The 2021 Quarterback Draft Class Disappointed Everyone 

It still boggles my mind how Zach Wilson just came out of nowhere and instantly became the QB2 of this draft.

Davis Mills looked to be best QB from this class for a moment

This QB class shows how much development at the NFL level matters more than simple prospect talent / rankings. Trevor Lawrence - Urban Meyer situation in his first season Zach Wilson - Jets (need I say more?) Trey Lance - Overshadowed by Brock Purdy, and essentially forgotten about and subsequently traded to the Cowboys, where he’s still the 3rd string QB. Justin Fields - Matt Nagy & overall Bears development has sucked for him, probably the 2nd best QB at the end of their careers. Mac Jones - Belicheck is not a good developer of QBs, and has obviously regressed.

Fields wasn't known as a "dual threat" coming out of college. He was extremely accurate, completing more than 70%. His legs came to fruition out of necessity with one of the worst lines in NFL history.

Mac Jones’s development was the worst. To have Matt Patricia as offensive coordinator in his second year and be benched a number of times Belicheck has destroyed his confidence and honestly he’ll probably be better off at another team as a backup. And Bellicheck has always been frugal with offensive weapons, always looking for low round draft steals over high round offensive draft picks.(he got away with it for 20 years with Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Julian Edelman)

I think the Jaguars are pretty happy, TL may not be the finished article, but he's clearly on his way there. He's got the Jags to the Playoffs won a game they had no business winning and they're on their way back to the postseason . As for the others what can you say, Stroud, Richardson and Levis have already shown more potential . Go Hawks

It's either injuries, going to a bad team that doesn't want to develop and protect their quarterback for some reason, or bad circumstances. Why can't teams just normally develop a quarterback or protect them?

I have high hopes for Trevor Lawrence his hair is too cool to fail

What happen was most of those QBs(Wilson, Fields, Lance) were drafted because of their potential. Everyone is or was trying to get the next Mahomes or Josh Allen. But teams are forgetting these QBs with huge potential need to be developed right. Mahomes had Andy Reid who's a great QB guru(McNabb,Vick, an Alex Smith) and only played 1 game his rookie year. It took Allen 2 years to reach his potential and it was thanks to Buffalo building a great system around him to succeed including trading for Stefan Diggs. The Jets and Bears historically can't develop Qbs so Wilson and Fields were in a bad situation from the start. Trey Lance struggled because Shanahan's scheme is too complicated for certain QBs. And Mac Jones showed how bad the Patriots are at drafting talent around the QB.

Drafting QBs is insanely risky. Franchises gamble everything on a very low reward bet it seems

HOT TAKE: Covid definitely hurt the scouting for the 2021 draft QB wise

You might say its hindsight but I always thought 2021 QB draft class was nothing but a phantom. 2020 College football had one of the worst defenses I've seen. I think COVID hit defense harder than offense and there were too many broken-coverage-wide-open-TDs, even in college football standard. And plus, with reduced games, QBs really didn't have too many "bad games" to pick apart. They looked great on paper. Add two together, and we got multiple QBs with huge stats and highlight reels, and not many bad films to complain, and with so many teams with needs at QB, they all gambled, and I guess they all paid for them.

Poor Mac. Has had 3 different offensive coordinators in 3 years. The worst receiving corps in the league and one of the worst o-lines. He’s had his own faults too, but I just have a feeling if he had come into this league on a better team, he could have developed into a good franchise QB. I hope that he does get another opportunity somehow, somewhere in this league

aww love you too bud lmfao but fr, love the content, love the work. you're one of the best on this site, always stoked to see you dropped another video. doing God's work

The real issue is the lack of qb development. Let them sit a few seasons with a clipboard and a vet teaching them.

I've only really followed the draft since about 2018 and the longer I go, the more I realise how ridiculous it is that analysts hype up players as can't miss prospects and generational talents that will change the NFL. Like just off the top of my head Kyle Pitts Trevor Lawrence and Chase Young were all marketed as dead certainties to be future all-pros

I like these analyses. Wish time would go by quicker so we can get more of these about the newer guys. LoL

great breakdown in this vid!

Call me crazy, but I truly think that Trey Lance got done so dirty. I think with all the unlock of injuries he had, he’s been written off to quickly. I hope he finds a new home and thrives where he goes. My other take is that with the right coaching and maybe in the right situation, Davis Mills could be a low end starter/high end backup in this league. He’s proven that he can push the ball downfield. His only problem is turnovers.

Zach is only on the jets roster is because the jets owner is friends with zachs uncle, who is the CEO of jet blue , one of the jets biggest sponsors

I really think that Lawrence does deserve a bit of leeway considering his very first year in the NFL was the Meyer experiment. First impressions in development matter a lot, and it's hard to think of a worse first year than that. So long as he continues to improve and grow past that awful year, which he has overall, I think it's still too soon to say that he is or isn't a relative disappointment.

Its weird 2020 was arguably the best 2021 arguably the worst for qbs

Lawrence is the only one who looks like a franchise QB

I’m really interested to see how the Vikings handle the QB situation if Dobbs continues to play well the rest of the season

It's confusing the AFC South keeps getting called a bad division. The Colts are frisky, and the Texans are currently a wildcard team. The AFCS is better than the NFC South and similar in strength right now to the AFC East and NFC North.

That doesn't surprise me one bit about Fields having better stats that Lawrence. If Fields played for an actual NFL team he'd be a top 10 QB right now.

Listening to this while driving, and blanked out during the Zach Wilson segment. Tuned back in and he was still deservedly going in on Zach Wilson lol

To think that an injured Aaron Rodgers is sitting on the sideline right now thinking “this kid idolized me and now I have to watch him ruin my team every week”

You should do a video on how crazy the 2019 class was all around. Specifically edge and dline

Even the best quarterback in this class isn't as great as we all thought

Thank you for your videos I’m upset how bill developed Mac Jones 3 oc in 3 years and mac has never had a true wr1 or wr2

This channel is so underrated

Trey Lance is the James Wiseman of the NFL

great video

That second pass, with Mac Jones the WR didn't attack the ball at the high point. Pittsburg Safety just drifted into the scene and made an INT. Hate seeing WR not going for the ball - might have broken up the INT.

Trevor's td to int ratio doesn't tell the whole story, he's had multiple games where he throws for 300+ yards with no tds or picks. I agree he needs to be better under pressure but the jags also have a terrible line (literally got him hurt). Wes Presleys redzone playcalling was also pretty bad to start the year.

I'm beginning to think culture/scheme/coaching fit is more important than a QB's talent.

This class somehow was more disappointing then the 2018 class to me. Baker would easily be the 2nd best QB in this class

They called me a mad man when I said the 2022 class had just as much potential, now look at Purdy, Howell and Pickett ( sometimes😂) all doing well.

I still think Lawrence has the potential to become a top 10ish QB in the league. At least Lawrence despite being a bit underwhelming stat wise, is winning games. Fields still could be solid as well. Watching him play he feels like the offbrand Lamar, big difference being Lamar progressed as a passer much faster than Fields and Lamar had a coaching staff and team that fully believed in him. He’ll never be as effective or good as Lamar, but in a improved situation he might be solid.

All I could see is how quickly DB’s cover field and close plays up in a heartbeat. Shows you how only a handful of QBs can regularly manipulate defenses and get the ball where it needs to be before they can read it. Sounds basic but just watching these highlights holy shit.

Justin Fields should probably still be given another year as I think he is still very good. Trevor is a B+ QB who has a great team. I knew Wilson would bust, wasn’t sure about Tre and thought Mac would be a bit better which his rookie season wasn’t bad

The bears stunned Justin’s growth

Fields cannot read defenses, that's why he holds the ball too long

Very professional!

Ngl when you said 5 qbs in the first I thought you misspoke. Then I remembered Trey Lance existed…

It's the Bill Walsh 1/4 ratio. Still holds up. Every QB first round has a 1/4 chance. Then 2nd 1/5, then third round 1/6 and it goes down like that

Crazy how Josh Dobbs immediately makes the Jets respectable but their front office didn't want to make any sort of move

it’s kinda ignorant to say trevor has played bad this year, because it’s just not true. His receivers have the highest drops in the nfl and he’s a unanimous top 10 qb so i think there’s not much you can knock for his team letting him down.

Of the five, who is more likely to win a Lombardi trophy? I would say Trevor Lawrence as a starting quarterback, and I could say Trey Lance as a backup. I actually believe Mac Jones will develop better with a different coach next year. I don’t want him under Bill Belichick again after this season. Justin Fields might do well in Baltimore, because if Lamar Jackson can perform the way he does, Fields might too. Zach Wilson, I honestly would just forget it!

Man looking back to the draft, they really were all great college prospects. It’s a shame!

Bears will be completely screwed if they sign Fields to a long term deal as QB1..........

Id takw back some of that Jets GM praise has def gotten talent but one of the most vital parts to a football team is the O Line and its been horrible for the past 3 yrs

I wonder if in hindsight, you could watch every Ohio state game for the past few years and see anything. Other than cj having a much more preferable starting support crew in Houston. In the times I saw them in college I feel like the stuff cj and Justin fields did well were your stereotypical big bodied athletic dude with a cannon for an arm things. I don’t recall ever noticing the playbook being bigger for cj or like they felt he was a better processor than JF

Zach Wilson’s issue is he shouldn’t have been taken as number 2 overall, at best he’s a 2nd rounder, at worst a 5th rounder And going to a dumpster fire like the 2020-2021 Jets did him no favors I feel like people would have a different opinion if say….he went to the LA Rams to sit behind Matt Stafford for a couple seasons or the Vikings to sit behind Kirk Cousins I still think he could be salvageable into a backup/journeyman QB but he’s still a work in progress Mac Jones had potential and then Bill Belichick decided to destroy him, the Patriots, and everyone because Belichick is dumb and thought Matt Patricia could run an offense

It makes it even worse considering that the 2020 class looks legendary

1:25 nice hit LOL

I think the jets offensive woes are just getting started. Hackett does and always has sucked a$$. The whole offense is basically resting on the hope that Old Man Rodgers can still bail him out

This is why i think twice whenever i hear that a certain years draft class is "trash" or its "cant-miss".

I am a firm believer in QBs being given time to develop etc. However I think we are overdoing it slightly in the comments. -Zach Wilson has had an F situation with Jets no questions asked but he also just doesnt have full understanding of how to respond to pressure while still going through reads properly. -Mac Jones had a fine enough cast around him year 1, arguably the best of the bunch since Trey didnt play, but he has a lot of the same exact problems Zach has as a player. Neither guy is very good. At best they are average middle of the pack QBs when surrounded by a perfect situation. -Trey had worst luck of group by far. Injuries derailed him and during that time a rare good day 3 QB emerged and took his job. -Fields was literally never more than a project QB who cant read defenses but his coaches have refused to put him in an offense tailored for him. He is the guy I think has been held back by coaches the most as you can do a lot with a guy with Fields talents, despite his limitations. -TLAW just isnt a difference maker despite his physical talents. He needs better blocking but I dont see why anyone would think at this point Urban Meyer has anything to do with his game....Urban wasnt playing on the field then and def is not now lol

People don’t wanna talk about it but Trevor Lawernce has been pretty much only above average and not the generational guy he was hyped up to be

The book is still out on Lance though, to be fair. As a 49er fan, I still believe in Trey.

Zach Wilson stats are unbelievable. If a quarterback had 20 Passing TD in one year that is still considered low. Zach has a total of 20 Passing TD in Close to 3 years of football. 56 percent complete rate in close to 3 years. That has to be the lowest among quarterbacks who have 30 starts in 2 and half years. Another stat that is overlooked is the amount of times Zach Wilson has fumbled the ball. 9 fumbles alone this year at Week 11. 2023 stats (after10 Weeks) 5 Passing TDS, 6 Interceptions, 9 Fumbles,

Thank you. I've been saying for a long time. Remawe need to reserve the word bust for the Vine. Least and jamarcus Russell's of the NFL. Cleveland Farrell got labeled the bust Because he wasn't a sackmaster. However, if you look at his Mone stuffing capability, he was running the better ones In the league. And even in the day we're all the credit goes to the core back once stuffing is still in necessity

New introooooo

I think Fields is going to surprise a lot of people in these last six games.

Wouldn’t be mad if Kevin O’Connell got a chance to coach fields

The Jets are playing the long game with Zach Wilson. If he's there for ten years, he has a greater chance of becoming a competent player. Patience is the key.

Immediately after this Trevor rattled off three of his best games this season. He’s definitely elite

davis mills, mac jones, wilson, fields, lawrence was the qb ranking after their rookie year

Mac isn't the issue. the pisspoor coaching with a beyond his time HC and pisspoor O line are the issue. Give him a Line and 1 decent reciever and he will play leagues better

Trey Lance might be the unluckiest player in NFL history. -1 year in FCS -COVID shuts down his second year -gets drafted to a Super Bowl ready team -sits another year -first game as starter is a rain game, plays terrible, perhaps due to inexperience/weather -breaks his ankle in his second game as the starter -the literal last pick in the draft is the living reincarnation of Joe Montana somehow -hasn't played more than two games in a row in 3 years -has a bad training camp -traded I'll never get over it

Zach got drafted because of the byu jet blue jets family connection. That front office knows he’s a bust but because he’s someone’s nephew they refused to label him as a bust while the nfl world knows he is

Still feel like its too early to rule out Trey Lance considering his HC never even wanted him, Fields i think could look much better on a different team with a better supporting cast, T law is a. A-B+ qb borderline top 10 which is fine:

I like how people say justin fields is far away from the level he and Lawrence are call me crazy but if fields finishes the season strong i think he caught up to lawrence.

Say whatever about T. Law, but he wins. Since the bye last year they are 12-5. His 3 losses are to the chiefs, niners, and Texans. 2 contenders and a potential playoff team. Imagine if the Jets had tanked correctly...

I was thinking about Justin Fields earlier. He should go to the Bears front office, agree it didn't work out and ask to be traded to a team that a) has a track record in developing young QBs and b) merely needs a backup for the time being. That would be, oh, the Dolphins. I feel like Mike McDaniel would find ways to get the most out of Fields, should Tua get injured. Fields and Lance still might have chances in the NFL. Jones and Wilson strike me as guys who might be backups for a decade but never have major starting time again.

Fields is injured too much, and is too up and down to ever take the Bears to the playoffs. And he has too many INTs and fumbles.

It's sad because I see so much potential for these guys. I think Lawrence will be good, but he got off to a slow start due to horrific coaching. Wilson should never have been a day 1 starter. He needed to sit behind a competent qb for a few years, like the Packers did with Rogers. Lance hardly played due to injury. We've really never seen what he's capable of. Fields plays for the Bears. After Jones' rookie season, he has had the worst offensive coordinators. Who hires Matt Patricia for that job? I'm also pretty sure Bill Belichick is getting senile in his old age. What was up with that Zappe fake spike?

Why do people keep saying the niners gave up 3 first round picks? Lmao they traded two picks and had a pick swap.

Justin Fields can easily into a top 10 QB. People have no patience when it comes to young QBs drafted in the first round, but Fields has been improving after a rocky start to the year.

I feel really bad for trey Lance, he never got the opportunity like the other first round QBs got.

what went wrong with the 49ers scouting and development and what went wrong with lances skill. I guess what I’m asking is I always wondered why and how he sucked but he never played so like why pick him

I think you don’t watch Jags games. It’s really bad play calling for the Jags. Only 7.4 percent of our routes go past 20 yards and our average depth route is under 10 yards. Can’t do much with that. Last year 31st worst offensive line this year 32nd. He is making the best of a bad situation.

1. The thing with Zach Wilson is .. he has to be mobile and in that role, he has to be accurate throwing while on the run. He is unsuccessful "off schedule". That's pretty much it. That is a guy who's ceiling SHOULD be mobile Taylor Heinicke. He isn't. 2. Mac Jones finished 2nd for ROTY .. 10 TD 10 INT isn't good - but he lost OC Josh McDaniels - and that dude NEVER should've left New England. I think jury is still out, tbh 3. Lawrence had Head coach Urban Meyer .. that being said , I agree . I just think he needs better accuracy in the red zone and I think he'll turn the corner SOME HOW. I kind of think he gets over the hump next year. 4. Trey Lance should've gone back to school. 3 first round picks were ridiculous and the Niners LUCKED the hell out with Mr Irrelevant Brock Purdy. 5. Justin Fields - the jury is still out, but he has to stop the "hero ball." .. holds on to the ball way too much.

I went to high school with Zach Wilson. Small world.

Diving into the struggles of each; Lawrence: Rookie year under Meyer. Effectively lost a year of development. He still has no o-line, and the Jags WR corps (Jags fan here) is not consistent at helping him, getting separation, or keeping feet in when making a clutch catch. He needs a solid o-line and a clutch TE or WR. Jones: He also has a horrid o-line and lack of weapons. He's also had a different OC every year (McDaniels, Patricia, and O'Brian), so his development is effectively nonexistent. He's also tasked with being the post Brady face of the Pats. It's not the best or easiest of situations. Wilson: The Jets as an organization is a collective butt fumble. History shows that they are one of the worst teams in the draft. Saleh is no offensive guru. Yes, Wilson has weapons. However, it seems he's never faced adversity as a leader and has 0 experience leading a team through such troubles. It's clear he was never going to win that locker room or be taken seriously in the NY/NJ area. Lance: Wasn't developed or just couldn't be taught. Forced to learn from a meh at best QB in Grappolo. Weapons around him and a defense that could effectively complement the offense, and he just couldn't get it. Given his school of choice, facing NFL level talent on a regular basis was not a weekly thing. He was a big fish in a little pond.

Teams ruin a lot of these guys. They obviously take a lot of the blame, but situations matter. Takes a lot to make Mac Jones take the nose dive he did. Wilson came into the league without another QB on the opening day roster that had ever thrown an NFL pass, a first year OC, a first year QB coach, and a defensive minded head coach. Who exactly was supposed to help him learn? He was obviously not a Stroud, Luck, or Manning type prospect and was going to need some work.

hoping this years qb class is way better and hopefully my patriots find their franchise qb :(

Only thing i can say for Wilson is its not his fault the Jets drafted him #2. Idk why they thought this was a good idea, but he was never gonna live up to that

It didn't disappoint people that said there were no 1st rounders in the draft

Lance 2 starts as a rookie were not bad. The Houston start was probably very good. He always showed improvement during the pre-season games. Lance would be the 49ers starter right now if not for the miracle that is Brock Purdy. Because of Purdy the 49ers were not going to pick up Lance 5th year thus trading him made sense. I don't know why Dallas wanted him though unless Dak is in his last year there.

This class was so disappointing, most fans and analysts were disappointed with them a year before they got drafted.

Trevor Lawrence has fallen off as well. Kinda mid looking

I predict a Justin Fields vs. Trevor Lawrence super bowl, in a couple years, and perhaps not with the Bears.

Flemlo Raps’ video on Zach Wilson shows how much coaching and development matter. Zach’s qb room was not good.

I’ll never understand why people keep saying the 49ers traded 3 picks when they literally just traded 2 and SWAPPED picks 🤦🏿‍♂️

Well fields in bad situation, Zach Wilson confident been flushed since the media, trey lance haven’t gotten a fair shot since injuries occurred. Can’t count those guys out yet.

I know he was a third round pick, you should've put davis mills on this list. He fooled almost every texan fan, and even other fans into thinking he was a hidden gem, but the next year, showed he was just a glorified backup. And for some reason, his delusional fans were trashing stroud as soon as the season started. Cant wait to get rid of general mills

Scouts need to reevaluate what they are looking for. It's not just what you look like on the outside or have a canon arm. Kudos to SF for finding Purdy. Intangibles are important, too.