t break out this year the Dolphins will need to find a new QB. Not only would I never draft a QB from Alabama as long as they are a powerhouse under Nick Saban but I\u2019ve always had questions about Tua coming out of college.\u00a0 I\u2019m stating it now, if the Dolphins want to reach their full potential, Tua isn\u2019t the right person to lead them.<\/p>\n Jordan Love is not a starting NFL QB, not now, not ever.\u00a0 I will never understand how Green Bay screwed up this first round pick by opting to get a QB instead of more help for Aaron Rodgers.<\/p>\n 2018 – Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cleveland Browns chances to win games are higher the less Baker Mayfield throws the football, let that sink in.<\/p>\n Sam Darnold hasn\u2019t been the same since he had mononucleosis.\u00a0 The Carolina Panthers could be his last chance to prove he\u2019s a starting NFL QB.<\/p>\n Josh Allen improved significantly last season throwing the football and has the highest ceiling out of all the QB\u2019s in this draft.<\/p>\n Josh Rosen has been in the NFL 3 seasons, he\u2019s now on his 5th team. \u00a0This has to be unprecedented because I don\u2019t know of any QB drafted in the 1st round that\u2019s been on 5 teams in 3 years.<\/p>\n Lamar Jackson needs to improve throwing the football especially on timing routes because right now it looks like Lamar Jackson has peaked and I\u2019ve never seen a QB run their way to Super Bowls.\u00a0 The significant games the Baltimore Ravens have lost the last 2 seasons the opposing teams have all used the same formula.\u00a0 Force Lamar Jackson to make rhythmic timing throws consistently to keep the chains moving.<\/p>\n 2012 – Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden<\/strong><\/p>\n Andrew Luck was a special talent but injuries derailed his career.\u00a0 Like David Carr and the Houston Texans, Luck was drafted by a team that didn\u2019t have the right coach or GM and thus didn\u2019t protect him.<\/p>\n When asked about my opinion on Robert Griffin III when he was drafted I said he would be irrelevant in 5 years.\u00a0 I was wrong, it was 4 years. Small QB\u2019s that need to run to be successful don\u2019t last long in the NFL.<\/p>\n Ryan Tannehill\u2019s career will continue to be overrated as long as Derrick Henry is playing with him.\u00a0 If Henry gets injured and Tannehill has to carry the team, everyone will remember why the Miami Dolphins didn\u2019t want him.<\/p>\n Brandon Weeden\u2019s talent shouldn\u2019t have been drafted in the 1st round\u20262nd round\u20263rd round…4th round\u20265th round\u2026 If you don\u2019t remember or don’t know who drafted him, the Cleveland Browns.<\/p>\n 2004 – Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and J.P. Losman<\/strong><\/p>\n I know most people have Eli Manning in the Hall of Fame because he won 2 Super Bowls against the Patriots and of course his last name is Manning.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think Eli is Hall-of-Famer mainly because he played 16 seasons and only won playoff games in 2 seasons\u2026the seasons he had very good defenses and therefore won the Super Bowl both seasons.<\/p>\n Rivers is better than Eli Manning in my opinion and should be a Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n \u2026..Roethlisberger too.<\/p>\n J.P. Losman is not worth talking about.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know who he is don\u2019t feel bad because I\u2019m sure Buffalo Bills fans forgot him too.<\/p>\n 2003 – Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller and Rex Grossman<\/strong><\/p>\n Carson Palmer played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a coincidence he only won 1 playoff game in a 14-year career.<\/p>\n Byron Leftwich will be best known for being carried to the line of scrimmage by his offensive lineman while in college at Marshall and being the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.\u00a0 Notice I didn\u2019t mention any highlights of him doing anything in actual games.<\/p>\n Kyle Boller was just a guy with a big strong arm\u2026.<\/p>\n Rex Grossman threw one of best looking footballs ever by any QB in history, it just wasn\u2019t accurate.<\/p>\n 1999 \u2013 Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Daunte Culpepper and Cade McNown<\/strong><\/p>\n Tim Couch is one of many terrible QB choices by the Cleveland Browns. His career lasted 5 seasons, all with the Browns.<\/p>\n Donovan McNabb\u2019s career turned out better than expected because he had Andy Reid for 11 of his 13 seasons.<\/p>\n Akili Smith was drafted #3 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.\u00a0 Stats for his 4-year career:\u00a0 5 TD\u2019s 13 INT\u2019s.<\/p>\n Daunte Culpepper had some early success when Cris Carter and Randy Moss were his wide receivers.\u00a0 Everything went downhill when he didn\u2019t play with these players. \u00a0This guy was 6\u20195\u201d 260 pounds and fumbled 102 times in his career from the QB position.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how that\u2019s possible.\u00a0 He lost 39 of those fumbles.<\/p>\n Cade McNown went from UCLA to a 2-year career with the Chicago Bears to out of the NFL.<\/p>\n As you can see, when so many quarterbacks are drafted in the 1st round, the odds are slim that 2 of the quarterbacks will pan out. Due to past history and being a die-hard 49er fan I understand why a lot of people asked me who the 49ers should select with the 3rd overall pick.\u00a0 My answer to each and every person through text, phone conversation or in-person without hesitation was Trey Lance.\u00a0 Here are 7 reasons why:<\/p>\n 1) Draft capital<\/strong> \u2013 An NFL team should only give up 3 1st<\/sup> round picks and a 3rd<\/sup> round pick to select a franchise QB with a high ceiling.\u00a0 Only 2 QB\u2019s fit the bill here, Trevor Lawrence and Trey Lance.\u00a0 In my opinion Trey Lance\u2019s ceiling is higher than Trevor Lawrence but Lawrence is more ready to start Week 1.<\/p>\n 2) Trevor Lawrence<\/strong> \u2013 it was a forgone conclusion months before the draft that Trevor Lawrence would be the #1 pick.\u00a0 I see the tools that other evaluators see and he can make all of the NFL throws on the route tree.\u00a0 He\u2019s a bit too skinny for my taste and though he\u2019s not a statue, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s as athletic as people think he is. Also a lot of his hype came after Clemson dominated Alabama in the national championship game in 2019.\u00a0 Lawrence had plenty of time to throw in that game due to Clemson\u2019s offensive line dominance of Alabama\u2019s defensive line.\u00a0 Having said all this, I believe Lawrence has a real chance to succeed with Urban Meyer.<\/p>\n 3) North Dakota State offense<\/strong> \u2013 The NDSU Bison ran a pro-style offense under Lance with concepts similar to Kyle Shanahan\u2019s offense. This is huge because the concepts Lance will have to run for Shanahan won\u2019t be foreign to him and should be easy to learn.\u00a0 Shanahan uses a fullback whereas a lot of college offenses don\u2019t.\u00a0 In Shanahan\u2019s offense the QB will have his back towards the defense then turn around process the defense quickly and make a throw.\u00a0 Most of the prolific college offenses now are in shotgun or never require the QB to have his back toward the defense (like Jared Goff at Cal-Berkeley).\u00a0 \u00a0If you\u2019ve never had your back to the defense in college it\u2019s not easy to get adjusted to doing this in the NFL.<\/p>\n 4) Skills<\/strong> \u2013 Trey Lance is a big strong kid who can not only run but make all of the NFL throws on a route tree.\u00a0 As long as Lance can take care of the ball and the protection is relatively decent, the 49ers offense should be dynamic with Lance under center.\u00a0 The 49ers defense has given up many backbreaking 1st<\/sup> downs to opposing teams quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson to keep their drives alive. With Trey Lance the 49ers have a QB that can put pressure on a defense to keep drives alive with his legs.\u00a0 In addition, unlike Jimmy Garoppolo who prefers to work the middle of the field and is hesitant to turn the ball loose downfield, Trey Lance has no problem slinging it downfield outside the numbers.\u00a0 The 49ers offense can be less predictable and harder to stop with Lance at QB due to his throwing and running ability.<\/p>\n 5) Work Ethic<\/strong> \u2013 All reports indicate that Trey Lance is a grinder.\u00a0 This is an underrated yet very important aspect of being an NFL QB.\u00a0 You hear about quarterbacks that don\u2019t put in the time to learn the playbook inside and out, put in the extra work after practice, put in extra time with wide receivers, watch film to breakdown the opposing teams strengths and weaknesses for their upcoming game. (Look up the story of JaMarcus Russell and the blank tape the Raiders gave him).\u00a0 This is not to say if you put in the work you will automatically become a good or great NFL QB, but I\u2019d rather have a guy that puts in the work and who teammates and coaches sees puts in the work rather than a guy that doesn\u2019t, is the first person gone when practice is over, nor has the drive to be a very successful NFL QB on the field.<\/p>\n 6) Past Super Bowl winners<\/strong> \u2013 There are only 2 QB\u2019s that have won a Super Bowl in a Shanahan offense, John Elway and Steve Young.\u00a0 That\u2019s it, that\u2019s the list.\u00a0 The QB\u2019s Mike and Kyle Shanahan have coached not named these 2 guys, none have come close to the skill set of both Elway and Young EXCEPT Trey Lance.\u00a0 Don\u2019t say Robert Griffin III because he was a world class runner only, he was not a good thrower of the football.<\/p>\n 7) Other Quarterbacks drafted in the 1st<\/sup> round <\/strong>\u2013 I have a rule not to draft a QB from a powerhouse Division 1 college program (Ex. Alabama, Ohio State or USC and Miami, FL when they\u2019re good) because the talent around them is usually far superior than their competition so the QB is hardly ever in uncomfortable situations or can get away with making very basic throws and letting the receivers do the work.\u00a0 The NFL is all about being uncomfortable and mental toughness because week to week you won\u2019t always have the vastly superior team. Excluding Trevor Lawrence, here\u2019s how I feel about the other quarterbacks drafted in the first round.<\/p>\n Zach Wilson<\/strong> \u2013 will be a bust, should\u2019ve been drafted in the 5th<\/sup> round or later.\u00a0 This is too big of a jump from BYU against marginal competition to starting for an NFL team in the New York media market.<\/p>\n Justin Fields<\/strong> \u2013 I don\u2019t understand the hype around Fields because I have way too many questions about him.\u00a0 Without question he\u2019s physically and athletically more gifted than Jake Fromm but couldn\u2019t beat him at Georgia for the starting QB position.\u00a0 Fromm was drafted in the 5th<\/sup> round by the Buffalo Bills last year. Fields took 49 sacks at Ohio State which is unimaginable considering Ohio State has the 1st<\/sup> or 2nd<\/sup> best offensive line in the Big 10 every year in addition to Fields running ability.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t look comfortable in the pocket once the first read is not open and I think he will be manipulated by good NFL safeties.\u00a0 Fields should\u2019ve been drafted in the 4th<\/sup> round or later and will ultimately be a bust especially if he\u2019s with the Chicago Bears. (See comment above about powerhouse D-1 programs).<\/p>\n Mac Jones<\/strong> \u2013 The only reason I give Mac Jones a slight chance to succeed is because he\u2019s playing for Bill Belichick.\u00a0 Mac has the smarts to play QB and understands leading a receiver and throwing with anticipation but this isn\u2019t Alabama.\u00a0 Receivers won\u2019t be open by at least 5 yards regularly and he will be pressured and chased by NFL defensive lineman and linebackers. \u00a0If you haven\u2019t seen Mac Jones try to escape pressure and buy time it\u2019s not good.\u00a0 I don\u2019t question if he\u2019ll be successful in clean pockets, my concern is the lack of athleticism to be able to buy extra time and how will he be successful when the pocket isn\u2019t clean with chaos around him. Mac Jones is a 4th<\/sup> round or later talent. (See comment above about powerhouse D-1 programs).<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t buy into the Mac Jones to the 49ers hype and I was hoping the 49ers didn\u2019t draft him because I don\u2019t want to see him under center with Aaron Donald (Rams), Chandler Jones (Cardinals) or Bobby Wagner (Seattle) on the other side coming after him.<\/p>\n Most people think if you\u2019re a QB in the NFL the most important thing is when you get drafted and it\u2019s not.\u00a0 What team drafts you is the most important thing. Playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Zac Taylor, and owner Mike Brown who\u2019s involved in personnel decisions OR playing for the NY Jets, a first-time head coach, talent deficient roster and eccentric owner Woody Johnson is a lot worse than going lower in the draft inheriting Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers culture and deep roster talent when healthy.<\/p>\n The 49ers absolutely made the right decision by taking the QB with the highest potential ceiling, great work ethic, skillset to learn the offense and familiarity with Shanahan\u2019s concepts to go along with his physical tools to drive the ball downfield and make plays with his legs.<\/p>\n My San Francisco 49er content is exclusively for 49erscap.com.\u00a0 Follow me on Twitter @peerless1sports.\u00a0 Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment or question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 5 quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. #1 William…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414,"featured_media":3325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4,6],"tags":[21,16,22,23,19,24,17,20,18],"class_list":["post-3583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-exclusive","category-prediction","tag-49ers","tag-49erscap","tag-9ers","tag-goniners","tag-ninersnation","tag-peerless1","tag-peerless1sports","tag-sanfrancisco","tag-sanfrancisco49ers"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":350,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2414"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/49erscap.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}