The 2021 NFL Draft is here. Roger Goodell & Co. kicked off the events in Cleveland at 8 p.m. We’ll have all the latest updates here throughout the night.
Barring a trade, the Patriots — who hold the No. 15 overall pick — will make their choice at roughly 9:45 p.m. Keep it here for all the news.
Slater to the Chargers at 13 — 10 p.m.
The Chargers select OL Rashawn Slater at No. 13. Mac Jones is still on the board, and we are a pick away.
Parsons to Dallas at No. 12 — 9:53 p.m.
Linebacker Micah Parsons out of Penn State goes 12th overall to the Cowboys. Bit of a surprise, but you get the feeling Dallas got shut out of a few different possibilities. A long-term replacement for Sean Lee?
Fields to Chicago — 9:44 p.m.
It’ll be Fields to Chicago with the 11th overall pick. Good move for a team that desperately needs a quarterback. Does Mac Jones last until No. 15? Or would the Vikings be inclined to get a guy who could be Kirk Cousins’ successor before that?
TRADE — 9:42 p.m.
Bears trade up to No. 11 in a deal with the Giants. A quarterback-needy team. Do they take Mac Jones or Justin Fields here? Would make sense. Bears gave up four picks — have to think that sort of payout is geared toward getting them another signal-caller.
Who’s still out there, 2.0 — 9:40 p.m.
– QB Justin Fields
– QB Mac Jones
– OT Rashawn Slater
– LB Micah Parsons
DeVonta Smith to Philly at No. 10 — 9:39 p.m.
Philly’s trade up nets them the Heisman Trophy winner, DeVonta Smith. Great additional offensive option for Hurts. And the third case tonight of a great college quarterback/wide receiver tandem being reunited in the pros.
TRADE — 9:32 p.m.
Eagles and Cowboys just made a trade. Philadelphia will now pick at No. 10.
Here’s who is still out there — 9:30 p.m.
– QB Justin Fields
– QB Mac Jones
– WR DeVonta Smith
– OT Rashawn Slater
– LB Micah Parsons
Denver goes defense — 9:28 p.m.
Cornerback Patrick Surtain goes to Denver at No. 9. Mac Jones and Justin Fields are both still out there. And there aren’t a lot of quarterback-needy teams between now and No. 15.
What Rodgers’ frustration could mean for Patriots — 9:22 p.m.
Ben Volin breaks down the possible ramifications for the Patriots on draft night and beyond.
Panthers take CB Jaycee Horn — 9:19 p.m.
The Panthers go defense with my favorite corner in this year’s draft in Jaycee Horn. Great pick — a guy who can step in and start and be an impact player on Day One.
Penei Sewell to Detroit at No. 7 — 9:10 p.m.
The best offensive tackle in the draft goes to Detroit at No. 7. Seven straight offensive players taken to start the draft.
Jaylen Waddle to Miami — 9:03 p.m.
The Patriots will have to worry about a whole new offensive option when they game plan for the Dolphins next year, as Jaylen Waddle is going sixth overall to Miami. Like the Bengals, another case of a college quarterback being reunited with a favorite college target, as he’ll play with Tua in South Florida.
Chase to Cincy at No. 5 — 9:00 p.m.
Ja’Marr Chase is crazy fast and has terrific hands, and should represent a great new option for Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Burrow and Chase reunited in Cincinnati. The Alabama guys: Smith, Waddle and Mac Jones are all still out there, as well as Justin Fields.
Pitts to Falcons at No. 4 — 8:51 p.m.
If he stays healthy, Kyle Pitts has a chance to be a truly generational talent, one of the best in this draft. The size of a tight end, and speed of a wide receiver. I know DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle get a lot of (well-deserved) love, but Pitts is just a freak who should dominate for years to come. First non-QB taken in this draft.
Lance to Niners — 8:43 p.m.
Big move here, as the Niners have taken Trey Lance. Two quick things:
1. This means Jimmy Garoppolo is likely more in play now than he ever has been before for the Patriots, provided they can figure out the money.
2. The Patriots could also see either Mac Jones or Justin Fields start to slide down the board as a result of San Francisco going with Lance here. Another two intriguing signal-callers.
Bottom line? Things just got very interesting for New England and the quarterback position.
Regardless, this marks the first time three straight QBs have been taken in a draft since 1999.
Wilson selected by the Jets — 8:31 p.m.
Zach Wilson is now the man in New York. I loved the combination of his speed and arm at BYU, and while there are questions about the strength of schedule — the Cougars didn’t face a Power 5 opponent all last year — he’s now going to be handed the keys to the Jets. A lot will depend on the supporting cast they put around him, and how much leeway fans will offer the rookie. But it’ll be interesting to watch. The Patriots will likely get the rookie twice next year. (Note to self: Make sure to haul out the “Belichick vs. rookie QBs stat” for next year’s Pats-Jets game.)
Lawrence goes No. 1 — 8:26 p.m.
Least surprising pick of the draft? Maybe. But the Jags and Urban Meyer are banking on the fact that Lawrence can be there guy for the next decade-plus. He’s certainly been able to get it done at the college level — we’ll see how it works in the pros. Love this stat:
Unless the #Jaguars go 17-0 this season, Trevor Lawrence is slated to lose his first regular season game of his life. HIS LIFE.
Never lost one in 4 years of high school or during his 3 seasons at Clemson.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 29, 2021
Rodgers’ update? — 8:02 p.m.
Grain of salt and all that, but Schlereth is pretty dialed in in Denver…
I’m hearing @AaronRodgers12 to @Broncos is close to a done deal… still could fall thru but fingers crossed 🤞🏽 pic.twitter.com/9C4GZnT9VL
— mark schlereth (@markschlereth) April 29, 2021
Why three is the magic number — 7:59 p.m.
The best bets? Lawrence is going No. 1, and Wilson will be taken second. The big roll of the dice is No. 3. Does San Francisco take a quarterback? If so, my guess is that means Jimmy Garoppolo is still in play for the Patriots. If not, well … we’ll see what happens. But if you’re New England, that third pick will be the first real indicator of how the whole weekend might go.
Draft day memories — 7:39 p.m.
Loved this piece from The Big Lead, which spoke with some ex-NFL players on their draft weekend experiences. It includes this from former Patriots’ offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, who was taken by New England in 2009:
So I take the call and it’s Berj Najarian, who is Bill Belichick’s assistant. And he goes, “Hey, is this Rich?” And I say, “Yes, it is.” He goes, “This is Berj with the Patriots, I’m gonna put you on with Bill in just a moment.” And I was like, “Belichick?” and he goes, “Yeah, I’ll put you on with the coach in just a minute.” And so he puts me on hold and I’m now in the front hallway of my house and all of a sudden the living room erupts, my family is going bonkers. I step out onto the stoop so I can hear everything that’s about to be said to me. My mind is split between trying to pay attention to my future head coach and wanting to run back into the living room and celebrate with everyone I love.
Food for thought on Jimmy — 7:33 p.m.
I would never say never. But the #Patriots aren’t expected to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo tonight or anytime soon. If the two sides could even come to terms (a big if), it would take a complex contract negotiation to get it done. Simply, NE doesn’t have room to fit the contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2021
Nope. Not buying it. — 7:25 p.m.
Kirk Herbstreit just said Urban Meyer was going to win in Jacksonville "not necessarily X's and O's" but with "the culture of finding better players than his opponent has" and "motivating" those players.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) April 29, 2021
Odds on No. 3 pick? — 7:19 p.m.
Per our friends at Bovada, here are the odds on who will go No. 3 tonight:
- Mac Jones -190
- Trey Lance +175
- Justin Fields +300
- Kyle Pitts +4400
- Zach Wilson +5500
- Ja’Marr Chase +12500
- Penei Sewell +15000
- Trevor Lawrence +15000
- Patrick Surtain II +30000
- DeVonta Smith +50000
- Gregory Rousseau +50000
- Jaylen Waddle +50000
- Micah Parsons +50000
- Rashawn Slater +50000
- Alex Leatherwood +100000
- Najee Harris +100000
Could Boston host the NFL Draft? — 6:53 p.m.
- In a word, yes. I know the big idea is that team that might not have a shot at hosting the Super Bowl could theoretically serve as draft sites. With that thinking, I think Boston would be a good fit. Where would you put it? A few different options, in my mind: the Boston Common, the Hatch Shell, the Seaport (the Leader Bank Pavilion?), or maybe at Nickerson Field. Thoughts
What is an impasse?” — 6:36 p.m.
I asked an #NFL GM how he would expect the #Packers to respond to Aaron Rodgers’ discontent: “They dig their feet in and make him play or be a game-show host.”
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) April 29, 2021
Competition conundrum for vets — 6:33 p.m.
-
My dream assignment as a reporter around the NFL Draft would be to sit with a veteran player and watch as the team he plays for selects a player at his position in the first or second round. Like, with Aaron Rodgers when the Packers took Jordan Love, or even with Brady when New England drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. Of course, there’s no way you can actually predict that, but my point echoes an old Mike Vrabel quote, who once said — and I’m paraphrasing here — he watches the draft every year to see “who they’re trying to get to replace me.” You will inevitably hear all the right things from guys who have been in the NFL for years after the weekend is done, but the truth is that in some cases, the team has actively dropped competition right into their laps, and they have to deal with that in some form or fashion. I also think about it when I hear that “Football is Family” phrase the NFL trots out from time to time. “Yes, son, your Mother and I are very happy with your development, but we’ve decided to go in another direction when it comes to the role of middle son. I’m sure you’ll understand.”
Some things I think I think about the Patriots — 6:24 p.m.
- They need to get more clarity around the quarterback position than they have right now. At the very least, they need to get one more quarterback by Monday. I don’t care if they end up using the 15th pick, they make the trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, or go after someone like Davis Mills. They need to get more competitive at the spot.
- It depends on where he goes, but the possibility is pretty high that Mac Jones will be a very good quarterback in the NFL for many years. He will drink his milk all the way to the bottom of the glass and say please and thank you and excuse me before he gets up from the dinner table. But I firmly believe that the ceiling is higher for Trey Lance. I know there are questions about that one year, the quality of competition, etc. But I believe that if you get him in the right offense with the appropriate coach and a passable number of offensive options, he can be a real find.
- That being said, the best possible option in my mind this weekend will have Garoppolo landing in New England.
- I said this earlier this offseason, shortly after their free-agent spending spree, and I believe it even more now: there aren’t a lot of roster spots available on this team right now. I mean, it’s not like they’re stacked, but they have some very specific areas of need where they could use some depth and youth (cornerback, receiver, etc.) They have more picks than guys who have a legit shot to make the 2021 team. In some ways, it’s a little like the 2007 Draft, which was an exercise in futility where they should have just punted instead of drafted a half-dozen tackling dummies for the rest of the roster. Basically, if there’s ever been a year to package some of those picks and move around a bit — up, down, into next year — this is the year.
- For years, the Patriots would turn over a pick to Dante Scarnecchia, and the best assistant coach in this history of the game would get his shot at the big board. Even thought it’s not an overpowering area of need and Dante is no longer in Foxborough, I’d still look for the Patriots to get an offensive lineman somewhere on Day 2.
- There is a lot of back and forth, and a lot of collective conversation going on. But when the Patriots are on the clock, I honestly believe only one guy — Belichick — knows what’s going to happen. We can sit here and wonder about the influence of a Matt Patricia or Josh McDaniels. But when it comes to that pick, Belichick is the lone, singular voice who is making that call.
Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants out – 5:45 p.m.
- The biggest rumor floating around out there right now? Aaron Rodgers has reportedly expressed his displeasure with the Packers, and is looking to leave Green Bay. (Per ESPN.) I don’t necessarily dismiss the ideas Rodgers is unhappy with the Packers, but there’s a reason this trial balloon is being floated now. I think it could very well be a part of a larger plan on the part of Rodgers to secure at least one or two more playmakers in this year’s draft. We’ll see.
The single greatest NFL Draft video ever — 5:40 p.m.
This chestnut has been around for many years, but it’s always fun going back and unearthing it on draft weekend. Enjoy.
Predraft reading list — 5:30 p.m.
Here are a few stories to get you ready for tonight’s action:
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