Quarterbacks dominate NFL landscape in the draft and outside

It's one of the most important positions in sport for a reason and the 2021 NFL Draft weekend being defined by quarterbacks was no surprise.

We saw five collegiate star signal-callers go in the first round with the first three picks off the board on Thursday night all QBs for the first time since 1999.

Clemson standout Trevor Lawrence was, as expected, taken first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Seen by many to be the best quarterback prospect in a decade, Lawrence should give the Jags and new coach Urban Meyer the shot in the arm they sorely need.

Zach Wilson of BYU was second to go with the New York Jets falling for his hugely watchable college tape filled with playmaking highlights. The Jets have needed a spark behind centre ever since the legendary Joe Namath walked off into the sunset all those years ago - in Wilson they may just have it.

San Francisco's third pick was the source of the most-pre-Draft intrigue with head coach Kyle Shanahan's decision to trade three first round selections to move up sparking any number of theories over which way he could go.

In the end it was Trey Lance, the super talented but incredibly raw prospect, out of North Dakota State who got his vote. It was Lance along, Shanahan said afterwards, with the success or failure of his gamble surely set to define the next chapter of his stay in the Bay Area.

Once upon a time, Justin Fields was the 1a to Lawrence's 1, but as the offseason rolled further on the further the Ohio State star fell.

The same was true on draft night itself as first Atlanta then Carolina and Denver all passed on him before the Chicago Bears took their big swing, trading up to grab him and make him their quarterback of the future.

They weren't the last team to shake up their QB room though with the New England Patriots scooping up Mac Jones at 15 to compete with Cam Newton to be their next long-term starter.

There was to be more intrigue on day two with the selections of Kyle Trask in Tampa Bay and Kellen Mond in Minnesota sparking interest. Houston's pick of Davis Mills drew even more headlines with Deshaun Watson's days as a Texan now surely numbered.

It wasn't just the college quarterbacks who had the league talking this weekend either.

League MVP Aaron Rodgers let it be known that he may not want to go back to Green Bay next season, the sting of the Packers taking his successor in the first round a year ago apparently still sore.

open image in gallery

The schism between quarterback and front office is said to be large with a proposed contract restructure believed to have gone down particularly poorly as the 37-year-old looks to plot his perfect exit from the game, an exit that could even come as soon as this offseason should his demands not be met.

How the NFC runners-up negotiate their way through this latest problem will be fascinating. With Rodgers no stranger to holding a grudge or two expect that particular storyline to run and run.

If any of the quarterbacks who heard their names called this weekend end up with a Hall of Fame career like Rodgers, they and the teams who picked them will be more than happy.

Much like their esteemed contemporary, all eyes will be on them as they begin their NFL journey.