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    The 2021 NFL Draft First Round is Over. Here's What We Learned.

    Quarterbacks still come first, Alabama still produces talent and Aaron Rodgers is still unhappy.The first round of the 2021 N.F.L. draft proceeded on Thursday night according to the league’s strict hierarchy: quarterbacks came first, followed by those who catch passes from them and protect them, with the defenders tasked with stopping them bringing up the rear.And just to add some extra drama to the proceedings, a member of the league’s quarterback aristocracy did his best to upstage the newcomers.Quarterbacks went 1-2-3.For the first time since 1999, quarterbacks were selected with the top three picks: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1, Brigham Young’s Zach Wilson by the Jets at No. 2, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance by the San Francisco 49ers at No. 3.The Lawrence and Wilson selections were forgone conclusions weeks ago. San Francisco’s choice of Lance over Alabama’s Mac Jones or Ohio State’s Justin Fields, on the other hand, had been a closely guarded secret.Lance led the Bison to the Football Championship Subdivision national championship in 2019, throwing 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions against a much lower caliber of competition than Fields or Jones faced in their Power 5 conferences. He played only one game in 2020 because of coronavirus-related postponements and cancellations before declaring for the draft. A coach of Kyle Shanahan’s insight, however, can no doubt accurately evaluate a small-program prospect with limited playing time.Lance will replace Jimmy Garoppolo, the small-program prospect with limited playing time whom Shanahan’s 49ers traded for in 2017, lavishly overpaid and eventually grew disenchanted with.Fields, who led the Buckeyes to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, dropped to the Chicago Bears, who traded up to draft him with the 11th pick. He is expected to quickly supplant Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, the N.F.L.’s versions of Art Garfunkel and John Oates.The New England Patriots later selected Jones with the 15th overall pick. Jones led the Crimson Tide to the national championship in 2020 under nearly ideal conditions; five of his college teammates were selected among the draft’s first 24 picks. Now he joins one the most successful American sports franchises of the 21st century. Some guys have all the luck.Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith were the last quarterbacks to be selected with the top-three selections in an N.F.L. draft. Only McNabb had a noteworthy career, which is a reminder that top quarterback prospects usually end up at the mercy of perennially dysfunctional franchises like the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. Or, in this year’s case, the Jaguars and the Jets.Receivers great and small were embraced.The Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith went to the Eagles at No. 10.Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesAfter the quarterbacks came a run of pass catchers.The Atlanta Falcons selected tight end Kyle Pitts, who caught 12 touchdown passes in eight games for Florida last year, at No. 4. The highest-drafted tight end in history, Pitts is expected to revolutionize the way N.F.L. offenses use tight ends, just as Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, Travis Kelce and many others revolutionized the position over the last 50 years. Apparently, the tight end position has undergone as many revolutions as 19th century Italy.The Cincinnati Bengals selected Louisiana State wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth pick, reuniting him with Joe Burrow, Chase’s college quarterback and the top pick in last year’s draft. If the Bengals transform into an L.S.U. alumni team, it will at least give them an identity for the first time since Boomer Esiason left in 1993.The speedy Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle joined the Miami Dolphins with the next pick, No. 6 over all, leaping ahead of more-accomplished teammate DeVonta Smith, who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 10th pick.Smith is nicknamed Slim Reaper, which sounds like the world’s only Eminem/Iron Maiden tribute band but refers instead to the fact that Smith reportedly weighs around 166 pounds, a few Waffle House breakfasts shy of the minimum N.F.L. threshold. Smith should have carried the 45-pound Heisman Trophy he won last season onto a scale with him to put evaluators more at ease.Like Chase, Waddle and Smith will be reunited with their college quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa (in Miami) and Jalen Hurts (in Philadelphia). But it’s not really noteworthy when that sort of thing happens to Alabama players.Cornerbacks: The next generation.The Broncos liked the look of cornerback Patrick Surtain II. So did Patrick Surtain II.Pool photo by David DermerBy the time N.F.L. teams got around to drafting some defenders, their best choices turned out to be cornerbacks with famous fathers.The Carolina Panthers selected Jaycee Horn (South Carolina) with the eighth pick. Horn’s father, Joe Horn, was a standout wide receiver best known for using a cellphone as a prop in a touchdown celebration against the Giants in 2003. Horn used a flip phone, retroactively making the gag a “dad joke.”Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) joined the Denver Broncos with the ninth pick. His father played for the great Miami Dolphins defenses of the early 2000s, which are not well remembered mostly because their offenses were dreadful.Other second-generation cornerbacks will be drafted in later rounds, including Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr., whose dad allowed an Eli Manning interception to bounce off his hands in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII, making him the only New England Patriots player eligible for the Giants’ Ring of Honor.Leaping forward and trading back.The Jets traded up to the 14th pick from the 23rd pick (acquired from the Seattle Seahawks in last year’s Jamal Adams deal) to select Southern Cal offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, who will provide some insurance against Wilson’s enduring too many early-career hits the way the last umpteen Jets quarterback prospects did.The Giants’ general manager, Dave Gettleman.Michael Conroy/Associated PressAs for the Giants, General Manager Dave Gettleman opted to trade down in the first round for the first time in his long career, sliding down from the 11th pick to net an extra first-round pick in 2022, plus change. In their adjusted spot at No. 20, the Giants selected the Florida all-purpose rusher-receiver Kadarius Toney.Gettleman said last week that he had always been amenable to trading down, but the price was never right. “I don’t want to get fleeced,” he said.No N.F.L. personality sounds more like a crotchety uncle haggling at a used car dealership than Gettleman, but he appears to have struck a shrewd deal this time.Rodgers, grudges and Green Bay.Aaron Rodgers in the workday uniform he currently prefers.Carol Kaelson/Jeopardy Productions, Inc., via Associated PressA report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that a disgruntled Aaron Rodgers does not want to return to the Green Bay Packers sent shock waves across the league in the hours before the draft. Rodgers, the reigning most valuable player and a recent “Jeopardy!” guest host, was not-so-secretly miffed when the Packers drafted his potential replacement, Jordan Love, in last year’s first round and by other organizational decisions.The Packers could have selected a wide receiver with the 29th pick, which would have been the draft-day equivalent of a diamond brooch and a tearful apology. Instead, they chose Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes.While the Rodgers situation is still developing, few teams have the resources to trade for him. And if Rodgers chooses to retire, “Jeopardy!” would be better off hiring LeVar Burton. More

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    As Underclassmen Flood the N.F.L. Draft, Landing Places Dry Up

    Since the league began allowing underclassmen to enter the draft in 1990, the number who do so has ballooned more than threefold. There are fewer options for those who go undrafted.Clifton Duck may watch a bit of the N.F.L. draft this weekend, as he has in previous years. But he may not. “It’s everyone’s dream to go to the draft on TV,” he said. “But it’s a long, uncontrolled process, and you can’t determine what happens.”For Duck, the dream of playing in the N.F.L. has so far eluded him. Despite his size at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Duck had been named an all-conference defensive back at Appalachian State each of his three seasons. But when the team’s coach left to take over the Louisville program, taking a number of the staff with him, Duck figured he’d enter the 2019 draft.Duck didn’t seek a lot of advice about his pro potential, essentially betting on himself to impress N.F.L. personnel. “Whatever team or camp I went to, I knew I was going to produce,” he said.Duck, like an increasing number of underclassmen who leave college early, wasn’t drafted. He signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears in May 2019 and had a solid camp, including an interception and 62-yard runback in a preseason game against the Giants. Still, he was cut.He returned home to his parents’ house in Charlotte, N.C., and since then, Duck has been taking online classes at Appalachian State to complete his communications degree (he’s one semester short), working out, coaching at his old high school and working the night shift at CarMax. The 2020 Canadian Football League season was canceled, but he was contacted by a local scout for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, so he is now preparing for their July training camp. If that goes well, who knows? For Duck, the N.F.L. dream still lives.Clifton Duck made a highlight play during the preseason for the Bears but was still cut. “You just go back to square one and keep putting in the work,” he said.Steven Ryan/Getty Images“You just go back to square one and keep putting in the work.”In the 31 years since the N.F.L. began allowing underclassmen to declare for the draft, the number who do so every year has ballooned more than threefold, while the available jobs have not.In 1990, 28 underclassmen declared for the draft, and some cashed in: Five were among the first 10 picks. Ten, however, were not drafted.Starting in 2014, the total number of underclassmen who declared early and had not graduated began nearing or exceeding 100. More underclassmen are being drafted, but those going undrafted jumped, too, topping 20 most years. This year, 98 underclassmen who have not graduated declared for the draft.More Underclassmen Taking N.F.L. LeapThe number of underclassmen declaring for the N.F.L. draft has roughly doubled over the past decade. At least 20 of them have gone undrafted in all but one of the past nine years.

    Note: Ninety-eight underclassmen have declared for the 2021 N.F.L. draft.Source: N.F.L.The New York TimesWhile the N.C.A.A. addressed the swell of early entrants for the N.B.A. draft with a 2018 rule change that allows players to return to college before a deadline if they haven’t signed with an agent, college football is considering no such change.Unlike in basketball, where undrafted players can hope to catch on with the G-League or pro teams in Europe and China, or baseball, which boasts 120 minor league clubs, in football the options are slim.“There’s no alternative. There’s no option where I can go play in Lithuania,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban told The Athletic in 2018.There are only 53 active players per N.F.L. team. There will be 259 slots in this year’s draft, including compensatory picks, and 98 underclassmen have been added to the pool by declaring early. An N.C.A.A. study of the 2019 draft showed that just 6.8 percent of eligible Football Bowl Subdivision players were taken.“The N.F.L. is a private entity with a business model that’s been successful,” said UConn Coach Randy Edsall, who has also worked for N.F.L. teams. “If a young man is going to come out early, he better make sure he’s done his due diligence. If you declare, then understand what the ramifications are. You have to live with that decision.”The N.F.L. declined to comment for this article but referred to the “College Player Development” section of its website, where the mission of the league’s College Advisory Committee is outlined. “The board evaluates up to five underclassmen from each school, though evaluations for additional players are considered on a case-by-case basis,” the website said. “Limiting the number of players the committee evaluates allows the scouts to focus on those players with a realistic chance and provide more accurate projections.”Many players don’t seek the committee’s advice, or ignore it. Axios reported that during the 2016 and 2017 drafts, 80 underclassmen who were advised by the committee to stay in school declared early anyway.Williams awaited interviews during the N.F.L. Scouting Combine in 2019, but went undrafted. “I felt I’d just leave and take my chances,” he said of his decision to leave Washington State early.Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesAs the number of early entrants has grown, so has discussion of changes — but there’s been little sign of consensus. The N.C.A.A. did not respond to requests for comment.Saban and the former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who now coaches the Jacksonville Jaguars, have discussed some of these proposals with N.F.L. representatives, but brokering a solution between two bureaucracies like the N.C.A.A. and the N.F.L. will likely be a glacial process.One popular proposal is for the N.F.L. to adopt a system similar to the N.B.A.’s model. Underclassmen who don’t sign with an agent can attend a pre-draft combine — this year in June — and receive feedback, maintaining college eligibility if they withdraw from the N.B.A. draft by July. But in football underclassmen must declare for the N.F.L. draft in January, before the scouting combine, which is traditionally held in the spring.Rick Neuheisel, a CBS Sports commentator and former college coach, argued that even after the draft any player who isn’t chosen should be able to return to school.“Why do we make them walk the plank?” he asked.Other suggestions include expanding N.F.L. practice squads, creating a developmental league like basketball’s G-League or handing out Advisory Committee assessments earlier.But the solutions are complicated too. Colleges would have prepared in spring practice for a roster that doesn’t include the early entrants, and a new recruiting class addressing the anticipated roster gaps would have been signed in February; college roster management would be scrambled.It’s too late for any of those proposals to be of use to James Williams. He gained 3,090 all-purpose yards in three years as a running back at Washington State, and declared following his junior year in 2018. Williams’s position coach had departed before that season, and Williams didn’t connect as well with the replacement; a freshman back began eating into Williams’s playing time. He and his girlfriend had a baby that December.Williams worked out on Tuesday to stay in shape to play the upcoming season with the C.F.L.’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Pete Caster for The New York TimesThe College Advisory Committee counseled him to stay in school, telling him that he lacked the size and speed for the pros, but he figured Washington State’s pass-oriented scheme and competition at his position would be obstacles.“If I went back, how much better would I have been?” he asked. “I felt I’d just leave and take my chances.”On the draft’s third day, when the final three rounds were being selected, there was a party for him at a Los Angeles-area restaurant.“But as they got to the last 20 picks, I started panicking,” he said.Williams wasn’t drafted. What followed was a free-agent contract with Kansas City and tryouts with Washington, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New England and Detroit, where he played in one exhibition game.But he didn’t stick. So Williams signed a contract with the C.F.L.’s Blue Bombers. Meantime, he’s living with his fiancée’s parents in Lewiston, Idaho, training high schoolers and working as a personal trainer; he is a semester short of a degree in humanities.“My life’s been dedicated to football for 21 years, but I don’t want to just rely on football,” Williams said. “If it doesn’t work out, that’s a message to find something else I’m passionate about.”Williams with his family after a long day of work as a personal trainer.Pete Caster for The New York Times More

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    2021 N.F.L. Draft: What to Look for on Day 2 and Day 3

    A complete guide to the remainder of the N.F.L. draft, with rounds two through seven.The first round of the N.F.L. draft commands much of the attention, and rightly so.But the second and third rounds can be just as important because teams often find valuable players who were not among the first 32 picks.And don’t ignore the later rounds, either. Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, owner of seven Super Bowl rings, was drafted by New England in the sixth round in 2000. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who signed a four-year, $160-million contract this off-season, was drafted in the fourth round in 2016.Below is a complete guide to understanding the rest of the 2021 N.F.L. draft.How do I watch it?The second and third rounds start Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The final four rounds will start Saturday at noon. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will continue to broadcast the event.Who has the most picks?The Philadelphia Eagles entered Thursday holding 11 draft picks, the most in the league, with but traded a third-round pick to end up with 10 total selections — nine on Friday and Saturday. Jacksonville, Miami and Kansas City will be very active early on Day 2, as each has two second-round picks.The Seattle Seahawks have a league-low three picks remaining — one in the second round, one in the fourth, and one in the seventh.What positions will be up for grabs after the first round?Expect to see a lot of running backs and defensive players taken, because there are plenty of options.With the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Najee Harris and Jacksonville picking Travis Etienne, some of the best running backs remaining include North Carolina’s Javonte Williams, Ohio State’s Trey Sermon and Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson.Teams started taking defensive players toward the middle of the first round, but some talented prospects still remain on the board. They include Texas Christian safety Trevon Moehrig, Alabama defensive tackle Christian Barmore and Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.Regardless of position, some of the best available players include Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Mississippi receiver Elijah Moore and Oklahoma State offensive tackle Tevin Jenkins.Which teams will own the rest of the draft?Kansas City, along with the Houston Texans, the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, did not pick in the first round. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.While the first round was full of potential talent, some general managers use those draft picks as currency to acquire proven stars.Look no further than the Rams, who for five consecutive years have not participated in Day 1 draft festivities because they traded out of the first round. After trading quarterback Jared Goff and two future first-round draft picks to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford this off-season, the Rams are not slated to make a first-round selection until 2024.And in 2019, General Manager Les Snead used two first-round picks in a deal with Jacksonville to acquire cornerback Jalen Ramsey, arguably the best player at his position. In 2020, the Seahawks followed a similar model by sending two first-round picks to the Jets for the star safety Jamal Adams.When asked about the steep price of trading two future first-round picks to Miami for this year’s third overall selection, which the 49ers used on quarterback Trey Lance of North Dakota State, San Francisco 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan referenced the Rams and the Seahawks, fellow members of the N.F.C. West.“I think those decisions were awesome for their teams, and I hate playing against them because of it,” he said. More

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    Patriots Take Alabama QB Mac Jones at 15th Pick

    The New England Patriots watched from home as Tom Brady, their starter of 20 years, won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a blatant reminder that they needed to find a long-term solution at quarterback.That’s why they selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who was projected to be the third overall pick but ended up at No. 15. Though Cam Newton, who is an effective runner, re-signed with the Patriots on another one-year deal, Jones is an accurate pocket passer, which mimics Brady’s skill set.Was there ever a doubt? pic.twitter.com/sabyK7Sfgq— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 30, 2021
    Per ESPN, this is the first time Coach Bill Belichick has selected a quarterback in the first round. Jones was the fourth Alabama player to be picked tonight. More

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    Kadarius Toney Drafted by the Giants? Fans Seem Confused

    The Giants took receiver Kadarius Toney of Florida with the 20th pick to bolster the league’s second-worst offense. Toney (6 foot, 193 pounds) gives quarterback Daniel Jones an additional target downfield. Toney averaged 14 yards on his 70 catches last season, scoring 10 touchdowns. He is an elite tackle-breaker once he has the ball.The Giants felt comfortable trading their 11th pick to the Chicago Bears in return for the 20th and additional picks later in the draft. General Manager Dave Gettleman, who’s been on the hot seat because of picks in previous years, had signaled his willingness to trade down: “Honest, I’ve tried to trade back, but it’s got to be value,” he told reporters last week. “I’m not getting fleeced. I refuse to do it. If somebody wants to make a bad trade back, God bless them.”Giants fans seemed perplexed by the pick, but they can check the video to get up to speed on their new receiver.Taking the role of Jets fans this year are Giants fans pic.twitter.com/fFRVpkFLrJ— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) April 30, 2021 More

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    Alex Leatherwood is Surprise Pick for Las Vegas Raiders

    The Las Vegas Raiders, eager to replenish their offensive line, took Alex Leatherwood of Alabama at No. 17. Last year, Leatherwood (6-foot-5, 312 pounds) won the Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman in college football, after allowing just five sacks in 1,400 pass-block snaps. Yet the pick was something of a surprise, because higher-rated linemen were still available.The Raiders lost Trent Brown, Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson this off-season, so they were looking for a lineman to help protect quarterback Derek Carr. The Raiders had the 10th best offense in the league last year. More

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    Round 1 NFL Draft Order and Picks: Here Are the Results

    1. Jacksonville Jaguars — Trevor Lawrence (quarterback, Clemson)2. New York Jets — Zach Wilson (quarterback, Brigham Young)3. San Francisco 49ers — Trey Lance (quarterback, North Dakota State)4. Atlanta Falcons — Kyle Pitts (tight end, Florida)5. Cincinnati Bengals — Ja’Marr Chase (wide receiver, Louisiana State)6. Miami Dolphins — Jaylen Waddle (wide receiver, Alabama)7. Detroit Lions — Penei Sewell (offensive tackle, Oregon)8. Carolina Panthers — Jaycee Horn (cornerback, South Carolina)9. Denver Broncos — Patrick Surtain II (cornerback, Alabama)10. Philadelphia Eagles (from Dallas Cowboys) — DeVonta Smith (wide receiver, Alabama)11. Chicago Bears (from New York Giants) — Justin Fields (quarterback, Ohio State)12. Dallas Cowboys (from Eagles) — Micah Parsons (linebacker, Penn State)13. Los Angeles Chargers — Rashawn Slater (offensive tackle, Northwestern)14. New York Jets (from Minnesota Vikings) — Alijah Vera-Tucker (guard, Southern California)15. New England Patriots — Mac Jones (quarterback, Alabama)16. Arizona Cardinals — Zaven Collins (linebacker, Tulsa)17. Las Vegas Raiders — Alex Leatherwood (offensive tackle, Alabama)18. Miami Dolphins — Jaelan Phillips (edge rusher, Miami of Florida)19. Washington Football Team — Jamin Davis (linebacker, Kentucky)20. New York Giants (from Bears) — Kadarius Toney (wide receiver, Florida)21. Indianapolis Colts22. Tennessee Titans23. Minnesota Vikings (from Jets)24. Pittsburgh Steelers25. Jacksonville Jaguars26. Cleveland Browns27. Baltimore Ravens28. New Orleans Saints29. Green Bay Packers30. Buffalo Bills31. Baltimore Ravens32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers More

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    Patriots take pocket-passer Mac Jones.

    The New England Patriots watched from home as Tom Brady, their starter of 20 years, won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a blatant reminder that they needed to find a long-term solution at quarterback.That’s why they selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who was projected to be the third overall pick but ended up at No. 15. Though Cam Newton, who is an effective runner, re-signed with the Patriots on another one-year deal, Jones is an accurate pocket passer, which mimics Brady’s skill set.Was there ever a doubt? pic.twitter.com/sabyK7Sfgq— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 30, 2021
    Per ESPN, this is the first time Coach Bill Belichick has selected a quarterback in the first round. Jones was the fourth Alabama player to be picked tonight. More