Another NFL Draft is in the books and that means one thing — premature judging on which team had the best outcome.
This began for many immediately following round one on Thursday night. Once Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were off the board after the first two picks, the draft took a turn. This is where surprises began and it showed that teams were truly between many options. For many executives and head coaches, these decisions can make or break their own future and that of the team.
It began when Trey Lance was taken third overall by the San Francisco 49ers. They pulled off one of the ultimate smokescreens with the speculation that they were all in on Mac Jones.
Penei Sewell fell a bit while the top two cornerbacks were off the board before the Dallas Cowboys were on the lock, which led to some trades.
At the end of the day, it is impossible to judge how players will perform once they put on the pads for their new teams. This draft will not be able to be fairly judged for a couple years.
With that being said, there is no fun in waiting the appropriate amount of time so we won’t. Fans have already begun either talking themselves into how their draft pick will be a Hall of Famer or how it will be a bust once they get on the field.
For these three teams, there are high hopes heading into the season. Here are the three teams that had the biggest haul during the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears
Yes, you are seeing this right. The Chicago Bears actually left a draft feeling good about themselves — and rightfully so.
The Mitchell Trubisky days are over. Bears’ fans do not have to worry about watching Nick Foles throw a football any longer. You could hear the life being sucked out of the city when they signed Andy Dalton. That same life was injected back into Soldier Field when the Bears traded up to No. 11 to get what they hope will be their quarterback of the future.
The Bears made a move to take Ohio State product Justin Fields. Critics will bring up Northwestern and Bears’ fans will counter with Clemson. Whichever game you want to reference is irrelevant. The Bears landed their guy and that is all that matters.
The Bears might have reached on Larry Borom in the third round but the addition of Teven Jenkins in the second makes it easier to deal with. Chicago decided to use their next two picks on offensive lineman after adding their quarterback.
Khalil Herbert is a running back that will have a chance to contribute within the offense. Seventh-round picks usually get passed over but the Bears might have found some value in Khyiris Tonga. He is a defensive tackle that is strong enough to remain on his spot and can even get to the quarterback at times.
For once, Bears’ fans have a reason to celebrate. Enjoy it now because no one knows how long it will last. All we know for sure is that Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are praying that this new regime works out better than the last one.
New England Patriots
Over the years, the New England Patriots have had things go their way to say the least. During the 2021 NFL Draft, that continued.
There was weeks of speculation on whether or not New England would trade up from No. 15 to get their next franchise quarterback. This could have been either Fields or Lance or Jones once the top two were off the board. With the way the draft took place, New England did not have to move up to take their guy. In typical Patriots’ fashion, the draft worked out perfectly for them.
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Once the Niners decided on Lance, this meant that there was a high chance Jones fell to No. 15. When Chicago traded up for Fields, it was a done deal that Jones would become a Patriot and it is the perfect fit. Moving into the second round, the Patriots landed the lineman in the 2021 NFL Draft in Christian Barmore.
As if two first-round talents were not enough, the Patriots landed another one in the third round. Oklahoma defensive end Ronnie Perkins fell a bit in the 2021 NFL Draft but graded extremely high coming in. This could end up being a steal for the Patriots.
New England was aggressive in free agency with their acquisitions and they nailed the 2021 NFL Draft as well. It is safe to say that Bill Belichick was not happy with missing the postseason a year ago and it is unlikely that the Patriots will make that a habit.
Detroit Lions
The Lions are another team that is not used to being on the positive end of news in the NFL. They made a big splash when they sent Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams and landed Jared Goff in return. With their first-round pick, the Lions got their quarterback some protection.
There was some speculation on where Detroit would go with this pick. When a player like Sewell falls in your lap, you take him. That is what happened to the Lions. The Cincinnati Bengals opted for Ja’Marr Chase which meant that Sewell would fall past the Miami Dolphins and right to Detroit.
This is an anchor at left tackle for years to come in Detroit. From offensive tackle to defensive tackle, the Lions stole Levi Onwuzurike in the second round. The Lions succeeded in adding extremely large players to their roster.
It continued with a bit of a reach in Alim McNeill but he is another defensive lineman that could make an impact. Detroit found great value in the third with Syracuse corner Ifeatu Melifonwu. Throw Amon-Ra St. Brown into the mix and the Lions had an extremely productive draft.
The Lions are a rebuilding team with plenty of work to do moving forward. The 2021 NFL Draft certainly was a success and could have the team going in the right direction.
