It is finally draft season and this class of QBs is the most highly anticipated bunch in decade. With the abundance of open starting QB positions in the NFL this year, we will most likely see four QBs taken in the top 10 and possibly five or six in the first round! Without further ado, my 2021 rankings of QBs.

1. Trevor Lawrence (1st Overall): This ranking (and the 2021 draft really) start after Lawrence. The Clemson junior stands 6’6″ tall and weighs 220lbs. Trevor started as a true freshman where he won three straight ACC titles easily and took the Tigers to three straight College Football Playoffs. His freshman year is arguably his best year where he won the National Championship against Alabama in a thriller. His sophomore year, he took the Tigers to the title game again but lost to the buzz saw that was the 2019 LSU Tigers and their entire team of NFL draftees. His junior year ended at the hands of Justin Fields-led Ohio State Buckeyes who mauled the Tigers up front on both sides of the ball and made Lawrence look pretty pedestrian for his own standards (68.8% completion percentage, 400 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int, 1 fumble). This led some talking heads to wonder if Lawrence is truly the QB1 of this class. Don’t fall for it. The Clemson junior is the only complete player in this draft. Lawrence truly has it all; he has great arm strength, accuracy, touch, toughness, pocket presence, and a good bit of athleticism to boot. Had he been able to be drafted last year, the Bengals would have had a tough decision to make and possibly have taken him over Joe Burrow! The only knock on Lawrence’s resume is he never won the Heisman Trophy. He will go first overall to Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars where he will quickly ascend to a top 10 QB in the NFL.
   
2. Mac Jones (Top 10): The 6’3″, 213lb Alabama senior doesn’t have the athleticism as his peers do in this class but he makes up for it with pinpoint accuracy, great pocket presence, and a sharp mind. Jones had a wealth of talent around him on last year’s national champion Crimson Tide, including a Heisman winning WR (Devonte Smith), a running back that finished 3^rd in the Heisman, and an offensive line filled with NFL talent that provided him a cozy pocket more often than not. This led many to shrug him off and consider him nothing more than a game manager. However, when you put on the film, I’d argue Bama couldn’t have done it without him. Jones has the quickest release in the class and threw with impeccable timing and anticipation. He had such command of that offense that even when Waddle went down midseason, that record-breaking offense never skipped a beat. Throwing for 4,500 yards with a completion percentage of 77.4%, 41 TDs, 4 Ints in 13 games, Mac Jones is a pro-style QB who will be ready to start week 1 of next year. With both Smith and Waddle coming out and publicly stating they prefer Mac to Tua, I can see Jones going in the top 10 in this years draft. His lack of athleticism will not excite the fans of whoever drafts him but his accuracy will.
   
3. Justin Fields (Top 10): Justin Fields, standing 6’3″ tall and weighing 238lbs, was the consensus 2nd overall pick all season in this year’s draft until the Northwestern defense roughed him up. The Ohio State junior threw for 2,100 yards, 22 TDs and 6 Ints with a 70.2% completion percentage in the 8 games the Buckeyes played in this COVID-shortened year. Fields holds all the Buckeye’s passing records from his sophomore season and there is no doubt he would have broken his own records this year had they played more games. Fields benefitted from a great offense around him but he certainly made them better with his A+ arm strength and athleticism. Being a former baseball player, he can truly flick the ball 60+ yards down field while scrambling for his life. If there were a combine this year, I have no doubt that Fields would have had the fastest 40 time out of this QB class but alas we will have to speculate. What Fields lacks is that true pinpoint accuracy and, like most college QBs, struggles with pressure up the middle and in his face. The Ohio State offensive line was able to keep him clean all year up until he played the tough Northwestern defense who made him look like a middling prospect at best. His 6 TD performance against Clemson in the semifinals this year helped bring his stock back. Yet, in this year’s National Championship game against Bama, he once again looked like a project, throwing for 194 yards, 1 TD, a 51% completion percentage but rushing 6 times for 67 yards. Much like the rest of this class, he will need some time to develop in the right system to unleash his full potential but he will more than likely be forced to play before he’s ready given his draft pedigree. I can see Fields going anywhere from #2 overall to #19 overall but I’d be surprised if he fell out of the top 5.
   
4. Zach Wilson (Top 10): The BYU QB shot up the draft rankings this year where he made incredible plays all season long for the Cougars. Zach stands 6’3″ tall, weighs 210lbs and it wasn’t long before some analysts started comparing him to Patrick Mahomes. The junior certainly boasts a strong arm, probably the strongest in the class. He also might be the most elusive QB outside of Lance and has a knack for rushing for a TD when the chips are down. However, Wilson worries me. Put on the film of his only loss of the season against #18 Coastal Carolina, and you would be hard pressed to say if he was even the best QB on the field that day. The Chanticleers defense seemed to have his number all day, holding him to 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, and a 63.3% completion percentage. What made it worse was how he looked like he was almost showing off most of the game, making odd underhanded throws and throwing the ball too hard at underneath receivers and at their feet, especially on 3^rd down. Out of all the QBs in this draft class, Wilson is the biggest boom or bust. That BYU offensive line mauled the weak defenses they played all year and allowed Wilson all the time in the world to scramble and improvise (where he made some his most spectacular plays, mind you). There is certainly a lot to like in his game. He finished the year with 3,692 yards, 33 TDs, 3 Ints, and a 73.5% completion percentage as well as 10 rushing TDs and 254 rushing yards as well! There are even a few analysts that consider him a better prospect than Lawrence and he certainly semes like the darling of this year’s class. That only worries me further. With the right offensive coordinator and offensive line, he could very well become a star. He will, most likely, go top 5 where he will be thrust into action early.  His improving will be on full display against NFL defenses are much tougher than the Troy/Western Kentucky’s that he dominated in college. Wilson has a lot of growing to do before he becomes the Mahomes 2.0 that some talking heads have anointed him as.   
   
5. Kyle Trask (2nd round): Kyle Trask had a fantastic year and was well on his way to winning the Heisman before losing a tough fought SEC Championship to the buzz saw Alabama Crimson Tide. The 6’5″ 240lb senior finished the season with 4283 yards, 43 TDs, 8 Ints and a 68.9% completion percentage. Trask was widely considered to be a first-round pick until he was benched in the bowl game against Oklahoma after throwing 3 picks in the 1st half and looking downright dreadful. Like Mac Jones, Trask had serious weapons to throw to all year in Pitts and Toney so it was that much more damning to his draft stock when they both sat out for the Cotton Bowl, causing him to struggle mightily. Trask was very good at times this past season but didn’t do anything spectacular. For every perfectly thrown touch pass up the sideline, there’s a ball thrown at Pitts’ feet 10 yards over the middle. He has all the size you look for in an NFL QB and a good arm to boot but he will need a few years to develop as a pro-style pocket passer if he is going to be anything more than a backup in the NFL.
   
6. Trey Lance (2nd round): Where Zach Wilson scares me, Trey Lance terrifies me. The North Dakota State junior stands 6’4″ and weighs 226lbs. He had an incredible sophomore year where he led the Bison to a FCS championship scoring 44 TDs (28 passing, 14 rushing) while not throwing a single interception. The dual threat QB did almost as much damage with his legs as his arm, rushing for 1,100 yards to go along with his 2,786 passing yards and a 67% completion percentage. He reminds me of Colin Kapernick the way he runs. He has impressive straight-line speed and the toughness to put his head down and fight for extra yards. He also boosts a cannon of an arm and could, very well, have the best arm strength in the whole class. Like Zach Wilson, he has a knack for making spectacular, off-script plays which led some analysts to consider him to be the next Russell Wilson. Due to the pandemic, his 2020 season was sadly canceled outside of one weird ‘showcase’ game against Central Arkansas. In this game, Lance’s lack of accuracy was on full display. He went 15/30 for 149 yards, 2 TDs and 1 interception and made some awful passes, sailing passes over wide open receivers and taking bad sacks. NDSU was able to win the ball game and Lance was able to show off his rushing ability going for 143 yards and 2 TDs. However, inaccurate QBs don’t last long in the NFL. Hopefully his one game this year was just an exception and not the norm. I can still see Lance going in the 1st round just on his potential alone but he will certainly need some time to develop. Many have linked Lance to WFT at #19 which would be a mistake.
   
7. Kellen Mond (2-3rd round): The Texas A&M 6’3″ 217lb senior finished this season with 2,283 passing yards, 19 TDs, 3 Ints, a 63.3% completion percentage and won Senior Bowl MVP. Mond started all four years for the Aggies and his play got better year after year as well. There is a lot to like about Mond but just as many concerns. For starters, he is listed as a dual-threat QB but his running ability didn’t show up on film. He doesn’t have a lot of vertical speed and his agility was no better than Kyle Trask’s in my opinion but he ran the read option well enough to keep the defense honest. He has an unorthodox passing stance and very questionable footwork. At A&M, he only took snaps from shotgun so he will need to learn how to work from under center in a pro-style offense and the footwork that goes along with it as well. However, he makes up for his deficiencies with a quick release, strong arm and had a knack for making the spectacular throws on the run, especially under pressure. He helped his draft stock tremendously at the senior bowl where he looked reasonably comfortable from under center and made some accurate passes under duress. I wish he would step into his throws a little more often. Some of his best throws are when he makes a quick decision and fires the ball into a tight spot 20 yards downfield. All in all, I like Mond. Under the right coach, he could become a starter in the NFL but if his footwork doesn’t improve, he will never be more than a backup.
   
8. Jamie Newman (3-4th round): Jamie Newman is listed as a 6’4”, 240lb senior Georgia QB but he never played a snap for the Bulldogs due to the pandemic. He was a two-year starter for Wake Forest where he was impressive on a beleaguered team. Newman has a good arm and throws a great deep ball. His accuracy was impressive at times but he missed on enough throws that might concern a coach.  On the positive, he didn’t run the ball all to often, but when he did he made defense pay, rushing 12 times for 180 yards and 6 TDs. The 2019 Wake Forest had a poor offensive line and when you put on the film, it’s worse than you can imagine so he’s most likely used to throwing under pressure by now. What also stood out on film was how comfortable Newman was going through his reads and finding the open receiver even though there are multiple times where his receiver falls in the route just as Newman is throwing, leading to an easy interception. I’ll add that WR Sage Surratt was a heck of a player and bailed Newman out his fair share as well but everyone else, not so much. Newman finished the 2019 season with 2,868 yards, 26 TDs, 11 Ints and a 60.9% completion percentage. Newman’s rust of taking a year off was on full display in the Senior Bowl where he fumbled his first snap and only completed a few passes past the line of scrimmage while being sacked what felt like every other play. There were rumors that Newman was the best QB at the Senior Bowl practices but it didn’t show up in the game. Newman will need a season or two to get used to the speed of the game again but I could absolutely see him becoming a starter and a late round gem like a Dak Prescott or Russell Wilson. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him taken early day 2.
   
9. Davis Mills (4-5th Round): Davis Mills is listed at 6’4”, 225lbs. The Stanford senior was a 5-star recruit and top of his recruiting class. He finished the 2020 shortened year with 1,960 yards, 11 TDs, 5 Ints and a 65.6% completion percentage in 5 games. There were some impressive throws on film but also some head scratchers. Watching his film reminds me of watching Nate Sudfelds film; he is a wow/ what player through and through. He certainly has all the tools to succeed but has far too small of a sample size. Stanford ran a pro-style offense with mostly vertical routes so he should fit right into a NFL offense.  He throws with nice touch and has an A+ arm, which can bail him out of trouble. However, he left a lot of plays on the field this year, missing badly at times and making questionable decisions. He certainly would have benefitted from another year but he’ll enter the 2021 draft as the premier late round ‘project’ QB. I’ll say he’s definitely worth a day 3, 5^th round flyer but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went early in 4^th due to the lack of viable QBs in the league right now.
   
10. Sam Ehlinger (5^th-7^th Round): Sam Ehlinger is listed 6’3”, 225lbs and started all four years for the Texas Longhorns. He finished the 2020 season with a 26 TDs, 5 Ints and a 60% completion percentage (6 points lower then his junior season). Ehlinger has a good bit of athleticism where he rushed for 377 yards and 8 TDs as well. He doesn’t have the best arm, below average at best, but he showed good accuracy at times and throws well on the run. He doesn’t shy away from pressure and showed the toughness you would like from your QB. However, like the other late round QBs, he missed on a lot of easy throws.  Sam proved he can play at the Senior Bowl and should become a valuable backup in the NFL.