1 of 11 | NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (L) hands a jersey to former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (L), who was picked by the New England Patriots with the No. 15 pick at the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday in Cleveland. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI |
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CLEVELAND, April 29 (UPI) -- Much of the 2021 NFL Draft went as predicted Thursday in Cleveland. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence went first to the Jacksonville Jaguars and a bulk of Alabama's title team heard their names called in the first round.
The Crimson Tide tied the record for the most players picked from one school in the first round with six. The University of Miami also had six players picked in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stood on a temporary stage on the Lake Erie shore as he read Lawrence's name off a selection card to start the draft. Lawrence and running back Trevor Etienne, who was drafted by the Jaguars at No. 25 overall, were the only Clemson players picked in the first round.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was the first Alabama player off the board. He went to the Miami Dolphins at No. 6 overall.
Former Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. then went to the Denver Broncos with pick No. 9. The Philadelphia Eagles took former Alabama wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith with the next pick.
The New England Patriots made Mac Jones the fourth Alabama draft pick when they snagged the quarterback at No. 15 overall.
The Las Vegas Raiders took former Alabama offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood at No. 17. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted running back Najee Harris at No. 24, who became the sixth former Alabama player selected.
Top picks
Lawrence led a trio of quarterbacks who came off the board to start the draft.
BYU's Zach Wilson and North Dakota State's Trey Lance went to the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively.
"I'm going to give it everything I have," Wilson told NFL Network. "I worked as hard as I could for this moment."
The Atlanta Falcons selected the first non-quarterback of the night. They added former Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick.
A pair of talented wide receivers were selected with the next two picks.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected former LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase with the No. 5 pick. The Dolphins went with Waddle at No. 6 overall.
The Detroit Lions bulked up their offensive line with the No. 7 overall pick. They selected offensive tackle Penei Sewell out of Oregon.
The Carolina Panthers took the first defensive player off the board when they selected former South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn at No. 8 overall.
The Broncos snatched Surtain with the next pick. The Eagles then pulled off the first trade of the night to land Smith.
Three trades
Several teams moved up and down the draft order to snatch up their favorite college prospects. Six teams were involved in three trades in the first round.
The Eagles made a swap with the division-rival Dallas Cowboys to jump from pick No. 12 to No. 10.
"They saw something in me they wanted," Smith said at a news conference Thursday in Cleveland.
"They are getting a guy that's going to come in every day and work hard and I'm ready."
The Cowboys added Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons at No. 12, the pick they acquired from the Eagles.
The Chicago Bears followed with one of the most shocking trades of the day. The Bears moved up from pick No. 20 to No. 11 in a trade with the New York Giants and selected former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
The Giants selected former Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney with pick No. 20.
The Jets pulled off another first-round trade. They sent the No. 23 overall pick and other picks to the Minnesota Vikings to jump up to No. 14 overall. The Jets snagged former USC offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker with that pick.
The Vikings selected former Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw at No. 23.
2021 NFL Draft: First round
1. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
2. New York Jets - QB Zach Wilson, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
4. Atlanta Falcons - TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
5. Cincinnati Bengals - WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
6. Miami Dolphins - WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
7. Detroit Lions - OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
8. Carolina Panthers - CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
9. Denver Broncos - CB Patrick Surtain Jr., Alabama
10. Philadelphia Eagles (traded with Dallas Cowboys) - WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
11. Chicago Bears (traded with New York Giants) - QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
12. Dallas Cowboys (traded with Philadelphia Eagles) - LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
13. Los Angeles Chargers - OT Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
14. New York Jets (traded with Minnesota Vikings) - OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
15. New England Patriots - QB Mac Jones, Alabama
16. Arizona Cardinals - LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
17. Las Vegas Raiders - OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
18. Miami Dolphins - DE Jaelan Phillips, Miami
19. Washington Football Team - LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky
20. New York Giants (traded with Chicago Bears) - WR Kadarius Toney, Florida
21. Indianapolis Colts - EDGE Kwity Paye, Michigan
22. Tennessee Titans - CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
23. Minnesota Vikings (traded with New York Jets) - OT Christian Darrisaw, Virginia Tech
24. Pittsburgh Steelers - RB Najee Harris, Alabama
25. Jacksonville Jaguars - RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
26. Cleveland Browns - CB Greg Newsome Jr., Northwestern
27. Baltimore Ravens - WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
28. New Orleans Saints - DE Payton Turner, Houston
29. Green Bay Packers - CB Eric Stokes, Georgia
30. Buffalo Bills - EDGE Greg Rousseau, Miami
31. Baltimore Ravens - EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn State
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - EDGE Joe Tryon, Washington