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The Bears were shrewd, Tyrod Taylor has competition, the Rams have rough vibes and more on the first three rounds of the draft. After all of the posturing before Round 1 of the NFL Draft about where the top five quarterbacks would go, it was freeing to go into night two talking mostly about safeties, running backs and offensive linemen. Round 1 might have all the glitz and glamour , but Rounds 2 and 3 are the real meat of the NFL Draft, where teams’ preferences diverge, steals are to be had and pick announcements begin to be met with quizzical-but-polite applause from even the most fervent fans. Aside from the fact that we don’t know if Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love got a new receiver on Friday, here are our picks for the night’s winners and losers. Winners Dave Gettleman What if I told you … Dave Gettleman traded down not once but twice in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft? And that he still was able to get a difference-making receiver in Round 1 and an edge rusher with f...

How “Little Dougie,” the skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses, blossomed into a big-play threat on the gridiron. And why, despite a limited role at Iowa State, he became a favorite of NFL scouts. Kene Nwangwu doesn’t look nervous, although he probably should. The former Iowa State running back is standing in the kick return huddle on an October evening in Ames, ready to put his heels on the five-yard line and take the lead role in football’s most violent play. His Cyclones need a spark—a strip sack left them trailing No. 17 Oklahoma by a touchdown with under nine minutes to play. “If you execute your job, I’m going to take this thing back,” he tells his teammates. When he catches the end-over-end kick, he isn’t thinking about the cascade of tacklers charging toward him or the cracking collisions around him. He’s transported home, away from the drizzling rain and biting wind at Jack Trice Stadium, to the Dallas heat rising off a rubber track and his teammate sprinting around its curv...

Houston has finally acknowledged what it wouldn't earlier in the offseason: The team needs a new long-term answer at quarterback. There is an ocean of information— not to mention formal legal proceedings —to wade through before we could even begin to talk responsibly about the idea of Deshaun Watson seeing an NFL field again. His story has taken on an eerie quiet of late, as the football world has thankfully taken a break from reporting on the relentless wave of trade rumors that preceded the lawsuits of 22 women alleging sexual misconduct during massages over the last two years. Even the most hardheaded among us understand the idea that this must run its course before we return Watson’s primary context to a children’s game . But with their first draft pick of the Nick Caserio era, the Texans seemed to signal what they thought the landscape might look like whenever we reach that point. By picking Davis Mills , a high-upside quarterback out of Stanford who was once the most sou...

With uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson's future with Houston, the Texans used its first pick of the 2021 draft on Stanford QB Davis Mills. View the original article to see embedded media. The Texans used its first pick of the 2021 NFL draft on Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round. Houston's first and second round selections were dealt as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade  back in 2019. With Deshaun Watson's status uncertain, it's not surprising the Texans are adding to the QB room. Watson is  facing 22 civil lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Prior to Watson's legal issues, he expressed his frustrations with team brass and reportedly asked to be traded . Mills was the eighth quarterback selected in the first 67 draft picks in this year's draft, and the third passer selected on Day 2.  The Norcross, Ga., native threw for 3,468 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions while averaging 7.9 yards per pass attemp...

Trask was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior at Florida and could potentially replace Tom Brady after the future Hall of Famer retires. View the original article to see embedded media. Three months after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, the defending champs might have just nabbed their quarterback of the future. The Buccaneers selected Florida quarterback Kyle Trask with the final pick of the second round, acquiring a potential replacement for 43-year-old Tom Brady. Trask put together a banner senior season at Florida, throwing for 4,283 yards with 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the country in scoring passes. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the voting behind DeVonta Smith, Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones. Florida coach Dan Mullen wished Trask well on Twitter, calling Trask "the true definition of perseverance and grit." After five quarterbacks were selected in the top 15, none were taken until Trask's selection at p...

Broncos trade their picks (40 and 114) for Falcons' pick 35 and 219, leap-frogging Miami to steal UNC's Javonte Williams. View the original article to see embedded media. Broncos fans, meet your new running back—Javonte Williams.  In an early second-round trade, Denver sent its No. 40 and 114 picks to the Falcons in exchange for their No. 35 and 219 picks. In doing so, the Broncos leap-frogged Miami to snag the North Carolina star, who the Dolphins were rumored to have their eyes set on.  Williams had a breakout season in 2020 as he and teammate Michael Carter formed the top running back duo in the country. They set an NCAA record against the Hurricanes, rushing for a total of 544 rushing yards between them (236 for Williams, 308 for Carter). Williams finished the season ranked third in the FBS with 19 rushing touchdowns and sixth with 1,140 rushing yard. Williams ended the season ninth in the FBS by averaging 7.3 yards on his 157 carries. He's the third running ...

The Alabama NFL factory continues to churn out blue chip prospects at a record-setting clip. View the original article to see embedded media. Every season, Alabama sends a surplus of talent to the NFL draft. This year, the Crimson Tide has taken that tradition to record-setting heights. Six Alabama players were taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft Thursday night, tying the all-time record by Miami in 2004. When the Canes Ruled the Draft: The Year Miami Had Six First-Rounders Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith each went in the top 10 to the Dolphins and Eagles, respectively, joining former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II also went in the top 10, getting picked by Denver at No. 9. After speculation that he could go as high as No. 3, quarterback Mac Jones slipped to No. 15, where the Patriots drafted him to compete with incumbent starter Cam Newton. The Raiders took offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood two pick...

Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy survived a regrettable, high-profile mistake in the 2017 draft. Now the franchise has new life. How strange and circuitous this NFL world is, that perhaps, while the NFC North is in absolute upheaval and the division’s best quarterback is wielding a pry bar as he tries to force his way out , the Bears may have somehow become the gold standard of quarterback decision-making overnight? While a general manager who survived a regrettable, high-profile mistake at the quarterback position is not a narrative fit for Disney studios anytime soon, there is something to be said about the Bears’ performance on Thursday night, which resulted in nabbing Justin Fields with the 11th pick . Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy could not go into 2021 with Andy Dalton as their presumptive starter. It was not in the best interest of the Bears. It was not in their own personal best interests, with pressure mounting each time Patrick Mahomes torpedoed another behind-the-back touchdown pass...

Najee Harris, who was drafted at No. 24 by the Steelers, threw a draft party for kids at the homeless shelter where he lived for several years growing up. View the original article to see embedded media. A few hours before the start of the 2021 NFL draft, former Alabama star Najee Harris visited a homeless shelter, Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP), as they hosted a draft watch party in his honor.  It was a homecoming of sorts for the Steelers' No. 24 pick, as Harris, his four siblings and his parents lived in that shelter for several years growing up.  "Just to see him as a grown man with this kind of opportunity for him today and to know that he lived in this shelter among many other places their family had to move around and lives as a homeless man just speaks to [the thought that] anything is possible," Kathleen Sullivan, executive director of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, told ABC 7 News .  Harris wasn't just there to say hello, though....

The Jets added a second pick in the top 15 as they traded with the Vikings on Thursday night. View the original article to see embedded media. The Jets made a move to protect new quarterback Zach Wilson as they traded up to the No. 14 pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday.  New York selected USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker with the No. 14 pick. It sent Minnesota pick Nos. 23, 66, 86 in the deal in order to receive Vera-Tucker and pick No. 143.  Vera-Tucker played two seasons at USC, earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2020. He is New York's second first-round pick on Thursday after the Jets drafted Wilson at No. 2 .  New York has missed the postseason in each of the last 10 seasons. It finished last in the AFC East in 2020 at 2–14.  More NFL Coverage: Trevor Lawrence Is Officially a Jaguar; Is Urban Meyer Ready for This? Drafting Trey Lance Will Define Kyle Shanahan's Legacy It's Time for the Packers to Give Aaron Rodgers What He Wants ...

After leading Alabama past Ohio State to the national championship, quarterback Mac Jones is headed to Foxborough in 2021. View the original article to see embedded media. In the span of three months, Mac Jones has gone from winning the national championship during a global pandemic to being selected by the Patriots as the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.  The 22-year-old, a redshirt junior who was a 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist , still had two seasons of eligibility left given the additional year that the NCAA added across all college athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions and a 77.4 completion percentage. During the national championship in January, Jones tallied 464 passing yards and five touchdowns, shredding the Buckeyes' defense in a 52-24 victory. Forde: The Brilliance of Nick Saban Continues to Evolve Although the Patriots spent a substantial amou...

Chicago traded up nine picks to draft Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears and Giants agreed on an in-draft trade that gave Chicago the 11th overall pick in exchange for the 20th and 164th pick in 2021 and a first and fourth round pick in 2022. Chicago used the 11th pick to draft their quarterback of the future with the selection of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears already have veteran passers Andy Dalton and Nick Foles on their roster and thus we could see a quarterback battle for the starting job in Training Camp.

Justin Fields is headed to Chicago in 2021 after leading Ohio State to the College Football Playoff during his two seasons. View the original article to see embedded media. Coming into this year's draft, the expectation was the Bears would take a quarterback at some point, if not in the first round then sometime over the weekend. Instead, Chicago couldn't wait that long. The Bears traded up from pick No. 20 to No. 11, then selected Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields as the franchise's next quarterback. In the deal, Chicago received the 11th pick in this year's draft, and sent the No. 20 pick to the Giants, along with a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick for 2021. The 22-year-old heads to the NFL after beginning his college career at Georgia in 2018 before transferring to Ohio State in 2019. Fields starred in his two years with the Buckeyes, throwing for 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions over 22 games while completing 64.8%...

Philadelphia added an electric playmaker to their offense with the selection of Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith. The Eagles and Cowboys made a rare in-draft trade between division rivals which gave Philadelphia the tenth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Eagles used that pick to draft Alabama wide receiver and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith. The Eagles also used their first round pick on a wide receiver in 2020 with the selection of Jalen Reagor.

The Eagles snagged one of the draft's top receivers after a trade with Dallas on Thursday night. View the original article to see embedded media. Last year's Heisman Trophy winner has found a new home. The Eagles have selected Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith with the No. 10 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Smith was the third receiver taken in the first round, following Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle . The dynamic playmaker put together a historic senior season in Tuscaloosa, leading the country in catches (117), receiving yards (1,856) and receiving touchdowns (23) to become the first wide receiver in 29 years to win the Heisman Trophy. Smith saved his best for last, hauling in 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio State in the national championship game , which Alabama won, 52-24. For his career, Smith totaled nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 48 total touchdowns. He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017 when he caught the game-winning to...

After winning the national championship at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle is now heading to the NFL. View the original article to see embedded media. Jaylen Waddle went from suffering a presumed season-ending ankle injury to winning  the national championship last season.  He's now headed to the NFL after the Dolphins selected the wide receiver at No. 6 in the 2021 NFL draft.  Waddle started the 2020 college season with a bang at Alabama last fall, topping 120 receiving yards in four consecutive games to start the season. He tallied 557 yards on 25 catches, adding with four touchdowns during the stretch. Waddle missed six games after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee. He returned to the field in before suiting up for the national title game. While visibly limping at times, the wideout hauled in three catches for 34 yards. "My hat's off to him," head coach Nick Saban said when Waddled declared for the draft . "I had the same injury, so I know...

Atlanta’s offense is coming in hot for 2021 with the additional of superstar tight end Kyle Pitts. The Falcons selected Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the 4th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, Atlanta’s offense is already loaded with pass catching talent and now quarterback Matt Ryan has another weapon to target. Pitts is widely considered one of the best tight end talents to enter the NFL since Tony Gonzalez and becomes the highest drafted tight end since 1960.

Shanahan's development of the North Dakota State prospect will turn the conversation away from his Super Bowl letdowns. Kyle Shanahan’s ascent to infallible NFL mind has more closely resembled the various clanks and twangs a metal ball encounters as it arches its way through the chute of a pinball machine toward the blinking lights at the top of the glass. His performance as the offensive coordinator in the Falcons’ record-setting blown 28–3 lead in Super Bowl LI raised questions about his feel for big moments. His performance as the 49ers’ head coach and offensive play-caller in Super Bowl LIV , another double-digit blown lead, was another thwack against the side of the wall. He is a man of contradictions. On one hand, he has developed the offense run by almost a quarter of the NFL. Coordinators from his tree, or those simply smart enough to buy the starter kit on EXOS and imitate it from scratch, are getting hired at a feverish pace. On the other hand, he is 29–35 as an NFL ...

Ja'Marr Chase hasn't played since early 2020 after helping LSU win a national title and setting multiple records along the way. View the original article to see embedded media. Bengals fans, meet Ja'Marr Chase—the No. 5 overall pick. Although he opted out of the 2020 season, the LSU wide receiver had little to prove after winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver in 2019 and helping the Tigers win the national championship that season. Chase tallied nine receptions, 221 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Clemson. By the end of the season, he set SEC records and led the FBS with 1,780 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns in 14 starts. Dellenger: LSU Exorcises Its Past to Cap Program Reawakening With Historic Title As a true freshman in 2018, Chase totaled 23 receptions, 313 yards and three touchdowns while starting seven of 13 games. The move reunites Chase with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow. The pair helped lead LSU to an...

The San Francisco 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Dolphins to get the 3rd overall pick and used it to grab North Dakota’s Trey Lance. The 49ers selected North Dakota State QB Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Roughly a month before the Draft, the 49ers and Dolphins announced a blockbuster trade that included swapping their first round picks in 2021 and San Francisco giving Miami their first round picks in 2022 and 2023, plus additional third round picks. Some rumors indicated the 49ers would take Alabama’s Mac Jones but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated Lance was getting a lot of hype from the 49ers scouts and team personnel. With Jimmy Garoppolo still on the roster, it’s unclear if Lance will start as a rookie.

Pitts was the first tight end to be named a Fred Biletnikoff award (top WR) finalist after catching 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. View the original article to see embedded media. Falcons fans, meet your new tight end—Kyle Pitts.  The 20-year-old, who played for the University of Florida, was selected No. 4 overall and is now the highest tight end ever drafted. Pitts was named a first-team All-American and won the John Mackey Award as the most outstanding tight end in college football this past season. He is the first tight end to go in the top five in 49 years (ex-Broncos Pro Bowler Riley Odoms went fifth in 1972). Only four tight ends (Vernon Davis in 2006, Eric Ebron in 2010, T.J. Hockenson in 2019 and Kellen Winslow in 2004) have gone in the top 10 over the last 24 drafts.  Pitts was also the first tight end to be named a Fred Biletnikoff award (top wide receiver) finalist after catching 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns—tied ...

Trey Lance is San Francisco's signal-caller of the future after being selected with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night. The 49ers selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday. Lance shined in his lone season as a starter in 2019. He threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns, adding 14 scores on the ground. Lance did not record an interception in any of his 16 starts.  San Francisco's new signal-caller did appear in one exhibition game in October 2020. He threw for 149 yards in a 39-28 win over Central Arkansas.  San Francisco adds Lance after finishing last in the NFC West at 6–10 in 2020. The 49ers traded up to the No. 3 pick in March in a deal with the Dolphins. San Francisco was expected to select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones for much of the last month, but Lance entered the conversation in recent days.  The 49ers did not tell their coaches or scouts who they would pick before the selection was announced, ...

The Jets are perpetually searching for their franchise quarterback, but their latest rookie will have an infrastructure past Jets QBs haven't. We’re only three years removed from the last time we went through this exercise , the one where we pretended the Jets’ acquisition of a quarterback was different this time. How it was, finally, an exercise in competence. How they won’t ruin this one like they did the last hundred. So forgive anyone who follows this team if they meet tonight with either the feigned interest of someone who has been beaten down over time, or the complete opposite: the beautiful, optimistic amnesia that a follower of this organization tends to acquire. But here’s why Zach Wilson will actually, really, truly be different this time. He is joining an organization in arguably the healthiest place it’s been in for years. There is a general manager who hired a head coach. There is a competent offensive coordinator running the most quarterback-friendly system in th...

The Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in what was the worst kept secret for the 2021 NFL Draft. In the least shocking selection of the entire NFL Draft, the Jaguars selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. Lawrence had a terrific career playing in the ACC while leading Clemson to a National Championship in 2019. Lawrence was the consensus best quarterback in this draft class and will now play for Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. But is Lawrence a generational quarterback? NFL Draft Bible’s Ric Serritella and NFL Scout Russ Lande weigh in on how Lawrence stacks up compared to other 1st overall quarterback selections.

After stunning NFL scouts and Trevor Lawrence at his Pro Day, BYU's Zach Wilson is headed to New York in 2021. View the original article to see embedded media. After stunning Trevor Lawrence and NFL scouts at his Pro Day last month , BYU's Zach Wilson is headed to New York in 2021. The Jets selected Wilson as the No.   2 pick during the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday evening. Wilson is the second quarterback off the board after Lawrence was drafted by the Jaguars with the No. 1 pick. Wilson had a breakout year last season, ranking second in the FBS in completion percentage. He tossed 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions, and finished No. 10 in the FBS with a 307.7 passing yards per game. Wilson also rushed for 10 touchdowns in 12 starts for the 11–1 Cougars in 2020. Wilson completed 62% of his passes in 2019. He threw for 2,382 yards and eleven touchdowns. FanNation: Zach Wilson Fantasy Football Rookie Profile The Jets finished last in t...

The college coaching legend only jumped to the NFL for the top quarterback prospect in decades. Now the pressure is really on. There will be fairytales written in the coming days about Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars’ courtship of Urban Meyer once it became clear that the safest quarterback selection in four decades was headed to northern Florida. How they are on the same wavelength. How they mutually admired one another. How the coach understands the way to maximize an unreasonable amount of potential. Left out, at least for now, is a question that we should all be asking of Meyer in general as he embarks upon a moment that will forever alter his legacy for better or worse: Why on earth would he sign up for this? The same might be asked of Lawrence who, just a few weeks ago, admitted that he hoped to have a life beyond football one day and was shredded by the game’s old guard for a perceived indifference. This league is a machine that swallows talent whole and spits it out for...

Lawrence finished his college career with the most wins by a quarterback in Clemson history. The Jaguars selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The Cartersville, Ga., native will travel nearly six hours to his NFL home in Jacksonville. He joins Jaguars first-year coach Urban Meyer , who never shied away from his interest in the quarterback from day one. When asked by NBC Sports' Peter King last month whether there was any mystery about Jacksonville's selecting Lawrence first, Meyer said, "I’d have to say that’s the direction we’re going. I’ll leave that up to the owner when we make that decision official. But I’m certainly not stepping out of line that that’s certainly the direction we’re headed.” Lawrence entered the draft as the presumptive top pick, having excelled at Clemson, finishing his college career with the most wins by a quarterback in Clemson history (34), passing Rodney Williams, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Wat...

With Trevor Lawerence locked in as the No. 1 selection and Zach Wilson going to the Jets with the second pick, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says the focus is on the third pick. The 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to jump to the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson likely off the board by the time San Francisco picks, the question becomes which quarterback will they select. It seems they have narrowed down their choices to Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer weighs in on the latest rumors out of San Francisco.

Zach Wilson sported an Armani suit while Trey Lance was iced-out with a Cartier timepiece. But Kwity Paye stole the show with honoring Chadwick Boseman. View the original article to see embedded media. Move over Oscars, you may have just met your match.  The ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic didn't keep the 2021 NFL draft prospects from pulling out all of the stops as they sports show-stopping fits on the red carpet.  Former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was seen wearing a Giorgio Armani suit while Florida's Kyle Pitts wore an all-green suit  with cognac colored patches on his elbows. North Dakota State's Trey Lance was iced-out with a Cartier timepiece, and Alabama's Patrick Surtain II had a “PS2” chain made for him by Leo Frost.   Others were more sentimental in their approach.  Kwity Paye told GQ's Tyler R. Tynes earlier Thursday that Chadwick Boseman is his hero, and the ex-Michigan defensive end honored the first Black superhero in his suit. ...

The 2021 NFL draft is one of the most highly anticipated in years. Here's a peek ahead at the details of next year's draft. Las Vegas, you are on the clock. We don't yet know which team will hold the No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft, but we do know where and (approximately) when it will take place. The 2022 NFL draft will be held in Las Vegas sometime in late April, though the exact date has not been officially announced. Las Vegas was originally meant to be the host city of the 2020 draft, which was instead held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL announced on April 23 of last year that the draft would head back to Las Vegas in 2022 . "I'm pleased to announce that Las Vegas will host the 2022 NFL draft, where we look forward to holding an even bigger and better event than we could have ever imagined this year," Goodell said at the time in a statement . "Congratulations to Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, ...