The 2021 NFL Draft is now scheduled to take place in Cleveland, OH, beginning on April 29 and running through May 1.  There are still a lot of good football players out there who still have eligibility remaining in college and must now make the choice of declaring for the draft this year or finishing out the eligibility and getting their college degree or going for the money now instead of risking injury in their last year of university competition and falling way down in the NFL Draft the next time around.  It is a tough choice for some, but an automatic no-brainer for others.

Time’s Almost Up For NFL Draft Entries

The deadline for declaring for the NFL Draft is in mid-January, which is coming up fast now, so it is crunch time.  The COVID-19 pandemic has made such a mess of the 2020 NCAA football season that some guys might want to come back to school and finish on a little better note next year.  Others have family or spouse situations that almost demand that they take advantage of the opportunity to get the big money now.

The draft order will be determined by a team’s record, and by using strength of schedule as a tiebreaker.  Pick numbers 1-18 are already set and locked in.  The final 14 first-round spots to be determined by playoff results.  For now, those teams will be ordered based on playoff seeds and win-loss records.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have the first pick of this year’s crop of young players by virtue of going 0-15 this year and getting their coach fired.  Even so, Jacksonville has great potential for both a new coach and new players.

The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins will have the second and third picks respectively. The Atlanta Falcons will take fourth pick with the fifth pick going to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lawrence Throws His Name In The Ring

Trevor Lawrence has made national headlines for a couple of years now as the quarterback of the Clemson Tigers who always seem to be right up there in competition for the NCAA Championship every year.  Clemson went down to defeat at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes on New Year’s Day, but it was not the fault of the quarterback.

Lawrence did not get that National Championship he wanted this year, and he missed out on the Heisman Trophy, as well.  However, the quarterback with the shiny long hair is in line to bring home a whole pile of money when he signs with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are almost certainly going to pick him as their number one choice. If all goes well, Lawrence will become the face of the Jaguars franchise and bring the team into competition with the rest of the NFL.

It is a toss-up who will go in what order after the first pick is over and done with.  Number-2 rated is Penei Sewell of Oregon, an offensive lineman, who is 6’6’’ tall and weighs in at 330 pounds.  He is followed by linebacker Micah Parsons of Penn State, who is 6’3’’ tall and weighs in a 245.

Fields, Chase Added To The List

The number-two quarterback behind Lawrence is the guy who beat him in the final four college playoffs this year, Justin Fields, a Buckeye from Ohio State.  Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase of LSU is one of the best pass catchers in the country and is sure to be welcomed into the NFL.  He is just 6’ tall and weighs in at 208 pounds.

The next quarterback to go will be Zach Wilson of BYU after an impressive bowl win last week.  Wilson is 6’3’’ tall and weighs 210.  Kwity Paye from Michigan goes next as a big strong defensive lineman at 6’4’’ tall and 272 pounds.

Finally, Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith from Alabama has declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft.  He is an excellent wide receiver at 6’1’’ tall and weighs in at just 175 pounds.