Five years can really give us a good perspective on a draft class, and it’s a chance to reflect on the decisions made in 2021. Honestly, it’s been a wild year filled with desperate quarterback grabs, significant flops in various positions, and quite a few teams just stumbling through the process. Yet, we’ve also seen some standout talent emerge in the NFL.
This seems like the perfect opportunity to revisit those choices and consider a re-draft that starts with the first round from 2021.
| Choose | Team | Original Pick | Position | New Selection | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence | QB | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 2 | New York Jets | Zach Wilson | QB | Micah Parsons | Linebacker |
| 3 | San Francisco 49ers | Trey Lance | QB | Patrick Surtain II | Cornerback |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | Kyle Pitts | Tight End | Ja’Marr Chase | Wide Receiver |
| 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ja’Marr Chase | Wide Receiver | Penei Sewell | Offensive Tackle |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | Jaylen Waddle | Wide Receiver | Amon-Ra St. Brown | Wide Receiver |
| 7 | Detroit Lions | Penei Sewell | Offensive Tackle | Jaylen Waddle | Wide Receiver |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers | Jaycee Horn | Cornerback | Landon Dickerson | Offensive Tackle |
| 9 | Denver Broncos | Patrick Surtain II | Cornerback | Gerard Phillips | Cornerback |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | DeVonta Smith | Wide Receiver | Trey Smith | Offensive Lineman |
| 11 | Chicago Bears | Justin Fields | QB | Rashaun Slater | Offensive Tackle |
| 12 | Dallas Cowboys | Micah Parsons | Linebacker | Travis Etienne | Running Back |
| 13 | Los Angeles Chargers | Rashaun Slater | Offensive Tackle | Creed Humphrey | Offensive Lineman |
| 14 | New York Jets | Alijah Vera-Tucker | Offensive Lineman | Spencer Brown | Offensive Lineman |
| 15 | New England Patriots | Mac Jones | QB | Gregory Rousseau | Cornerback |
| 16 | Arizona Cardinals | Zaven Collins | Linebacker | Kwity Paye | Defensive End |
| 17 | Las Vegas Raiders | Alex Leatherwood | Offensive Tackle | Nico Collins | Wide Receiver |
| 18 | Miami Dolphins | Gerard Phillips | Cornerback | Jonathan Cooper | Cornerback |
| 19 | Washington Commanders | Jamin Davis | Linebacker | Nick Bolton | Linebacker |
| 20 | New York Giants | Kadarius Toney | Wide Receiver | Kyle Pitts | Tight End |
| 21 | Indianapolis Colts | Kwity Paye | Defensive End | Aziz Ojulari | Linebacker |
| 22 | Tennessee Titans | Caleb Farley | Cornerback | Jaycee Horn | Cornerback |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Christian Darrisaw | Offensive Tackle | Christian Darrisaw | Offensive Tackle |
| 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Najee Harris | Running Back | Najee Harris | Running Back |
| 25 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Travis Etienne | Running Back | Chuba Hubbard | Running Back |
| 26 | Cleveland Browns | Greg Newsome II | Cornerback | Pete Werner | Linebacker |
| 27 | Baltimore Ravens | Rashod Bateman | Wide Receiver | Quinn Meinerz | Center |
| 28 | New Orleans Saints | Peyton Turner | Defensive End | Dan Moore | Offensive Lineman |
| 29 | Green Bay Packers | Eric Stokes | Cornerback | Ramondre Stevenson | Running Back |
| 30 | Buffalo Bills | Gregory Rousseau | Defensive End | Talanoa Hufanga | Safety |
| 31 | Baltimore Ravens | Odafe Oweh | Linebacker | Christian Barmore | Defensive Tackle |
| 32 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | Linebacker | Odafe Oweh | Cornerback |
- The number of first-round quarterbacks has dropped significantly, from four to one. Even with all this talent, it seems likely the Jaguars will stick with Lawrence for their franchise QB.
- A surprising 15 players initially chosen in the first round were actually cut before their second season.
- One standout from the 2021 draft is OL Trey Smith, who saw a huge jump from pick No. 226 to No. 10.
- In contrast, OL Alex Leatherwood’s fall is noteworthy; he was selected 17th but left the NFL after just two years, now projected as an undrafted free agent.
