With there being 5 QBs being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft this year let’s talk about how they have performed in the preseason and whether or not they will be starting for their teams when the season ends.
Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 1st overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Urban Meyer is in his first year coaching the Jaguars and was trying to convince everyone that there is a QB competition between Lawrence and Garner Minshew. But let’s be honest, you do not draft a QB 1st overall and sit him on the bench. If Minshew was good enough to be their starter, they would not have drafted Trevor Lawrence. In week 1 of the NFL preseason, Lawrence completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 71 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions against the Cleveland Browns. He finished the game with a 90.5 passer rating and only played 2 drives. In week 2, he completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 113 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions against the New Orleans Saints. He also carried the ball 1 time for 9 yards. Although, Urban Meyer has said there is a QB competition, and Lawrence has yet to throw a touchdown in the preseason, I believe Lawrence will be the starting QB from day one in Jacksonville. He has the potential and has shown flashes that he can play in the NFL, so I am excited to see the plays he creates this season although, I don’t think the Jaguars will win very many games. (Update: Trevor Lawrence has been named the starting QB for week 1)
Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson was drafted by the New York Jets with the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft after they traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in the off-season (Hopefully Darnold pans out in Carolina). In week 1 of the preseason against the New York Giants, Wilson completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 63 yards and finished the game with an 86.8 passer rating. In week 2 of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers, he completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 128 yards. He had 2 touchdown passes, no interceptions and finished the game with a 154.7 passer rating. He played 4 series in the second preseason game. In my opinion, Zach Wilson is an absolute star. Wilson is no question the day one starter as the Jets have no other option at QB. Although it’s the preseason, Wilson is showing great poise and confidence in his limited reps which is impressive to see in a rookie QB learning a new offense. He might be the best QB to come out of this draft, and as long as the Jets keep building the offense around him (Which they didn’t do for Darnold), he could lead the Jets to many successful seasons in the future.
Trey Lance
Trey Lance was drafted 3rd overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is currently trying to prove to head coach Kyle Shanahan that he can lead the 49ers offense better than Jimmy Garoppolo. In week 1 of the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs, Lance had an 80-yard completion for a TD to WR Trent Sherfield. In week 2 of the preseason, he completed 8 of 14 pass attempts for 102 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was sacked twice in the game. Trey Lance has shown flashes of being a star and San Francisco 49er fans cannot wait to see him take over as the team's starting QB. But I don’t see Trey Lance taking over the starting job this year unless Jimmy Garoppolo is absolutely terrible or if he gets injured again. I would not be surprised if Jimmy G suffers another injury this upcoming season, so who knows, maybe we do see Trey Lance this season. If Lance is able to take the starting job away from Garoppolo then I think he holds onto the job and Garoppolo is traded.
Justin Fields
Justin Fields was drafted by the Chicago Bears (Da Bears) with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. As a Carolina Panthers fan, I wanted the Panthers to draft Justin Fields with the 8th overall pick. That didn’t happen, of course, but I love the selection for the Chicago Bears. They needed a QB, and they went and got one. In week 1 of the preseason against the Miami Dolphins, Fields completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 142 yards throwing for 1 TD with 0 INTs. He also had 5 carries for 33 yards and a rushing TD. In week 2 of the preseason against the Buffalo Bills, he completed 9 of 19 pass attempts for 80 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs. He also carried the ball 4 times for 46 yards averaging 11.5 yards per carry. The Bears have found their savior at QB (you read it here first). This guy is a stud and is going to make every team that selected a QB in the first round of the draft regret not selecting him. Bears head coach Matt Nagy has said multiple times that Andy Dalton is the Bears starting QB, but if he wants to save his job, he needs to put the guy the fans want and the guy he secretly wants to start in at QB. If he waits to start Fields, then he will be gone at the end of the season. There is no doubt in my mind that Fields will be the starter at the end of the season due to the fact he is already impressing everyone and not to mention he is outperforming Dalton. The fans are already calling for him to be the starting QB, and that will continue to happen until he is the starting QB in Chicago, even if Justin Fields does not like it.
Mac Jones
Mac Jones was drafted 15th overall by the New England Patriots in the 2021 NFL draft. New England Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick has said that Cam Newton is the starting QB but Jones’s play in the preseason so far may have Belichick thinking twice about that decision. In week 1 of the preseason against the Washington Football Team, Jones completed 13 of 19 pass attempts for 87 yards. He ended the game with a 78.2 passer rating, 0 TDs and 0 INTs. In week 2 of the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles, he completed 13 of 19 pass attempts for 146 yards. He didn’t throw a TD or INT in the game. I am not going to say he looked like Tom Brady, but the offense seems to run like it did when Brady was the QB in New England. Jones has looked fantastic in the preseason showing tremendous command of the offense and completing most of his passes in back-to-back weeks. I would be surprised if Mac Jones is not the starter in New England by the midway point of the season. I know Belichick said Cam Newton is the starter, but it seems like he is starting to change his tone when it comes to the starting QB position. Cam Newton is missing some valuable 1st team reps this week thanks to some misunderstanding about COVID-19 testing while away from the team facility so Mac Jones will now have the opportunity to show Belichick, he is the guy for this season and not just the future.
I am curious to see which QBs will prove me wrong (or right) by stepping up and taking over the QB1 spot for their team this season. If you have an opinion on who you think will step up and take the QB1 spot on their team or you're excited about another QB comment below. I would love to see what you think about these rookie QBs. Thanks for reading!
Sources:
NFL. (n.d.). 2021 NFL DRAFT: NFL Draft news, video & photos. NFL.com. https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/picks/
NFL. (n.d.). Live NFL scores - Schedule_seasoninfo. NFL.com. https://www.nfl.com/scores/2021/PRE3
Totally agree with the Trey Lance speculation. He will deff be the starting qb by mis season if not before.