NFL Draft 2021: Five best picks of the first round
Every team believes they nabbed a potential superstar in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft. These five picks can transform the franchises that selected them.
Finding great value in Round 1 is a big priority for each and every NFL franchise. That’s the spot in the draft where each team should be able to find a quality starter. Of course, some teams do a much better job evaluating top-end prospects than others.
This piece will identify the five best picks from Day One of this year’s draft. Teams highlighted here should feel great about the chances of their first round pick making a big impact on their team as rookies. More importantly, these teams should feel comfortable about their draftees’ chance to become stars for years to come.
The list begins with an easy pick for the team that could change their franchises for years to come.
5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars made the obvious choice by drafting Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, but they get some measure of credit for not screwing the selection up. Lawrence is a generational quarterback prospect who can transform the Jaguars into perennial Super Bowl contenders if surrounded by the right talent.
Lawrence isn’t just the best signal-caller in this year’s class. He’s one of the best quarterbacks to enter the league during the last decade. He’s ready to start for Jacksonville right away while also having the long-term potential to become an NFL all-time great.
The real question is just how much responsibility Urban Meyer is going to put on Lawrence’s shoulders right away. The young quarterback is capable of orchestrating a relatively complicated pro offense, but the surrounding talent in Jacksonville isn’t in place for Meyer to truly uncork his entire playbook. Keeping things simple for Lawrence in year one should give the Jaguars a nice combination of immediate success without overwhelming their new superstar.
Taking Lawrence at No. 1 isn’t the best value pick in this year’s draft, but the Jaguars still leave Night One with a potential game-changer at the game’s most important position. That’s why Lawrence lands on this list even though Jacksonville’s degree of difficulty wasn’t that high on the pick. Lesser franchises have screwed up the No. 1 overall pick and the Jaguars deserve some measure of credit for avoiding that pitfall.