What Happened to the 2021 NFL Draft Quarterback Class?

The 2021 quarterback class is one of the most interesting case studies when it comes to the NFL draft.

At the time, it was regarded as one of the best crops of young passers to enter the league in several years and featured five first-round picks, which was tied for the most since 1983 until six were selected in 2024.

However, the majority of the class quickly flamed out. Four out of five quarterbacks were traded by the team that drafted them before their rookie contract expired. Trevor Lawrence is the only outlier, and even he has had middling success and is clinging to relevancy.

That begs the question: What happened to the 2021 NFL draft quarterback class? How did Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones go from can't-miss prospects to first-round busts so quickly?

Here, we'll recap each quarterback's career to date, dive back into their scouting reports to see if there were signs of what went wrong, and explore their outlooks moving forward to see if there's a potential Sam Darnold or Geno Smith within the bunch.

Trevor Lawrence

AP Photo/John Raoux

Drafted: 1st overall, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence pretty much solidified his status as the No. 1 overall pick during his true freshman season in college by leading Clemson to a dominant 44-16 National Championship win over Alabama.

That was no small feat considering the Crimson Tide’s defense featured three future All-Pros: Patrick Surtain II, Xavier McKinney and Quinnen Williams.

On top of that, Lawrence checked just about every box that scouts are looking for in a quarterback prospect. He had the ideal height at nearly 6'6", a strong arm, was an impressive athlete and a proven winner. However, the former Tiger's ability to handle pressure was a concern and has been a problem in the pros.

"Lawrence's poise, decision-making and accuracy all took a hit in 2020 when he was forced to work under pressure," Lance Zierlein of NFL Media wrote. "His performance against Virginia Tech showed there is still room for improvement with how he processes his options against the blitz."

The Clemson product has thrown 46 interceptions in 60 career games, the majority of which have come while facing pressure. That's easily been his biggest issue so far and where he needs to grow moving forward.

To be fair, Lawrence has also had plenty of strong moments in the league, highlighted by earning a Pro Bowl bid in 2022. That's a big reason why he received a five-year, $275 million contract extension from the Jaguars.

However, he has failed to recapture that magic over the last two years and is about to play for his third head coach in the league.

With Liam Coen taking over in Jacksonville, the clock is ticking on the player who was once considered the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

If Lawrence doesn't put it all together this season, there's a chance Coen opts to go after his guy under center in 2026 and beyond. 

Zach Wilson

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Drafted: 2nd overall, New York Jets

During the 2020 COVID-shortened college football season, Wilson went from an unknown to a Heisman Trophy candidate with NFL potential.

The BYU product completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns to just three interceptions during his final season in college, showcasing a strong arm and gunslinger mentality.

However, the one-year wonder had an arrogance about him that ended up being his undoing in the NFL, especially when it came to his arm strength.

"Wilson has the utmost confidence in his arm and is not scared to throw into tight windows, even downfield," Nate Tice of B/R's Scouting Department noted. 

"He will still need to improve on his timing, ball security, and when to learn to tone down the aggression and be a quarterback instead of a thrower. He showed confidence in concepts he ran often (mesh, mirrored routes), but would sometimes be lacking the ability to progress on infrequent play calls."

The 25-year-old made several questionable decisions with the ball during his first two seasons in New York, tossing more interceptions than touchdowns with 18 picks to 15 scores. That led the Jets to acquire Aaron Rodgers in 2023, who infamously tore an Achilles tendon four snaps into the season.

As a result, Wilson got a second chance to be Gang Green's starting quarterback, but he ended up getting benched 12 games into the campaign. Then, he was traded to the Denver Broncos, where he served as a third-stringer and didn't record a single snap in the regular season.

Now, the 2021 No. 2 overall pick is backing up Tua Tagovailoa for the Miami Dolphins.

Given Tagovailoa's injury history, there's a chance Wilson will get some action and an opportunity to revive his hopes as a starter. But the latter feels pretty unlikely at this point.

Trey Lance

AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn

Drafted: 3rd overall, San Francisco 49ers

Recently, there's been a push for teams to prioritize quarterback prospects who have a lot of college experience over the ones who have plenty of tools but haven't spent much time on the field.

Just look at the success of Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix last season, and compare that to Trey Lance's career to date.

COVID played a big factor in the North Dakota State product quickly flaming out in the NFL. That resulted in him only having one season as a starter in college and logging just 318 pass attempts in college, the fewest by any first-round quarterback in the last 40 years, according to ESPN’s Stats and Info.

"Just hasn’t played a lot of football" was one of the negatives the B/R scouting department highlighted in his scouting report.

"Lance still has room to grow, both literally because of his build and young age, but also in terms of consistency and accuracy, as he'll spray the ball when feeling late on a throw or try to gun a ball into contested spaces."

Unfortunately, that trend continued in the NFL. San Francisco had Lance sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo during his rookie season before making him the starter in year two.

Then, a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 paved the way for Brock Purdy's ascension as the 49ers' starting quarterback.

That led to Lance getting traded to the Dallas Cowboys, where he made just one start in two seasons. Now, he's scheduled to be in a training camp battle with Taylor Heinicke for backup duties behind Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The dual-threat quarterback could be a good fit in Jim Harbaugh's offense, similar to Colin Kaepernick's rise in 2012. However, even if he wins the backup job, Lance still may not see the field in Los Angeles, and it's fair to question where his confidence level is at this point after getting let go by two teams. 

Justin Fields

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Drafted: 11th overall, Chicago Bears

After showing promise as a change-of-pace quarterback behind Jake Fromm during his true freshman season at Georgia, then transferring to Ohio State and becoming a two-time Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year, there were plenty of reasons to like Fields as a prospect.

He showed a strong arm and impressive athleticism, highlighted by a 4.46-second 40-yard dash time, to be the next great dual-threat quarterback in the league. However, the Buckeyes offense didn't do him any favors, and his ability to read the field was a question mark.

"He has a tendency to hang on to some of his reads," Tice wrote in his B/R scouting report, “but that is also because of some of the concepts being called, and he will have to keep improving upon his mental clock to save himself from hits in the NFL."

That became the No. 11 overall pick’s Achilles heel with the Chicago Bears, as he took 135 sacks in three years, per Pro Football Reference. Of course, the offensive line plays a factor in that, but the quarterback had a bad habit of missing opportunities for open throws and holding onto the ball too long.

As a result, Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of last season. He got another chance to cement himself as a franchise quarterback, starting in six games for the team. However, the issues above persisted as he took 16 more sacks and struggled to show a firm grasp of the offense's progressions.

That said, the Ohio State product still has a good chance to keep his first-string hopes alive. He signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets in free agency and is expected to be Aaron Glenn's first starting quarterback.

Meanwhile, NFL journeyman Tyrod Taylor is Fields' biggest competition for the role.

Mac Jones

AP Photo/Steve Luciano

Drafted: 15th overall, New England Patriots

Out of all the quarterbacks listed, Jones was the most questionable first-round pick.

He showed a high football IQ and was very accurate to lead an Alabama squad that was filled with NFL talent to a National Championship and winning the Davey O’Brien Award in 2020.

However, his lack of arm strength led to a small margin for error in the pros.

"Overall, Jones has the mental processing, accuracy, toughness and enough athleticism to be an above-average-to-good starter at the NFL level, and he can be a contributor early," Tice wrote in his B/R scouting report. 

"But he will have to continue to process and deliver accurate throws at an extremely high level, as his limitations make it a narrower path to anything more."

Still, Bill Belichick and the Patriots were willing to take a chance on the Alabama product on night one of the draft, and the early returns were positive.

He threw for over 3,800 yards and 22 touchdowns in year one, while leading New England to a playoff berth and finishing second behind Ja'Marr Chase for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Then, Jones' shortcomings came back to hurt him. Defenses started taking away the short throws, forcing him to hit tight windows or push the ball down the field, where his below-average arm strength became a significant hindrance. 

As a result, the former national champion's touchdowns and yardage figures decreased from year to year in New England while his interception rate went from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent, per Pro Football Reference.

That put the Patriots in a position to draft Drake Maye, so the organization opted to trade Jones for a sixth-round pick following the 2023 campaign.

After backing up fellow 2021 first-rounder Trevor Lawrence with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, the No. 15 overall pick is expected to fill a similar role for Brock Purdy in San Francisco. 

Kyle Shanahan was rumored to be interested in Jones with the third overall selection four years ago, so maybe he can revive his career. Granted, that will have to be with another club, seeing as San Francisco just signed Purdy to a five-year, $265 million contract last month.