Mac Jones trade keeps dropping the 2021 draft QB class into deeper ignominy

5 QBs were drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Only one has done enough to stay with the team that drafted him 3 years later.

Back in the 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland, Mac Jones famously strode his way into legend with his long, purposeful walk to the podium to be the next quarterback of the New England Patriots. Jones was the 15th overall pick in that draft and the fifth quarterback off the board in that draft class.

Now Jones gets to walk back to his hometown, Jacksonville. The Patriots kneecapped the Jones experiment and traded him to the Jaguars on Sunday. The price? A sixth-round pick in next month’s draft.

It didn’t work for Jones in New England. Unfortunately, that’s become the prevailing theme for the teams that took quarterbacks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft.

In fact, Jones will now back up the only quarterback drafted in the first round of 2021 who will be with the team that selected him in 2024. Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, and to this point, he’s the only one of the five that hasn’t been a failure.

Sure, Justin Fields has had his moments and successes with the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears are moving on from Fields with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, presumably Caleb Williams. Chicago earned the top overall pick in 2023 in part because Fields wasn’t successful enough. Fields is expected to be traded any day now for pennies on the initial draft dollar — just as Jones was.

That too will happen with the No. 2 overall pick, Zach Wilson. The Jets gave up on Wilson quickly, choosing to mortgage their future on Aaron Rodgers. Heck, they brought in Tim Boyle to play ahead of Wilson. He’s expected to be off the Jets roster before the ’24 draft, either via trade or release, if no team wants to give anything up for him. That wouldn’t be a surprise either, after three short seasons.

The third QB selected was also the No. 3 overall pick. Trey Lance has already been traded away by the 49ers, sent to Dallas last year for a 2024 fourth-rounder. After two seasons of barely playing — Lance threw 102 passes in two years for the 49ers — San Francisco happily accepted a Day 3 pick for Lance, a player they sacrificed three first-round picks to acquire in 2021.

Diving a little deeper in the 2021 QB class, Kyle Trask was the last pick of the second round. The Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield to play over him. He’s thrown 10 career passes, completing three of them. Mayfield is a free agent and there’s been zero talk about Trask maybe taking the reins.

The third-rounders didn’t work either. The Vikings abandoned ship on Kellen Mond (No. 66 overall) after just one game. He ended 2023 on the Colts practice squad. David Mills got a shot with the Texans as the No. 67 pick. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2022, winning just five of his 25 starts in two seasons. He now backs up C.J. Stroud.

Even Lawrence has taken some quiet criticism as the top pick. He led the league in INTs as a rookie and has had an up-and-down career with the Jaguars. He followed a deserved Pro Bowl berth in 2022 with an underwhelming 2023 when he lost his final five starts and threw as many INTs as TDs in that critical late-season collapse by Jacksonville.

Let the 2021 draft class serve as a cautionary tale for teams going crazy with dreams of grandeur stemming from their shot at drafting a first-round quarterback in 2024. Those dreams quickly proved delusional for 80 percent of the 2021 class.

Raiders winners and losers in historic 63-21 victory vs. Chargers

Raiders winners and losers in historic 63-21 victory vs. Chargers

A week after being shut out at home the Raiders exploded for a team-record 42 first-half points against the Chargers and won going away, 63-21 at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday night.

The Raiders’ 63 points were the most in team history, and quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s four first-half touchdown throws were the most in the NFL this season. It was a team effort, as the Raiders converted five Chargers turnovers into five touchdowns, including a pick-6 interception and a fumble return for a touchdown on consecutive possessions.

Here are the winners and losers after this historic Raiders victory with a historic amount of winners to match.

Winner: RB Zamir White

The Raiders first touchdown came on their first possession on offense, after a three-and-out from the Chargers. Running back Zamir White got the start for injured RB Josh Jacobs and took advantage, converting a 1st-and-goal run for six points. It was his first career touchdown.

White ended up with 69 yards rushing on 17 carries and added 16 receiving yards. Las Vegas had 124 team rushing yards without Jacobs.

Winner: Offensive line/OT Thayer Munford

The Raiders played with a makeshift offensive line due to injuries to offensive tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James. They paved the way for White and didn’t allow a QB sack in the first half, shutting down superstar DE Khalil Mack, who had six sacks the last time these teams met.

Winner: WR Tre Tucker

After a turnover by the Chargers, wide receiver Tre Tucker caught a touchdown pass from O’Connell and gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead. It was his first career touchdown, and he wasn’t done. Tucker also notched a second TD grab near the end of the first half to give the Raiders their historic 42-0 lead, the second-largest first-half lead in NFL history.

Winner: WR Jakobi Meyers

After Tucker’s first score, the Chargers turned it over again and the Raiders quickly converted with a O’Connell touchdown pass to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Meyers also had a touchdown throw — yes a touchdown throw — to WR Davante Adams later in the game.

Winner: TE Michael Mayer

After the teams traded second-quarter punts, the Chargers turned it over on special teams. The Raiders quickly capitalized with another O’Connell touchdown pass, this one to tight end Michael Mayer for a 28-0 lead. Mayer looked impressive overall on his four catches on five targets.

Winner: DE Malcolm Koonce/S Marcus Epps

Defensive end Malcolm Koonce looked incredible all evening and forced two fumbles, the first setting up Tucker’s first touchdown. His second strip-sack was on a vicious hit and resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown from defensive tackle John Jenkins. Safety Marcus Epps forced an early fumble to set up Meyers’ score.

Winner: DT John Jenkins

Simply put, Jenkins lived every defensive lineman’s dream with his scoop-and-score. The touchdown gave Las Vegas a 56-7 lead.

Winner: Cornerback Jack Jones

Just when the national TV audience didn’t think it could get any worse for the Chargers, it did, thanks to an incredible one-handed pick-6 by cornerback Jack Jones. The score gave the Raiders their franchise record in points.

Winner: WR D.J. Turner

Wide receiver D.J. Turner caused a fumble on a Chargers punt return, setting up the touchdown reception for Mayer. It was a huge play for a player who’s been on and off the active roster over the last season-plus.

Winner: QB Aidan O’Connell

During a week when many wondered if he’d be benched, O’Connell led the Raiders onslaught. At night’s end, he had 248 passing yards and four touchdowns, good for a 120.7 QB rating.

Winner: OC Bo Hardegree

Many wondered whether offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree was up to the task as well. Such is the case after being shut out less than a week ago. Hardegree moved to the coaches’ booth and worked magic, even calling multiple successful trick plays, two resulting in touchdowns.

Hardegree diled up not one but two WR passes from Meyers to Adams. They were 2-2 with one touchdown.

Earlier in the game, Hardegree called a direct snap to seldom-used RB Brandon Bolden. The play worked like a charm, and also exposed the Chargers’ lack of will this Thursday night.

 

Winner: Coach Antonio Pierce/GM Champ Kelly

Team owner Mark Davis said that his coach and GM search is “wide open” but he’d like his interim coach and GM, Antonio Pierce and Champ Kelly, to get the job. A week after being shut out, the Raiders’ historic night against a division rival gives their chances for permanent roles a major boost.

Winner: WR Davante Adams

One more winner, and that’s Davante Adams. He broke free for some nice catch-and-runs, ending up with 101 receiving yards on eight receptions, along with his touchdown.

Loser: RB Josh Jacobs

The Raiders were without Jacobs, but it didn’t matter much. It’s certainly no indictment on Jacobs — you simply never know what will happen in the NFL or any sport for that matter. Although it can’t be discounted that Jacobs is without a contract for next season, and Las Vegas must decide on his future as a Raider soon.

But regardless, seeing the rout unfold, Jacobs certainly must have wished he was out there with his teammates. That’s the real loss.

Loser: CB Amik Robertson

Whether CB Amik Robertson is playing well or playing poorly, he’s often in the middle of the action.

He got run over with a stiff arm early in the game, and when he met the Chargers receiver later on and made a nice tackle, he got called for taunting. In the second half, he allowed a Chargers wide receiver to run by him for a 79-yard touchdown catch, though there appeared to be a miscommunication with S Tre’von Moehrig on the play.

If it wasn’t already clear, this game proved that anything can happen in the NFL. The Raiders have struggled to score more than 20 points all season and they surpassed that total in the first quarter. Their 42 first-half points were the most in NFL history after being shut out the previous week.

How much this win will mean for Pierce, Kelly, O’Connell, and others remains to be seen. But for now, Raiders fans can simply enjoy a historic beatdown of a division rival. As for the Raiders, they have to find a way to keep their intensity at a high level until their next game at Kansas City on Christmas.

Former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance demoted and could be traded

Trey Lance has been a bust after going No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL draft.

On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that veteran Sam Darnold would be the team’s No. 2 quarterback, backing up starter Brock Purdy. This means that former first-round and No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance has been pushed to the No. 3 quarterback spot and could find himself being traded.

Lance has been an absolute bust since coming into the NFL in 2021. Despite and impressive career at North Dakota State, Lance has never been able to catch up to the speed in the NFL.

In college, Lance got by due in large part to a big arm and amazing athleticism. However, Lance struggles a great deal to pick up the complexity of NFL passing concepts and the speed of NFL defenses.

The Niners will almost certainly try to trade Lance. Is there a team out there who thinks they can coach up this impressive athlete and turn him into a competent passer?

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

List of Jon Robinson’s draft picks still on Titans’ roster

With Chris Jackson gone, an updated look at the draft picks made by former GM Jon Robinson who are still on the Titans’ roster.

When the Tennessee Titans parted ways with defensive back and 2020 seventh-round pick, Chris Jackson, he was just the latest player from one of former general manager Jon Robinson’s draft classes to get the boot.

This was not the first time Jackson had been cut, though, as he did not make the team’s initial 53-man roster in 2022 before being brought back on the practice squad and later promoted to the active roster.

While it’s possible Jackson will eventually be brought back, the fact that he was let go weeks before final cuts makes this one feel a bit more final.

With Jackson gone, cornerback Kristian Fulton is once again the last man standing from the 2020 draft class, which is one of three Robinson draft classes that has one player remaining on the Titans’ current roster.

The others are the classes of 2017 and 2018.

With Jackson’s recent departure, we thought it would be fun to see how many of Robinson’s picks from 2016-2022 are remaining on the 2023 squad as of right now.

We’ve also included a list of the departed players (and the teams they currently play for, if applicable) if you want to pour one out for them.

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown remains motivated by his NFL draft slight

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown remains motivated by his NFL draft slight even after two great NFL seasons

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]

It’s been no secret that Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has used his fourth-round selection from the 2021 NFL Draft for motivation. He remembers the 16 wide receivers taken before him as a way to stay sharp on the field. 

On Monday, St. Brown was interviewed on NFL Network’s Total Access with Mike Yam. During the interview, he was asked about his memory of the receivers selected before him.

He said, I actually have my goals written down in my notebook. What I want to achieve every year. So, what I want to achieve this year going into the season, my personal goals, and then right below that I have the 16 receivers written down, where they went to college right below that. And so, I read that whole list three times before I go to practice every day. It’s something I’ll never forget. Something I make sure I’m always reminded of.”

While St. Brown was selected after players such as Ja’Marr Chase, Rondale Moore, DeVonta Smith and 13 others; he still has more career receptions than all of them. Through two seasons in the NFL, St. Brown has 196 receptions a figure that is tied with Michael Thomas and Justin Jefferson for most in NFL history. 

[lawrence-related id=84860]

During the rest of the interview, St. Brown talked highly of general manager Brad Holmes and how the front office “did a great job of drafting.” He talked about Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and other weapons that are now part of the Lions offense. 

He admitted it during the interview, it’s safe to say that St. Brown still thinks about the 2021 NFL Draft. For the full interview, you can watch it here

Giants select Kyle Pitts in 2021 NFL re-draft

In The Athletic’s 2021 NFL re-draft, everything changes and the New York Giants end up selecting tight end Kyle Pitts.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

The New York Giants got outmaneuvered by two division rivals in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft when the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys traded with one another to keep the Giants from selecting Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith with the 11th overall pick.

The Cowboys traded the 10th pick to the Eagles for the 12th pick, allowing Philadelphia to select Smith. The Giants then traded the 11th pick to Chicago, who drafted Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

Dallas, at No. 12, selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

The Giants, at No. 20, took Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who they eventually would trade away the next season.

In The Athletic’s re-draft of the 2021 NFL draft, none of the above transpires. Dallas stays at No. 10 and takes Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw since Parsons is long gone, taken second overall by the Jets.

With Smith also gone — to Miami at No. 6 — Philadelphia selects Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell at No. 12.

The Giants stay at No. 11 since there are no takers now that Fields is also off the board, taken third by San Francisco. They select Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who is high on their board. In reality, Pitts was selected fourth overall by Atlanta.

In terms of pure athletic ability, Pitts is still a top-five prospect in this class.

The Falcons drafted him at the absolute start of the Arthur Smith-Terry Fontenot era with a long-term plan in mind. Pitts’ numbers haven’t been overwhelming through two years, but the situation around him is still developing. Right now, much of his path seems tied to an unproven QB in Desmond Ridder.

The Giants-Pitts connection makes a load of sense. It would have happened had Pitts fallen to them back in 2021. One huge question that many Giant fans are still asking is why they traded the 11th pick instead of taking Parsons for themselves. Instead, they find themselves lining up against him twice a season for the foreseeable future.

[lawrence-related id=711852,711841,711844]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Saints pass on Payton Turner in 2021 draft do-over

The Athletic has the New Orleans Saints passing on Payton Turner in their 2021 draft do-over, a decision that’s easy to understand | @DillySanders

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Having a regret about a past draft pick is not something that is unique to New Orleans Saints fans, but these past few years have felt especially questionable. Given the chance to go back, would Mickey Loomis change any of his decisions? The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner took a look at this possibility with his 2021 NFL redraft.

Of course, the Saints drafted defensive end Payton Turner out of Houston with the No. 28 overall. That hasn’t exactly worked out, so Baumgardner went with another defensive end in Joe Tryon-Shoyinka out of Washington. Tryon-Shoyinka originally went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the end of the first round. Here is Baumgardner’s reasoning for the change:

The Bucs are still looking for that breakout-type season from Tryon-Shoyinka, after taking him at the end of the first round (No. 32). However, he’s been awfully close to delivering, and so much of why he hasn’t yet boils down to technique and time on task. Tryon-Shoyinka has been disruptive through two years with Tampa Bay, but he’s struggled to finish. If (or when) it clicks, it’ll be great.

Tryon-Shoyinka hasn’t had an explosive start to his career either but he has been much more reliable than Turner, who fell out of the first round completely in this redraft. Tryon-Shoyinka has eight sacks and has yet to miss a game in his career, while Turner has three sacks in 21 fewer  appearances. Tryon-Shoyinka would make more sense for New Orleans in this scenario, so I think the decision here by Baumgardner was a good one.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Were the Saints on the wrong end of this viral draft-day phone call with the Broncos GM?

Was New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis on the wrong end of this viral 2021 draft-day phone call with Denver Broncos GM George Paton?

George Paton is really popular with Denver Broncos fans these days. He’s executed blockbuster trades for franchise quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton in back-to-back offseasons, but that followed the strong impression he made during the 2021 NFL draft. The Broncos shared video from their war room with fans after the draft in which Paton took phone calls with other teams while negotiating trades

“Hey let me, look I’ve got someone else who’s going to give me more,” Paton said frankly to one speaker, hanging up and switching to another line with applause raining in from around him. The video skips in an edit to Paton speaking with various general managers around the league, leading off with, well: “Hey Mickey.”

Mickey Loomis and the New Orleans Saints did trade with the Broncos in the 2021 draft, sending both of their compensatory third-round picks (Nos. 98 and 105) so they could move up to the Broncos’ pick at No. 76 and select cornerback Paulson Adebo.

So we’ve got Paton chirping to a competitor that he’s about to get a better offer from someone else, we’ve got him addressing Loomis at a later time, and we’ve got a trade the Saints and Broncos executed in that same draft. Does that mean Loomis was on the wrong end of things?

Not necessarily. Paton traded with multiple teams during the 2021 draft, moving down in the second round (with the Atlanta Falcons) and in the third round (with the New York Giants, who gave them the No. 76 pick they traded to New Orleans) while acquiring picks in the later rounds. So that’s three possible teams who could’ve been on the line with the Broncos general manager. We’ll rule this one as inconclusive.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=121578]

Trevor Lawrence beats the rest of the 2021 QB class to a playoff win

The No. 1 overall pick in a loaded QB class two years ago, Trevor Lawrence is already delivering on the hype

In what was considered to be one of the most stacked quarterback classes in recent history, the 2021 NFL draft’s group of passers is showing how special it is early on.

That goes especially the first overall pick, Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller Trevor Lawrence.

He was considered the top of the class and a generational talent at the position, and that has shown on the field as he has developed throughout his second year.

While Justin Fields and Trey Lance have shown a ton of upside in their own right (while Zach Wilson very much has not), Lawrence has eclipsed both of them, at the same time has distinguishing himself by becoming the first quarterback from that class to win a playoff game after his brilliant comeback win against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lawrence did not make it easy on himself in the first half of his first playoff game, of course, tossing four interceptions in the first half. The Chargers took full advantage, turning the takeaways and gifted field position into a 27-0 first-half lead.

In the second half, however, Lawrence showed us all the tools that made him that first overall pick. He was constantly making elite-level passes, including four consecutive drives where he threw for a touchdown. The game ultimately ended thanks to a 68-yard game winning drive by Lawrence, capped by a 36-yard field goal as the clock hit zero.

Lawrence finished the game with 28 completions on 47 attempts for 288 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. His second half stats tell the story, though, as Lawrence threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns and had a passer rating of 144.5 after the halftime mark.

It will be interesting to see if Lawrence can carry that second-half performance into Saturday’s road tilt against Patrick Mahomes and the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, and perhaps be the first of his class to make it to a conference title game, as well.

[listicle id=641804]

Giants agree to terms with rookies Wan’Dale Robinson, Dane Belton

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with rookie safety Dane Belton and rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with two new rookies from their 2022 NFL draft class.

The Giants have agreed to terms with both their second- and fourth-round draft picks to their rookie contracts. The entire Giants draft class (all 11 picks) will now soon be under contract.

Their second-round pick, Wan’Dale Robinson, adds another playmaker for Big Blue at the wideout position. He was an electric athlete in college and broke out his junior year as he totaled 1,445 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Pairing Robinson with another shifty receiver, Kadarius Toney, should give the Giants a lot of opportunities to diversify the game plan and spread defenses out.

As for the Giants’ fourth-round draft pick, Dane Belton should have an opportunity to get Week 1 reps at the safety position.

The team is paper thin in the defensive backfield. After Julian Love and Xavier McKinney, the Giants have no players on the roster that have played snaps at the safety position. Belton has had three years of experience as an Iowa Hawkeye where he was a star, even recording five interceptions in his final season.

This combination of skill and experience gives Belton the opportunity to play right away for New York.

[listicle id=694150]