Risen Star
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https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2021/...5-questions-quarterback-prospects-teams-picks
If you combined the 2020 and 2021 classes, how would you rank the top 10 quarterbacks? (via @jdllaw23)
So if we're using my pre-draft rankings for last year's class, the top two is pretty easy. Trevor Lawrence is going to have one of the highest grades I've ever given (more on that Wednesday); he's the clear No. 1. And Joe Burrow was head-and-shoulders above the rest of last year's class. After that, it's very close, but I had slightly higher grades on two 2020 signal-callers.
My top 10 -- again, based on pre-draft grades -- looks like this:
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If Mac Jones goes in the top 10, could Kyle Trask sneak into Round 1? (via @DraftCfb)
I don't think so, but it's not because of where Jones gets drafted. Where Jones goes won't affect Trask -- every player is evaluated individually. Trask had a tremendous season -- 43 touchdown passes, eight picks and he ranked fifth in QBR -- but he has some limitations that will likely keep him out of the first round. He's not a stellar athlete, and he needs to improve when a play breaks down. His flaws really showed in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Still, I have a second-round grade on Trask, and he's going to get a chance to start in the NFL at some point.
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Who's a quarterback sleeper in this class? (via @ModeFB)
It's Stanford's Davis Mills, who only started 11 games in college. He has intriguing traits in a 6-foot-4 frame. Even though he hasn't played much, he's my seventh-ranked quarterback and has a third-round grade. That's because of his arm talent, frame and ceiling -- NFL teams will consider him a project because it's rare that a QB with so few starts gets drafted. If he can come in and sit behind a starter for a year or two, he could develop into a starter.
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What is the logic for high-drafting teams with multiple issues drafting a tight end in the top five? (via @JeffJezewski13)
I got a lot of these questions after my mock draft 2.0, with Jets fans curious about why I had their team taking Florida tight end Kyle Pitts after trading down to No. 4. It comes down to ... stop thinking of Pitts as just a tight end. Yes, he'd be the highest-drafted tight end in the common draft era, but he doesn't have the limitations of most tight ends. Would you be OK with the Jets taking a No. 1 receiver in the top five? Because that's what they'd be getting, a guy who could get 10 targets per game and score a bunch of touchdowns.
Because of Pitts' size, length and speed, he's really a matchup threat who can line up all over the formation. He's in a different category than any player I can remember, and he has an elite grade from me.
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Which team is under the most pressure to 'hit' in the first three rounds of this draft? (via @time_advantage)
Speaking of the Jets, I think they fit here. They've been in the cellar of the AFC East for years, have another new coach and have the picks to turn things around quickly. They have two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 23), a very high second-round pick (No. 34) and two third-rounders (Nos. 66 and 87). This is a huge draft for general manager Joe Douglas, and it starts with the Sam Darnold decision.
If Douglas & Co. want to stick with Darnold at quarterback for another year, they have to get him some weapons so they can get a fuller evaluation. If they deal Darnold -- they could get a second- or third-rounder for him, I think -- they're almost certainly taking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, but they still need to help him out. So they need to add offensive playmakers and boost the depth of talent on defense. It's not easy, but they have the capital to do it -- if they hit on their picks.
If you combined the 2020 and 2021 classes, how would you rank the top 10 quarterbacks? (via @jdllaw23)
So if we're using my pre-draft rankings for last year's class, the top two is pretty easy. Trevor Lawrence is going to have one of the highest grades I've ever given (more on that Wednesday); he's the clear No. 1. And Joe Burrow was head-and-shoulders above the rest of last year's class. After that, it's very close, but I had slightly higher grades on two 2020 signal-callers.
My top 10 -- again, based on pre-draft grades -- looks like this:
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
- Joe Burrow, LSU
- Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
- Justin Herbert, Oregon
- Zach Wilson, BYU
- Justin Fields, Ohio State
- Mac Jones, Alabama
- Trey Lance, North Dakota State
- Jordan Love, Utah State
- Jacob Eason, Washington/Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
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If Mac Jones goes in the top 10, could Kyle Trask sneak into Round 1? (via @DraftCfb)
I don't think so, but it's not because of where Jones gets drafted. Where Jones goes won't affect Trask -- every player is evaluated individually. Trask had a tremendous season -- 43 touchdown passes, eight picks and he ranked fifth in QBR -- but he has some limitations that will likely keep him out of the first round. He's not a stellar athlete, and he needs to improve when a play breaks down. His flaws really showed in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Still, I have a second-round grade on Trask, and he's going to get a chance to start in the NFL at some point.
-
Who's a quarterback sleeper in this class? (via @ModeFB)
It's Stanford's Davis Mills, who only started 11 games in college. He has intriguing traits in a 6-foot-4 frame. Even though he hasn't played much, he's my seventh-ranked quarterback and has a third-round grade. That's because of his arm talent, frame and ceiling -- NFL teams will consider him a project because it's rare that a QB with so few starts gets drafted. If he can come in and sit behind a starter for a year or two, he could develop into a starter.
-
What is the logic for high-drafting teams with multiple issues drafting a tight end in the top five? (via @JeffJezewski13)
I got a lot of these questions after my mock draft 2.0, with Jets fans curious about why I had their team taking Florida tight end Kyle Pitts after trading down to No. 4. It comes down to ... stop thinking of Pitts as just a tight end. Yes, he'd be the highest-drafted tight end in the common draft era, but he doesn't have the limitations of most tight ends. Would you be OK with the Jets taking a No. 1 receiver in the top five? Because that's what they'd be getting, a guy who could get 10 targets per game and score a bunch of touchdowns.
Because of Pitts' size, length and speed, he's really a matchup threat who can line up all over the formation. He's in a different category than any player I can remember, and he has an elite grade from me.
-
Which team is under the most pressure to 'hit' in the first three rounds of this draft? (via @time_advantage)
Speaking of the Jets, I think they fit here. They've been in the cellar of the AFC East for years, have another new coach and have the picks to turn things around quickly. They have two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 23), a very high second-round pick (No. 34) and two third-rounders (Nos. 66 and 87). This is a huge draft for general manager Joe Douglas, and it starts with the Sam Darnold decision.
If Douglas & Co. want to stick with Darnold at quarterback for another year, they have to get him some weapons so they can get a fuller evaluation. If they deal Darnold -- they could get a second- or third-rounder for him, I think -- they're almost certainly taking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, but they still need to help him out. So they need to add offensive playmakers and boost the depth of talent on defense. It's not easy, but they have the capital to do it -- if they hit on their picks.
