The 2021 NFL draft started Thursday night as the football season has officially begun for teams around the league. The first night of the draft was centered by number one prospect Trevor Lawrence, the Quarterback from Clemson University. Everybody knew who the Jaguars were going to take because Lawrence has been rated as the top choice for a while. 

For Jacksonville, this was a big need for them as they now have their franchise QB and can start surrounding him with talent to make this a successful franchise. He is expected to be a player that can make plays on the fly and never panics in tough situations and can get the throw off if he needs to. Lawrence seemingly promised success when he spoke at the draft after being selected, “That is the plan moving on to Jacksonville is to do things that haven’t been done, continue to lead and do things the right way.”(thestate.com) The Jaguars also drafted late in round one of Lawrence’s teammates from Clemson, running back Travis Etienne, making them the first QB/RB duo to be drafted by the same team in the first round. Etienne 

With the second pick was the New York Jets. Along with the Jaguars, pretty much everyone knew that BYU quarterback, Zach Wilson would be the next guy up in New York. This became even more clear when just two weeks ago, 2017 first round draft pick, Sam Darnold was traded to Carolina. Wilson was the guy the Jets have been looking at since the offseason started and it wasn’t expected for them to take any of the other available QBs. 

Wilson was excited to be a Jet and said that this is what he was hoping for, “You never truly know until it happens on draft day, but this is what I was hoping for, this is what me and my family were praying for, is to be in this situation and go play for the Jets,”(newyorkjets.com). The Jets got their new franchise QB and hope he brings new life to the organization. 

The Jets selected Alijah-Vera Tucker, an offensive guard for USC, after trading up with the Minnesota Vikings with the 14th pick. Tucker is expected to bolster the left side with Mekhi Becton in order to protect Zach Wilson. The Jets are trying to build a future and they believe that this is a big step in that direction. 

Perhaps one of the biggest questions coming into the draft was with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers traced up to the 3rd pick in the draft with the Miami Dolphins. A lot of people were originally questioning the move until people realized that 49ers were thinking QB here. The three top goalies that were left to be among the best were Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones. The 49ers drafted Trey Lance with the third pick in the draft. Lance, a quarterback from North Dakota State was an intriguing draft pick because of the uncertainty of who the 49ers would draft. Some were hoping they’d take Ohio State QB, Justin Fields, but that wasn’t the case. Head coach Kyle Shanhahan had said that Lance was the guy they wanted all along. CBS sports analyst Josh Edwards said, “Lance is a mobile quarterback with a strong arm and the ability to drive the ball,” There is room for improvement for Lance because he hasn’t played a whole lot however when he does he rarely throws interceptions and is reliable. 

The top three picks in the draft have been selected and the Jaguars, Jets, and 49ers all hope that their new QB’s become their new franchise piece needed to improve their future.