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NFL Draft 2021: Full TV Schedule and Online Coverage Info for All 7 Rounds
April 26, 2021
The countdown has dropped below 100 hours remaining until the 2021 NFL draft, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will soon be officially on the clock.
While all signs are pointing to Jacksonville selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall, he'll be the first of 259 players picked. The draft—which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio this year—is a three-day process.
And there is no shortage of ways to follow the event.
ABC/ESPN and NFL Network will provide live coverage throughout all seven rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.
2021 NFL Draft Info
Thursday, April 29 (Round 1)
When: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network
Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com
Friday, April 30 (Rounds 2-3)
When: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network
Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com
Saturday, May 1 (Rounds 4-7)
When: Noon ET
TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network
Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com
QBs Ready to Headline 1st Round
Because of the position's value, quarterbacks are often selected within the first 10-15 picks of the opening round. That will undoubtedly be the case Thursday night.
Jacksonville is expected to take Lawrence, who's been considered the future top pick since high school. After the Jags finalize their choice, the New York Jets will be up. They've long been connected to BYU signal-caller Zach Wilson.
And then, it gets interesting.
Since the San Francisco 49ers dealt this year's first-round pick as well as two future first-rounders and a third-rounder for the No. 3 selection, it's extremely likely they'll take a quarterback. The question, though, is whether it'll be Alabama's Mac Jones—the rumored favorite—or either Ohio State's Justin Fields or North Dakota State's Trey Lance.
No matter the choice, it means two highly respected QBs will remain atop the "best available" lists.
Will the Atlanta Falcons take Matt Ryan's heir at No. 4 or target a different player, such as Florida tight end Kyle Pitts? Both the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5) and Miami Dolphins (No. 6) took a quarterback last year, so the next franchises to watch follow them.
In order, those are the Detroit Lions (No. 7), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) and Denver Broncos (No. 9). Detroit acquired Jared Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade; Carolina has Teddy Bridgewater and added Sam Darnold; Denver has Drew Lock. None of the franchises need a QB, but they're not settled at the position, either.
Otherwise, major QB-needy teams are the New England Patriots (No. 15), Washington (No. 19) and Chicago Bears (No. 20) and New Orleans Saints (No. 28). Whether any of them trade up is another storyline to monitor Thursday night.
Additionally, there's a case for the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 12), Minnesota Vikings (No. 14), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 17) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 24) to grab a QB.
Of those 12 teams, however, only two—barring a massive surprise—are likely to select a quarterback in the opening round.
While the attention devoted to quarterbacks can overshadow other great prospects, the NFL's most important position will dominate the spotlight Thursday night.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.