Big shoes to fill: Meet the replacements for every 2021 NFL Draft first round pick
Losing first-round picks is more difficult to recover from for some college football programs than others but who will replace each one who left in 2021?
Not all first-round picks are created equal — that’s a simple truth of the NFL Draft. On the flip side of that coin, though, college football programs are not unanimously affected the same way by losing a first-round pick. For some programs, such as Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and so on, there is another touted recruit already waiting in the wings.
That’s not the case at every program, though. Moreover, coming off of the COVID season in college football, we may actually have fewer answers as to what happens to the roles occupied by players now signing first-round contracts in the NFL last year. Still for these teams to have success in the 2021 season, they must find a way to replace what’s been lost.
Taking that in mind, we’re going in order through the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and seeing who will replace them at each of their respective college football programs for the upcoming campaign.
1. Replacing Trevor Lawrence at Clemson: D.J. Uiagalelei
Talent-rich programs such as Clemson under Dabo Swinney have little trouble supplanting departed starters, even ones with the pedigree of Trevor Lawrence. We caught glimpses of D.J. Uiagalelei last season while Lawrence was sidelined due to COVID-19 and, as a true freshman, the 6-foot-4 passer showed his potential. He may not immediately be everything Lawrence was but the tool chest is full for Uiagalelei to be a future No. 1 overall pick in his own right.
2. Replacing Zach Wilson at BYU: Jaren Hall
Baylor Romney was Wilson’s backup for the Cougars last season and, also considering his brother plays wide receiver and the fact that he played well when called upon last year, that might lead some to think he could win the competition to be the BYU starter in 2021.
However, Jaren Hall was the backup in 2019 and has a much higher ceiling than Romney. Though he’s coming off an injury last season, his ability to create with his legs in addition to his arm talent give him the edge in the battle.
3. Replacing Trey Lance at North Dakota State: Quincy Patterson
Talking about Trey Lance’s replacement is unique thanks to the fact that Lance didn’t play in the FCS spring season, meaning the Bison already had Zeb Noland replace the new 49ers quarterback. Yet, Noland is now gone, so we’ll look ahead to the fall season when Virginia Tech transfer Quincy Patterson will be stepping in under center.
Patterson is a former 4-star recruit who comes to NDSU with a lot of hype. He’ll still have to earn the starting job from sophomore Cam Miller but it’s hard to imagine Patterson not winning out.
4. Replacing Kyle Pitts at Florida: Keon Zipperer
Point blank, there isn’t a player who can be what Kyle Pitts was. No one on the Gators tight end depth chart has the elite traits to be a top-five draft pick. Subsequently, the likely answer is that we’ll see a platoon approach at the position to try and piece together what Pitts brought.
That said, Keon Zipperer seems to have the best chance to make the biggest impact. After flashing with 11 receptions for 145 yards and two scores last season, he could be a real passing game weapon with more targets.