In the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL draft, eight quarterbacks were chosen, a record that has stood over the two subsequent selection ceremonies.
Only three of those signal-callers are still with their original teams after Zach Wilson was reportedly traded to Denver on Monday by New York, who selected the former Brigham Young quarterback with the No. 2 pick that year.
Only one of those three, Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville, actively starts for his team and is headed for a long-term contract extension.
On April 29, 2021, at #1 Energy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declares that the Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) as the #1 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/Kirby Lee
Furthermore, Davis Mills, the No. 67 pick in the third round, is still with Houston, and Kyle Trask, the No. 64 overall pick in the second round, is still with Tampa Bay.
Over his first two seasons, Mills started 26 games; but, in 2023, he was replaced by C.J. Stroud, who went on to win the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Trask supports Baker Mayfield in the Buccaneers’ depth chart despite having only played in three games over his career.
With Wilson’s departure from the Big Apple, clubs have now deserted their preferred 2021 quarterback four times in the previous eight months.
Since August, three trades have taken place: San Francisco sent Trey Lance (ranked third overall) to Dallas; Chicago sent Justin Fields (ranked eleventh) to Pittsburgh; and New England sent Mac Jones (ranked fifteenth) to Jacksonville, all in exchange for Day 3 picks. Wilson was traded by the Jets and Broncos for late-round choices.
