Blame this year’s NFL QB carousel on the LA Rams

Young quarterbacks invading the NFL

So what about the number four pick currently held by the Atlanta Falcons, or the number five overall pick held by the Cincinnati Bengals?  While there could be interest in drafting a quarterback to take over for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, the Falcons are not expected to shake up their offense this year. And the Bengals just drafted Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

But this draft class, the quarterback class of the 2021 NFL Draft, includes Clemson’s Lawrence, BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, and Alabama’s Mac Jones.  They are five NFL-ready quarterbacks who are all projected to hear their names called in round one. The next quarterback in his class?  That’s where diversity rears its head.

The next quarterback selected could be Florida’s Kyle Trask, Stanford’s David Mills, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, or even Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman.  Some draft boards reflect a huge drop in talent level from Jones to the next quarterback on the list.  Others separate the fifth and sixth quarterbacks in this class by a razor-thin margin.

Drafting a new quarterback is always great public relations for a bad team. A new face of the franchise, a new person to know and appreciated and cheer for. If he struggles, he simply joined a bad team on the rise. If he succeeds, he is powering the team to greatness. That oscillations keep fans engaged with struggling teams. Some will truly get better over time. Others will not. But the fervor of fans of all NFL teams will remain high. Such is the magic of the NFL Draft.