The 2021 NFL Draft was supposed to be a good one for teams in need of quarterback help. The Jacksonville Jaguars, for their part, selected Trevor Lawrence with the first overall selection. Two years later, it's fair to say that the Jags found a long-term answer at the position after searching for years. But what about all the other signal-callers who came out of the same class?
In total, 10 quarterbacks were chosen in 2021 and not all of them have enjoyed the same level of success Lawrence has had. Now, it would be unrealistic to expect those drafted in later rounds to turn into solid starters but how about those picked in the first round? How do they stack up against Lawrence in 2023?
With that in mind, here's a ranking of all the quarterbacks who came out of the 2021 draft.
No. 10 quarterback to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Kellen Mond, Round 3, pick 66
Heading into the 2021 draft, Kellen Mond seemed like a solid developmental prospect and a potential sleeper. When he landed with the Minnesota Vikings, it appeared to be the perfect situation for him. Behind Kirk Cousins, he could hone his skills and learn the finer points of the position.
This is why it was telling when then-head coach Mike Zimmer wasn't particularly interested in seeing Mond get playing time once the Vikes had been eliminated from playoff contention in 2021. Why would a club that invested an early-round pick on him not want to see what he could do on the field?
In the end, Zimmer was gone the following offseason and the Vikings also gave Mond the boot before the start of the 2022. The former Texas A&M Auggie was recently on and off the Cleveland Browns practice squad but is currently without a team.
No. 9 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Ian Book, Round 4, pick 133
You could argue that things haven't gone great for Ian Book when you consider that he's not currently on any active NFL roster. The former Notre Dame Fighting Irish was taken in Round 4 by the New England Saints and waived one year later. He spent the 2022 season with the Philadelphia Eagles and landed in the New England Patriots practice squad earlier this year.
Book did make one start for the New Orleans Saints in his rookie season. However, it wasn't a great outing, as he went on to throw two interceptions. At this stage of his career, he projects as a journeyman quarterback, the kind teams call in case of emergency to fill a roster spot.
No. 8 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Sam Ehlinger, Round 6, pick 218
Unlike Ian Book or Kellen Mond, Sam Ehlinger remains with the team that drafted him, the Indianapolis Colts. And that should account for something. In theory, the former the former Texas Longhorn was not supposed to see the field early in his NFL career but plans always change, and he was pressed into action last year when Indy benched an aging Matt Ryan to give the offense a spark.
Ehlinger wasn't necessarily bad, completing 63.45 percent of his passes for 733 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. On the other hand, he showed he wasn't a viable option to start under center. Not surprisingly, the Colts drafted Anthony Richardson and signed Garder Minshew in the offseason while Ehlinger went back to the bottom of the depth chart.
No. 7 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Kyle Trask, Round 2, pick 64
Kyle Trask had a fruitful career at Florida but his limited mobility, alongside his less-than-ideal arm strength, made him tumble to the second round in 2021. The former Gator was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, who already had a starting quarterback in Tom Brady.
Trask spent two seasons as Brady's understudy and competed with Baker Mayfield for the starting job in the offseason. He ended up losing the battle and is currently QB2 on the depth chart. Barring significant injury or Mayfield underperforming, it's unlikely that Trask will get playing time in 2023.
No. 6 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Trey Lance, Round 1, 3rd overall
You have probably heard that availability is the most important ability in football, and this is especially true for Trey Lance. A highly talented quarterback with lots of enticing tools, he entered the NFL with just 19 collegiate starts under his belt. However, that didn't deter the San Francisco 49ers from trading up to draft him.
Unfortunately, Lance failed to stay healthy and was limited to eight games throughout his first two NFL seasons. the 49ers decided they had seen enough of him and shipped him to the Dallas Cowboys before the start of the season.
Maybe Lance turns the corner eventually and manages to reach his potential. For that to happen, he'll need to get experience and he'll need to stay healthy, something he hasn't shown he's capable of doing.
No. 5 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Davis Mills, Round 3, pick 67
One pick after the Vikings chose Kellen Mond, and two after the Jaguars selected Andre Cisco in the third round, the Houston Texans picked Davis Mills. Although veteran Tyrod Taylor started the regular season as the starter, they eventually turned to his rookie counterpart.
All things considered, Mills fared well as a rookie, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,664 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Along the way, his shortcomings as a signal-caller were on full display. Nevertheless, he was given the chance to prove he was the long-term answer at the position in 2022. But he came crashing down, which led Houston to draft C.J. Stroud second overall in this year's draft.
Mills' days in Houston may be numbered with Stroud in the fold. He won't probably get a chance to compete for the job but could eventually develop into a stopgap or a solid backup for teams in need of help at quarterback.
No. 4 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Zach Wilson, Round 1, 2nd overall
This is where things get interesting. Late in 2020, the New York Jets were close to clinching the top pick in the draft but they ended up getting the second overall selection due to a couple of back-to-back wins, alongside a Jaguars' loss to the Chicago Bears.
There was a 99 percent chance that whoever ended up with the first overall pick in 2021 would draft Trevor Lawrence and that's precisely what the Jaguars did. New York seemed to be fine with picking Zach Wilson at No. 2, who was a highly coveted prospect of his own coming out of BYU.
Wilson had a somewhat good rookie season while Lawrence struggled, which seemed to reinforce the notion that the Jets were smart for passing on Lawrence. However, things took a turn in 2022, and Wilson was benched while Lawrence played like a top-10 quarterback.
Wilson was so dreadful that at one point he was phased out in favor of Mike White. He was eventually inserted back as the starter when White suffered an injury but once again he faltered and was benched in favor of journeyman Chris Streveler.
Despite the fact that the Jets had drafted Wilson second overall, they didn't think highly of him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have traded for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. The plan was to let Wilson take a step back and learn from Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks of this generation.
However, Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury that paved the way for Wilson to start once again. The expectation is that Rodgers will miss the remainder of the season, which gives Zach Wilson a chance to get back on track. Having said that, Rodgers says that he doesn't rule out returning at some point later in the year, and if that's the case, Wilson will probably return to the bench.
Not many players get second chances after flopping but Zach Wilson's got his due to Aaron Rodger's injury. It will be interesting to see if he can change the narrative.
No. 3 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Justin Fields, Round 1, 11th overall
At some point, you want players to turn upside or potential into production and Justin Fields is entering that stage of his NFL career. Make no mistake, the former Ohio State has all the talent in the world. Heck, he even made the NFL's top 100 list of players in 2023 even though he probably didn't deserve to make an appearance.
It's true that Fields registered 1,000 yards on the ground in 2022 and that's an accomplishment worth praising. Moreover, dual-threat quarterbacks will always be difficult to stop and game-plan for. But Fields isn't that player, at least not yet. In his sophomore campaign, he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,421 yards for 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. While those are solid numbers, they're not the ones you expect from a franchise quarterback.
Working against Fields is that he doesn't seem to have a coordinator who can get the most out of him. In his rookie campaign, the Georgia native had Bill Lazor but Luke Getsy, who's had the position since 2022, hasn't been able to elevate his game.
You could point to Fields' lack of weapons but his supporting cast, while not great, isn't dreadful either. He's currently got a capable trio of receivers in Chase Claypool, D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney.
It's possible that Fields, like other players, needs time to hit his stride and put it all together. However, it's not far-fetched to say that he hasn't met expectations. Maybe he will but he certainly hasn't yet and it's fair to wonder how much patience the Bears will exercise before they choose to pull the plug on him.
No. 2 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Mac Jones, Round 1, pick 15
Mac Jones wasn't as highly coveted as Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, or Zach Wilson coming out of college but the consensus generally saw him falling within the first or second-round range. In the end, he landed with the New England Patriots at No. 15, and right off the back, he helped them win games. In fact, the Pats made the playoffs in his rookie season and he even earned a Pro Bowl designation. However, things went sour in his rookie campaign.
It all started when Matt Patricia was granted the power to run the offense. Although he didn't get the coordinator label, he was in charge of that side of the ball, which was odd when you realize that defense was his specialty. Patricia's lack of expertise on offense led Jones to regress in 2022. To make matters worse, rookie Bailey Zappe outplayed him, which led to talks about a potential controversy brewing in Foxborough.
Fast forward to 2023, New England kicked Patricia to the curb and brought back Bill O'Brien to take his place as the offensive coordinator. Furthermore, there was no competition between Jones and Zappe and the Pats rallied behind the former. The decision seemed to pay off, at least in the short term.
Jones completed 64.8 percent of his throws for 316 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He won't probably turn into a top-5 quarterback but gives the Patriots stability at the most important position on the football field and there are several teams that can't claim to have that luxury.
No. 1 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Trevor Lawrence, Round 1, 1st overall
Placing Trevor Lawrence at the top of this ranking is like a poorly attempted plot twist in a movie, everybody saw it coming. Then again, it isn't hyperbole to say that he's the best quarterback to come out of the 2021 draft.
Since high school, Lawrence was dubbed a special talented and he proved he had what it takes to play at an NFL level since his rookie season at Clemson. Dubbed a generational talent and the most talented prospect to come out of the collegiate ranks since Andrew Luck, he was projected to go first overall in 2021.
Interestingly, the Jaguars seemed like a long shot to land Lawrence in 2020. After all, Gardner Minshew had shown promise the year and there was a chance he could build on his success as a rookie. However, things went south right off the bat for Jacksonville. Minshew came crashing down and without much talent at most position groups, they went 1-15.
Having clinched the top pick in the draft, the Jags didn't hesitate to take Lawrence first overall. Unfortunately, his talent wasn't enough to overcome Urban Meyer's incompetence. Add a subpar supporting cast and the Tennessee native had a less-than-stellar rookie season.
Realizing they needed to put their quarterback in a position to succeed, the Jaguars hired Doug Pederson to oversee Lawrence's development. Furthermore, they spare no expenses to surround him with more weapons. To nobody's surprise, Steezy Trev hit his stride in Year 2 and became one of the most exciting players to watch in the NFL by the end of the 2022 season.
But as great as Lawrence was in 2022, he's still got room for improvement and he'll get a chance to solidify his spot as one of the top 5, maybe even top 3 quarterbacks in the league. This is why it's not far-fetched to say he's the best signal-caller to come out of the draft. Heck, he's arguably the best over the last two years. Looking back, the Jaguars are surely glad the New York Jets decided to win a couple of meaningless games in 2020.