USA TODAY International Edition
Watch who acquires ’ 21 picks now
As it is at every NFL draft, the quarterbacks will be the focus.
But this year the focus during the draft should be on next year’s batch, not on Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love, a group of quarterbacks who appear to be good but uncertain on how elite.
It’s on the 2021 class. That group could include two league- changing prospects: Trevor Lawrence, who already won a national title with Clemson and played in a second championship game this year; and Justin Fields, who threw 41 touchdown passes for the Buckeyes last season and ran for 10 TDs.
They could end up going No. 1 and 2 next year if they declare. But we could see some moves made now to set up for that possibility.
What if a team like the Dolphins decide they can Tank for Trevor ( Lose for Lawrence?) or FUBAR for Fields? If they trade down – not up, we hope, for an offensive tackle in an OT- rich class – that might be a sign they’re jumping in for 2021.
I’ve seen some experts giving the Jaguars a quarterback in mock drafts, and I’m not buying it. Jacksonville is in rebuild mode after trading away Nick Foles, Jalen Ramsey, A. J. Bouye, Calais Campbell and Dante Fowler Jr., and the Jaguars will end up either trading or cutting disgruntled Yannick Ngakoue and/ or running back Leonard Fournette. They have so many picks, and if they stink this year, the reward could be one of the future stars at quarterback.
You have to wonder if Patriots coach Bill Belichick is thinking about this very scenario after Tom Brady left for the Buccaneers. I don’t think New England will be bad enough in the 2020 season to be in the running, but you just never know.
The same goes for the Raiders – I imagine coach Jon Gruden and GM Matt Mayock have had that discussion about whether to take a quarterback this year or roll the dice with Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota for one more year.
Watch for teams that trade their picks and acquire first- rounders in 2021. That could end up being the kind of capital used to trade up if a team that already has a starting quarterback ends up with a top- two pick.
So read the tea leaves from Thursday night and the next two days – you might see signs of teams punting on this draft class and hoping 2021 gives them their quarterback of the future.