The Best Rookie QB Class Ever!?

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Brian Symons

The 2021 NFL Draft featured one of the most impressive quarterback classes in recent memory. Headlined by the number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence, five quarterbacks were taken within the first fifteen selections. For the third time in NFL history, quarterbacks were selected with the first three picks, with Zach Wilson and Trey Lance following the selection of Lawrence. Investing heavy draft capital in these players means that teams have high expectations, and are hoping to see a return on investment sooner rather than later. Let’s take a look at each of these situations as we approach the start of the regular season in a few weeks.

Trevor Lawrence, 1st overall pick - Jacksonville Jaguars:

The simplest quarterback evaluation since Andrew Luck went 1st overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 Draft, Lawrence was a phenomenal signal-caller at Clemson. As a member of the Tigers, Lawrence won the 2019 National Championship as a freshman, and brought his team back to the title game in 2020, as well. However, his entrance into the NFL hasn’t gone as smoothly. Last week, Head Coach Urban Meyer came out and declared that it’s still an open competition between Lawrence and fellow quarterback Gardner Minshew, who boasts a mere career record of 7-13. Similar to his training camp, Lawrence experienced both highs and lows in his first preseason action. The rookie finished his debut going 6/9 with 71 passing yards, resulting in a 90.5 passer rating. His biggest concern this season will involve the Jacksonville offensive line, as he was sacked twice in the limited action he saw. While he hasn’t been perfect, the number one overall pick will continue to get a better feel for the speed of the game and learn when to roll out or step up in the pocket.

Zach Wilson, 2nd overall pick - New York Jets:

With comparisons to Patrick Mahomes during the draft process, talk about Wilson’s massive ceiling has been rampant since his phenomenal junior season at BYU. Wilson, combined with new head coach Robert Saleh, are expected to change the culture of an organization looking to make the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. Facing a fellow New York team in his preseason debut, Wilson looked poised in his work against the Giants’ defense. Finishing the game with 63 passing yards, while completing 6/9 attempts, Wilson looked better than he has in training camp so far. There has been lots of talk regarding Wilson’s first training camp with the team, including his propensity to turn the ball over. However, the rookie explains, “I can’t be afraid to make mistakes, especially in practice. This isn’t a game. This is where I’m learning what I can get away with and what I can’t. So, there are times, maybe in a real game, where I wouldn’t throw that, but there are times when I’m like, ‘well, let me try right here and let me see what I can get away with.’” Based upon his first preseason action, Wilson looks like he’s focused on limiting his turnovers compared to the risk-taking he’s attempted throughout camp.

Trey Lance, 3rd overall pick - San Francisco 49ers:

Many expected the former North Dakota State quarterback to need a year or two to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL, which is an extraordinary jump from FCS football. However, early on in his first preseason action, Lance seemed to be adjusting to these aspects much quicker than anyone could have predicted. On just his second passing attempt in his preseason debut, Lance was able to connect with wide receiver Trent Sherfield for an 80-yard passing touchdown. This, however, proved to be the highlight of his performance. His accuracy struggled, as he finished his debut completing just 5/14 throws. The Chiefs pass rush seemed to disrupt Lance throughout the game, as he was sacked 4 times. This experience should be valuable to Lance as he’s lacked in-game action, with just one game played since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After preseason ends, however, Lance may not see much game action. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has yet to announce a starting signal-caller for Week 1, as Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo continue to compete. If Lance can continue to improve his ability to read a defense and go through his progressions, Shanahan will have no choice but to start the talented rookie.

Justin Fields, 11th overall pick - Chicago Bears:

One of the biggest surprises of the 2021 NFL Draft was the fall of Justin Fields. Many analysts anticipated the former Buckeye going within the first five selections, with many predicting San Francisco as the landing spot. Instead, Fields fell to the 11th selection, where Chicago forfeited the 20th overall pick, the 164th overall pick, a 2022 first-round selection, and a 2022 fourth-round selection to land their franchise quarterback. Yet, similar to Lance, Fields is not the guaranteed starter for Week 1. Instead, veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton even commented, “Justin’s going to have a great career, but right now is my time.” Whether Head Coach Matt Nagy decides to roll with the veteran or the rookie will heavily rely on the preseason. In Fields’ first preseason action, he showcased the dual-threat ability that made him one of the most electric players in the NCAA. Rushing for 33 yards while passing for 142, Fields was able to score through both the ground and air game. His pocket presence was impressive for a debut game so anticipate him being named the starter at some point this season.

Mac Jones, 15th overall pick - New England Patriots

After seeing Tom Brady leave New England and bring a Lombardi Trophy to Tampa Bay, Belichick believes he’s found his next franchise signal-caller in Mac Jones. From playing a collegiate career under Nick Saban to having Bill Belichick as a head coach, Jones has had no shortage of elite knowledge at his disposal. So far into his professional career, it seems to be paying dividends. Jones looked extremely comfortable in his first preseason action. He looked dominant in the Patriots’ short passing game, completing over 68% of his passes. This seems to follow the trend that has been reported from the Patriots’ training camp: Jones stringing positive day after positive day. While Jones has had success throughout the summer, he has yet to win the starting job. Battling incumbent starter Cam Newton, Bellichick has yet to announce whether Jones will start the season learning behind the veteran or be thrown right into game action. Similar to the situations in San Francisco and Chicago, I fully anticipate the Patriots turning to the rookie at some point during the season.

Coming into this season with some of the highest expectations a rookie quarterback class has ever faced, these 2021 signal-callers look up to the challenge. While Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will almost surely suit up as starters for Week 1, the same cannot be said yet regarding Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones. While these quarterbacks are all competing with veterans, I expect each to earn the right to start at some point of the season. The 2021 quarterback class looks like they’re going to challenge previous classes with five highly impressive rookies, with tremendous upside.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

What Does 2021 Have in Store for Baker?

Author: Max Greenberg

Editor: Mark Awadallah

Baker Mayfield is entering what seems to be a crossroads year in 2021. The former first overall pick has struggled with consistency since entering the NFL in 2018, and his performance this year could dictate his future on the Cleveland Browns. But last year’s finish to the season showed that Mayfield is growing and is on the right track to live up to the hype around him. 2020 was the first year he had the opportunity to work with a coaching staff that knew what they were doing, and a team that was dialed in, which allowed us to catch a glimpse of just what he is capable of. So, the questions are why was he so much better later in the season, and why should that performance inspire confidence when his overall consistency is still an issue? Well think about it this way, in Mayfield’s previous three seasons in the NFL, he dealt with three different head coaches, and consequently, three different offensive lines, and that is not exactly an ideal scenario for a quarterback, especially in his first three years. To add to this, 2020 was the year of COVID, in which teams were not allowed to meet in the offseason, there was no preseason, and the only practice they had before the regular season was training camp. All of this compounded inevitably meant Mayfield and the Browns offense had to deal with chemistry issues at the beginning of the regular season. Once those issues were eventually fixed, his performance skyrocketed, and a big reason for that is throwing deep balls he did not throw earlier in the year. Mayfield gained more confidence in his teammates and the system as time went on, and we could see the drastic difference it made.

Potentially more important than any of that, however, is that his attitude and maturity seemed to improve in 2020. In 2019, the Browns were arguably the biggest disappointment in the league, and Mayfield’s inability to shut his mouth only added to what a mess the team was. In 2020, he kept his head down and focused on playing and improving himself as a quarterback. It goes without saying that the team culture and record contributed to this, but as the team’s quarterback, other players will follow his example, and seeing him be a better leader also contributed to the team’s much improved culture. It was especially refreshing to see the Browns upend an arrogant Pittsburgh Steelers team in the playoffs. Mayfield and company were the quiet ones going into that game, and instead of being shut up, they managed to shut their opponent up by embarrassing them on home turf.

Now, similar things were said about Mayfield going into the 2019 season, but the Browns and their fans have reason to be more optimistic than ever this year. Unlike years past, they have stability and pieces that have proven to be effective together. Mayfield has everything he needs at his disposal, such as a sturdy offensive line, an elite receiving core, one of the best backfield headlines by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and most importantly, a great offensive head coach. Not to mention that Odell Beckham Jr. is returning to full health, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, who Mayfield gained chemistry with last year, is bound to keep improving. Last year was the first time Mayfield had a real chance to be successful, and he absolutely made the most of it. With an even better situation so far this year, Browns fans have every reason to be confident in their signal caller, which is something they have not been able to feel in what seems like an eternity.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

What Will 2021 Hold for the New York Jets!?

Author: Patrick Sullivan

Editor: Mark Awadallah

Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the New York Jets have a completely different look compared to last season. With an offseason full of new acquisitions, the Jets now have a new coaching staff for the most part and a whole lot of new players from free agency and the draft. There’s a new feel to this era of Jets football as head coach Robert Saleh has brought a whole new positive energy to the Jets that they have severely lacked with the previous head coaches. This upcoming season can truly be a turning point for the Jets as they hope to turn things around and play meaningful games all season long which they haven’t done in a very long time.

Joe Douglas deserves a lot of credit for pumping talent into the depleted roster the Jets finished last season with. This offseason has been huge for the Jets as it seems they made the right moves in free agency and the draft. Firstly, the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers and drafted Zach Wilson, and the hope is that Wilson will perform at a higher level than Sam Darnold ever did. Next, in terms of the wide receiver core, the Jets were able to improve their wide receiving core significantly with the free agent additions of Corey Davis and Kennan Cole along with second round draft pick Elijah Moore who has impressed thus far in minicamp. These additions along with Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder make this wide receiving core, one of the most talented in recent Jets’ history. Furthermore, the defensive line has also improved as the Jets added their first true pass rusher in a decade with Carl Lawson. Along with Lawson, the Jets added Sheldon Rankins and Vinny Curry which bolsters this line even more. These new linemen with Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Meyers could be an overall elite defensive line. The Jets also having CJ Mosley returning to the team, after only playing one game in the last two seasons, improves the linebacking room drastically. However, the Jets have not truly improved their DB room, but they drafted a ton of young defensive talent to hopefully make a positive impact on the secondary. Shifting focus to the offensive side of the ball once again, the Jets improved their O-line by drafting Alijah Vera Tucker at left guard and there are even talks that the Jets may acquire free agent Morgan Moses which will improve this O-line even more. This O-line should be much improved this season as left tackle Mekhi Becton and center Connor McGovern both had strong play throughout last season. The Jets have improved their running back room as well by bringing in free agent Tevin Coleman and drafting Michael Carter which can hopefully help the Jets establish a run game.

Robert Saleh shares the same mindset as Joe Douglas on building this team the right way with players that are of good character and have a strong work ethic. Most Jet fans truly believe Saleh is the right coach for this Job because he is a motivator that brings positive energy each day which can help the Jets establish a winning culture. It is truly refreshing to see a Jets coach that shows he cares for the team and is always motivating the players, something Jets fans did not see with Adam Gase or Todd Bowles. Overall, the Jets have improved in many ways this offseason, and it is very realistic for fans to believe this team will improve, because they will.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE