Socially Distanced Sports: Stars shine brightly on draft night as dreams become reality for young athletes
May 31, 2021
By Anthony DeMarco
Staff Writer
The 2021 NFL Draft marked the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of NFL franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May 1.
This year’s draft was held in person, unlike last year when the draft took place virtually due to the pandemic.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had the No. 1 pick this year, and it went as many expected. Jacksonville took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, one of the most highly touted quarterback prospects the league has seen since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
Lawrence won a national championship at Clemson in 2018 and appeared in another national championship game in 2019. He has never lost a regular-season game in his life. Jacksonville got their franchise quarterback in Lawrence.
The New York Jets were the No. 2 pick and had a lot of options on the board. The Jets have been searching for their franchise quarterback for the past 20 years and took a shot with Zach Wilson out of Brigham Young University. Wilson burst onto the scene last year leading BYU to an 11-1 record, but Wilson did not go through the ringer like some other quarterback prospects. Wilson is truly a toss-up. He can either be the new face of the Jets or just another bust quarterback.
Fields can beat out Lawrence for the Rookie of the Year award. He has all the tools a modern day quarterback needs: speed, good vision and a strong arm.
The Cincinnati Bengals, who picked at No. 5, had a big decision to make. They needed to boost their offensive line to protect Joe Burrow, as they were the worst team in the league in QB time in the pocket and allowed the most hits on their quarterback. Many believed Cincinnati was going to choose University of Oregon lineman Penei Sewell, but instead, they selected Burrow’s old Louisiana State wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase. Chase is an explosive wide receiver who can take the top off an offense and is an extremely good route runner.
Burrow made it clear on social media that he wanted to team up with Chase again in the NFL. The duo led Louisiana State to a national championship victory in 2019. With Burrow coming back from a torn ACL, having a familiar face at wide receiver should help him get reacclimated. Chase is going to be the best wide receiver out of this draft class and is likely to have a lot of success in the league for years to come.
DeVonta Smith, who was the Heisman Trophy winner this past college season, was the third receiver selected. The Philadelphia Eagles picked the Alabama receiver with the 11th pick. Being the second Alabama receiver taken, Smith has a few holes in his game.
Smith is severely undersized. Since he is six feet tall and weighing in at only 161 pounds, some question his strength. Smith does not have the speed to make up for his size, though he did show his true talents while playing for Alabama. Smith is not the best fit for the Eagles, who struggle on offense and are still unsure of who their starting quarterback will be. Smith can either be a big disappointment for the Eagles, or he can prove everyone wrong, most likely becoming a lifelong mediocre slot receiver.
Perhaps the greatest steal of the draft was Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, who fell to the No. 11 spot. The Chicago Bears traded their first-round pick this year and first-round pick next year with the Giants to be able to select Fields.
Fields can beat out Lawrence for the Rookie of the Year award. He has all the tools a modern day quarterback needs: speed, good vision and a strong arm. Fields is an extremely smart quarterback with the potential to become the savior to the Bears’ offense, as their offense has been atrocious in years past.
The best part of the draft is that there are many players who were not taken in the first-round who can still have amazing careers. Until the season starts, the only players with high expectations are the first-rounders.
