Top 5 Quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft Class

With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, several teams are still scrambling to figure their quarterback situation out. Teams like the Rams have locked up their quarterback of the future in a trade for Matthew Stafford and other teams such as the Jaguars plan to get their quarterback of the future via the draft with Trevor Lawrence. After Lawrence, the remaining quarterback field will be a toss up for executives to choose from. In this article, we’ll breakdown why Lawrence is the consensus #1 quarterback and which 4 quarterbacks make up the remaining top 5. 

#1: Trevor Lawrence – Clemson 

The junior has posted 3 consecutive 3,000 yard seasons since taking over the quarterback job for the Tigers from former Clemson great, Deshaun Watson. Lawrence will look to follow in Watson’s footsteps by hitting the NFL with a fast start. The only thing that would keep Lawrence back to start is the injuries he is currently dealing with. During the longer offseason, these should have time to recover allowing for Lawrence to make his pro debut. With a large amount of cap space remaining that the Jacksonville Jaguars have, this would allow for the Jaguars to build weapons around Lawrence. They have two young promising rising sophomores in Shenault Jr. and Robinson, but if they can bring in some talent through free agency for Lawrence, the Jaguars can be one of the most improved teams in the 2021-2022 season. We have already seen how Clemson fared without Lawrence under center, with a real quarterback, Jacksonville might finally be able to turn around their offensive struggles. 

#2: Zach Wilson – BYU 

Zach Wilson narrowly edges out Justin Fields for the #2 spot behind Trevor Lawrence. Wilson sits atop the remaining field of quarterbacks thanks to a breakout season with over 40 total touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Wilson shares similar traits to Justin Herbert, Pat Mahomes, and Josh Allen in being able to make plays in and out of the pocket with his exceptional arm talent. Wilson’s biggest weakness against him is no fault of his own but rather BYU faced a relatively weak schedule and didn’t allow for us to truly get a sense of how Wilson will fare against an elite defense such as the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. Wilson had a strong offensive line behind him and it allowed for Wilson to show off his incredible arm strength and his playmaking capabilities. 

#3: Justin Fields – Ohio State

Justin Fields has the capability of being the best quarterback in this draft when he is hot, but when he is off, there’s no recovering. Fields has had his fair share of exceptional performances and shaky days that he wished he could take back. Fields had an incredible 2019 season, but took a step back in 2020 while some of his competition rose to the occasion. In prime time games against Northwestern, Michigan State, and Alabama in the National Championship, Fields managed less than 200 yards in each of those games and a combined 3 passing touchdowns. Fields has traits similar to Deshaun Watson where he doesn’t necessarily need to rely on his arm to get the job done and can get the chains moving on the ground. However, Fields relied on that too much which was apparent in the National Championship loss to Alabama. 

#4: Kyle Trask – Florida

Kyle Trask is the Jordan Love of this year’s draft. Love was a solid prospect who wasn’t in the top 3 that teams with a veteran quarterback would love to have. Trask has excelled in Florida’s offense with quality talent surrounding him. In the NFL, not all teams will be able to give Trask that. We expect a team like the Steelers or Falcons to bring Trask in to allow him to develop behind their aging quarterback. Trask is not a mobile quarterback and would do well under an offense similar to the ones with these pocket passer quarterbacks. Trask has the arm to make plays happen but doesn’t necessarily have the quickness and agility of Fields or Wilson. 

#5: Kellen Mond – Texas A&M

Kellen Mond will go down as one of the best Aggies football players of all time along with Ryan Tannehill and Johnny Manziel as other notable quarterbacks to come out of their program. Mond was a 4-year starter and one of the few senior quarterbacks to thrive this season. Mond has consistently improved every single season. His completion percentage and passer rating improved season after season. With his ability to improve and his leadership capabilities, Mond could go down as the steal of the draft for a team looking for their future quarterback. Mond doesn’t have the arm strength, the agility or the stats to show you he is a promising quarterback, but what he has is the ability to complete passes when it counts and lead his team to victory. Mond had a great career with A&M and should continue his career professionally in the NFL. Mond has traits that scouts look for in a quality pocket passer. Mond is a leader through and through which should garner enough attention for him to be a later steal.