2021 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars’ Shad Khan To Control Roster, No. 1 Pick

January 7th, 2021 at 8:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars’ next GM will have a tremendous opportunity to help rebuild the franchise. However, owner Shad Khan says that he will continue to have final say over the roster, draft, and all personnel matters.

“I kept the roster control and…the general manager candidates, I’ve been talking to them, that for the immediate future I’m going to keep the roster control,” Khan said (via Michael Lombardi of The Athletic). “And I want the coach to know that also. What’s evaded the history of the Jags, really, has been a franchise quarterback. We have the ability now to make a choice, and it’s going to define the franchise moving forward.”

Of course, Khan probably won’t have to think too hard about the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are almost certain to select Clemson superstar Trevor Lawrence, who may be the best draft-eligible quarterback since Andrew Luck. Lawrence, to the surprise of no one, officially declared earlier this week.

Khan may keep control, but he’s not expected to be an all-out babysitter of his next GM. So far, their candidate pool includes former Browns general manager Ray Farmer, Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot, former Giants GM Jerry Reese, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, and former Texans general manager Rick Smith. For the latest on the Jags and other GM-less teams, check out our 2021 NFL GM Search Tracker.

Trevor Lawrence Declares For 2021 NFL Draft

January 6th, 2021 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here. On Wednesday, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence formally declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

“I’ll look back at these three years and have the best memories,” Lawrence said (Twitter link). “I really feel like I’m a man now and I’m ready to take on those challenges. Just super excited for life ahead. The best is always yet to come, but I’m grateful for Clemson and I’m going to miss it.”

As the projected No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence long seemed ticketed for the Jets. But, with some late-season signs of life, the Jets ceded the league’s cellar to the Jaguars. There are other noteworthy passers in this class — including Ohio State’s Justin Fields — but none compare to Lawrence, who is viewed as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

“Looking back on it, I hope my legacy is that I was a great teammate and a great person overall, more than how I played,” Lawrence said. “It’s how I treated people. I want that to be the main thing I’m known for.”

Lawrence threw for 3,153 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions in his final season. And, with 69.2% of his passes completed, he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, despite losing time to injury. The Jaguars will explore other prospects for the No. 1 overall pick, but it would be a stunner to see them take anyone other than Lawrence.

2021 NFL Draft Order

January 4th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

The 2020 regular season is in the books. For more than half of the NFL, that means the offseason is officially underway.

The league’s 18 non-playoff teams now know where they stand in the 2021 NFL Draft order. For the remaining clubs, the playoffs will help determine their position. Here’s the rundown of the 2021 NFL Draft order, thus far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinatti Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins

Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari, TCU’s Tre’von Moehrig Declare For Draft

January 3rd, 2021 at 12:06pm CST by Rory Parks

Several high-profile collegiate prospects declared for the 2021 NFL draft yesterday. Per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com, Georgia edge defender Azeez Ojulari is foregoing his final two years of college eligibility and will enter the draft, and TCU safety Tre’von Moehrig announced on Twitter that he is also turning pro.

Ojulari is arguably the best pass rusher in the draft, and most mocks have him going off the board in the first round. He has led the Bulldogs in sacks in each of the past two seasons, and he ended the 2020 season with 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 12.5 tackles for loss. He ended his college career on a high note, having piled up three sacks and two forced fumbles in Georgia’s Peach Bowl victory over Cincinnati. He took home defensive MVP honors for the game and was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive player.

Ojulari is lauded for the series of pass rush moves that he has already developed, which will serve as a strong foundation for his future in the pros. His technique, along with his size and explosiveness, make him an especially intriguing prospect, and the Broncos, Browns, and Vikings profile as possible landing spots.

Moehrig, meanwhile, is a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, and many pundits — like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. — consider him to be the best safety in the 2021 class. He is a definite playmaker, having recorded nine takeaways over the past two seasons, and is a finalist for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back. He is at his best when asked to play a single-high, “centerfielder” role.

Zach Wilson Declares For NFL Draft

January 1st, 2021 at 4:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

A fast-rising quarterback prospect, Zach Wilson will depart BYU early. The junior quarterback announced Friday (via Twitter) he will skip his senior year and declare for the 2021 draft.

Not on the early-first-round radar going into this unusual college football season, Wilson has rocketed onto that tier. The Cougars quarterback finished with a 33-3 TD-INT ratio in 12 games, and his 3,699 yards rank third in the country. Also rushing for 254 yards and 10 touchdowns, Wilson led BYU to an 11-1 record this season.

The BYU quarterback has leapfrogged Ohio State’s Justin Fields, whom most expected to be the second quarterback drafted behind Trevor Lawrence in April, on ESPN.com’s Todd McShay’s latest big board. A host of NFL staffers believe Wilson will come out ahead of Fields, per Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com.

While McShay slots Wilson eighth on his latest big board, the value of the quarterback position will put him in play as a top-five pick. With the Jets missing out on Lawrence, who is the expected Jaguars selection at No. 1, they could turn to the ascending BYU product at No. 2 overall.

Wilson will join a quarterback class that is expected to include Lawrence and Fields, along with North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, Alabama’s Mac Jones and Florida’s Kyle Trask. The Gators quarterback announced Thursday, as expected, he will not seek a now-available fifth season in Gainesville.

Florida TE Kyle Pitts Declares For Draft

December 20th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts has declared for the 2021 NFL draft, thereby foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility, as ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter). To guard against the possibility of injury, Pitts will not play in the Gators’ bowl game.

The 6-6, 240-pound talent is considered one of the best tight end prospects in recent memory, and as such, he is expected to come off the board in the first round. The Patriots and Cardinals profile as possible landing spots, and despite the presence of Mark Andrews, the TE-reliant Ravens could also give Pitts some serious thought.

Pitts ends his college career on a high note — at least from a personal standpoint — as he secured seven catches for 129 yards and a TD in Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. In eight games this season, he compiled 43 catches for 770 yards and twelve scores. He is a semifinalist for this year’s John Mackey Award.

At the next level, Pitts will need to refine his route-running and blocking, but that’s largely true of any college tight end. He has experience lining up in-line and outside the numbers, and his outstanding body control and athleticism will serve him well in the pros.

RB Chuba Hubbard To Enter 2021 Draft

December 12th, 2020 at 1:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the top draft-eligible running backs will officially submit his name in the 2021 prospect pool. Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard is declaring for the draft, according to Cowboys coach Mike Gundy.

Hubbard missed Oklahoma State’s past two games due to an ankle injury and is not returning for their regular-season finale Saturday, opting to wrap his college career early and prepare for the draft.

A 2,000-yard rusher in 2019, Hubbard is expected to fall in near the top of next year’s running back class. Scouts Inc. slots the junior back third among draft-eligible runners — behind Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Alabama’s Najee Harris — despite a down third season in Stillwater, Okla.

After finishing eighth in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting, Hubbard rushed for just 625 yards and saw his yards-per-carry figure drop from 6.4 to 4.7. That said, the 6-foot ball carrier still compiled four straight 100-plus-yard outings during this COVID-19-altered college football season. He figures to be a Day 2 prospect for running back-needy teams come April.

Extra Points: 2021 Cap, Glennon, Fields

December 6th, 2020 at 9:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When the NFL and NFLPA reached an agreement earlier this year to play the 2021 season under unprecedented circumstances, it was settled that the 2021 salary cap would be no lower than $175MM. That still would’ve been a steep drop from the $198.2MM figure for 2020. Fortunately for the players, it looks like the NFLPA could avoid that doomsday scenario and then some, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. A source told Florio that the prospect of stadiums full of fans looking better for 2021 has the league office feeling a little more generous.

Florio writes that the “potential of a return to something normal or close to it” for 2021 could end up having the league keep the cap “in the range” of $195MM, which would mean practically no drop at all. Of course, with the ever-changing nature of COVID-19 and the current environment, there’s still a lot left to be determined. As Florio notes, the league won’t make its final decision until late February or early March, so there’s still plenty of time for things to change. This will be an interesting storyline to monitor as the offseason approaches.

Here’s more from around the league as Week 13 winds down:

Mike Glennon and the Jaguars came up just short of a huge upset when they lost in overtime to the Vikings, but he apparently did enough to keep the job for another week. Glennon will start for Jacksonville in Week 14, head coach Doug Marrone said after the game. Glennon moved the ball decently against Minnesota, but turned the ball over three times. That still wasn’t enough for Marrone to turn back to Gardner Minshew. “I think he still gives us the best chance to win as of right now so I’m going to stick with him right now for this week,” Marrone said, per John Oehser of the team’s official site. As you can see, Marrone certainly didn’t commit to him for the rest of the season and it wouldn’t be surprising if Minshew gets the call at any time. The 1-11 Jags have lost 11 in a row, although four of their last five losses have been by four points or fewer. Glennon, Minshew, and sixth-round rookie Jake Luton have all started multiple games in this disastrous campaign.
Speaking of the Jags, they are one of several teams likely to be looking for a quarterback in the first-round of this coming April’s draft. It’s looking like an excellent class of passers, with Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields clearly at the top. While they’re considered by many to be the top two picks in the draft, Lawrence will be “graded significantly higher” by scouts than Fields, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com writes. That probably won’t surprise you, but what Pauline said next might. The long-time draft insider writes that Fields will grade higher on teams’ boards than 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow. The only reason Lawrence will be clearly ahead of Fields is since Lawrence is viewed as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. If Fields is going to be considered a better pro prospect than the highly touted Burrow, getting the second overall pick instead of first might not be that bad for Jacksonville or whoever else.

Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr. To Enter NFL Draft

November 30th, 2020 at 8:40am CST by Zachary Links

Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. announced that he will opt out in order to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. Samuel — the son of four-time Pro Bowler Asante Samuel — profiles as a potential early-round pick.

“The last three years at Florida State has had its ups and downs, but I will forever cherish the memories and relationships that I have created while I was here,” Samuel said in a statement. “When I committed to Florida State, I didn’t realize how much I would grow as a football player, and better yet, as a person. I’m thankful for my family, teammates, coaches, the athletic trainers, academic staff and fans for always guiding and supporting me throughout the years.”

Samuel leaves FSU with 97 stops, four interceptions, and 29 pass breakups across three seasons. He thrived on the whole, despite a down stretch for the Seminoles and a recent coaching staff overhaul. At 5’10”, he lacks the prototypical size for the cornerback position, but the same could be said of his dad who was only an inch taller.

The 2021 NFL Draft will be held from April 29 – May 1 in Cleveland.

Penn State’s Journey Brown Retires From Football

November 12th, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Penn State running back Journey Brown will retire from football after learning of a serious heart condition, head coach James Franklin announced (Twitter link via Audrey Snyder of The Athletic). Brown, who was once considered to be a potential first-round prospect, was found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while going through COVID-19 testing in September.

Brown led the Nittany Lions with 890 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. His strong finish pushed his NFL stock even higher — the 5’11” tailback averaged 118.6 yards per contest over his last five games. In Penn State’s win over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl, Brown went off for 202 yards and two touchdowns with just 16 carries. That will stand as Brown’s final game on the field.

“I finally had the opportunity to showcase what I was born to do and, hopefully, set myself up to achieve my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL,” Brown wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, the dream will never be realized as I have been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which will force me to medically retire from the game of football. The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts and I can’t explain how I am feeling right now.”

We here at PFR wish Brown the best in retirement.

2021 NFL Draft News & Rumors