2021 NFL draft

2021 NFL draft
General information
Date(s)	April 29 – May 1, 2021
Location	FirstEnergy Stadium Cleveland, Ohio
Network(s)	ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio
Overview
259 total selections in 7 rounds
League	National Football League
First selection	Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Mr. Irrelevant	Grant Stuard, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Most selections (11)	Carolina Panthers Dallas Cowboys Minnesota Vikings
Fewest selections (3)	Seattle Seahawks
← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021.^[1]

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round — Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones — the second highest number of first-round quarterback selections (along with the 1999 and 2018 drafts) after the six selected in 1983 and 2024. The draft also marked the third time the first three picks were quarterbacks, following the 1971 and 1999 drafts. A total of eight quarterbacks were selected in the first three rounds, the most in NFL draft history although, only two quarterbacks were taken in the remaining rounds. By 2024, Lawrence was the only first-round quarterback to remain with his original team while the other four was benched heading to the 2024 season.

In addition to the high number of quarterbacks, six Alabama players were taken in the first round, which is tied with the six Miami players in 2004 for the most from an individual school. Conversely, no Big 12 Conference players were drafted in the first round for the first time since the conference began play in 1996 and no Michigan State players were selected for the first time since 1941.

Scouts considered the later rounds of the draft lacking desirable prospects due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020 college football season. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility and an opt-out option for athletes because of the shortened season, resulting in many prospects returning to school instead of declaring for the draft.^[2]