Open Rants by kkunert327

2021 NFL Draft Position Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Trevor Lawrence - Clemson 

2. Justin Fields - Ohio State

3. Trey Lance - North Dakota State 

4. Zach Wilson - BYU 

5. Kellen Mond - Texas A&M 

The order of what I will be doing for my quarterbacks will be a little different than most positions. The top five are guys who I think will be able to start sooner rather than later and be successful franchise quarterbacks. Lawrence is a no brainer to me and anyone second guessing it is overthinking things. Sure the guys after him possess possibly more upside, but Lawrence is already a fantastic quarterback who is ready to play at a high level from Day 1. With Urban Meyer coaching him he could turn into a top 10 quarterback in no time. I have Fields higher than others, but I feel like people are overlooking him much like people were overthinking Justin Herbert. He has a ton of great tape during his time at Ohio State embodying what I thought was a lot of traits similar to Russell Wilson. Many people want to give him a red flag for playing at Ohio State and their poor track record of quarterbacks in the NFL, but he feels different to me. He has more toughness, poise, and leadership than any of the ones before him. I would not be shocked if he falls into the back half of the top 10 picks that many teams will be kicking themselves for passing on him. 

I have Lance sort of high comparatively thinking, since he has only played one season, but I think he has the highest upside in the whole class. To me if properly coached up he can be a lightning rod of a franchise quarterback. His skill set reminds me of a blend of Patrick Mahomes and Cam Newton, which could be some lofty comparisons. I think he can reach it if he sits for a full season. Now Zach Wilson will probably be going number two to New York, but I think he is Fool’s Gold. His tape is fantastic, but he played against even weaker competition than Lance did down at the FCS level. If you ask me he does have the traits and upside to be a fantastic quarterback. However, he is more of a mystery than say a sure thing like Lawrence or Fields with his extensive big game tape. I would not be shocked if he busts, but he certainly has potential. Lastly, Mond to me will probably fall to the 2nd round, but reminds me a lot of Colin Kaepernick skills wise. He just lacks the cannon that Kap possessed. What he does have is mobility, improved accuracy, and a lot of experience at Texas A&M. I would not be surprised if he turns into a great find in the 2nd round. 

6. Mac Jones - Alabama 

7. Davis Mills - Stanford

8. Jamie Newman - Wake Forest/Georgia

9. Ian Book - Notre Dame 

10.  Kyle Trask - Florida 

Mac Jones will most likely end up being a top 10 pick, but I really do not trust guys out of Alabama. I had very high hopes for Tua Tagovailoa and saw him flounder without his great supporting cast. Now I do think Jones is a lot more mature, poised, and with his lack of great traits has learned how to work with less. However, that’s the crux of the issue, I just do not think he is great at any one thing. I can see him being a great backup and possibly a solid journeyman starter who will see his better days probably on a different team than the one that drafted him. Same goes for Mills who has a cannon of an arm, but he is a prototypical drop back quarterback who lacks accuracy and mobility. He could be a very strong back up with starter upside. Now Newman is strictly a developmental quarterback right away, but he possesses more upside than either Jones or Mills. He reminds me a lot of Cam Newton, but he has no experience in a pro style offense and looked very shaky at the Senior Bowl after sitting out of 2020. He probably should have played last year to help his draft stock. My biggest sleeper in the draft is Ian Book who reminds me a ton of Dak Prescott with a very similar skill set and body type. Book is a gamer who knows how to win and make the right throws. He will probably be a 4th or 5th rounder, but I would not be surprised if he turns into a pretty good starter. Trask is just on here to note him, but I do not see him as a potential starter at all. Much like Jones he does not do much great, but does everything well. Where Jones is better than him is his experience and accuracy. Trask to me is too much of an improviser for a quarterback with no mobility. After the top 10 guys there are some intriguing names like Shane Buechele, Sam Ehlinger, Feliepe Franks, or Peyton Ramsey who could get drafted, but I doubt any of them ever end up making much of an impact in the NFL.