Most of the focus heading into Thursday’s first round of the 2021 NFL Draft has revolved around the top five quarterbacks, who all have a chance to be selected in the top half of the opening round.
There is a second tier of QBs that deserves attention. Stanford’s Davis Mills, Florida’s Kyle Trask and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond each could hear their names called in Rounds 2 or 3 on Friday night.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday on Good Morning Football that a handful of teams have done “extra legwork” on some or all of the potential Day 2 QBs.
Per Pelissero, that list of teams includes the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The New England Patriots also recently “spent a long time” in a virtual meeting with Mills, Pelissero added.
The Bears have been scouring for a franchise QB for generations. With Andy Dalton slated to be the starter and none of the top five signal-callers expected to slip to them at No. 20 overall in the first round, grabbing a quarterback who might need grooming could be GM Ryan Pace’s best option.
The Vikings could seek an eventual replacement for Kirk Cousins. General manager Rick Spielman noted Tuesday that no position was “off the table” in terms of the draft.
The Saints will enter training camp with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill set to battle for the starting gig. Sean Payton might want to groom a long-term solution.
The Bucs could be in the market for Tom Brady’s eventual replacement. With few holes on a roster returning most of its Super Bowl squad, Tampa could elect a mid-round signal-caller to learn behind the G.O.A.T. Waiting until Day 2 or 3 to grab a QB would allow the Bucs to add a contributor in the first round for another Super Bowl run while still preparing for the future.
The Patriots need a long-term QB with Cam Newton re-signed for one year to backup money. New England has been projected to snag a first-round QB, but if its target is gone by pick No. 15 and the Pats can’t trade up, Day 2 becomes an option.
Projections for Mond, Mills and Trask have been all over the board ahead of this week’s draft. Each owns some tantalizing skills but also has question marks about how he might transition to the NFL.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Mills as his top-rated QB of the second-tier trio, placed at No. 77 in his top 150 draft prospects. For comparison, Mac Jones is Jeremiah’s 32nd rated player. The drop from the Round 1 players to Round 2 and 3 could be steep for some teams.
Mills owns talent but played only 11 games due to injury at Stanford. Mond, Jeremiah’s 81st ranked prospect, owns ideal size and athleticism with dual-threat ability, but there are questions about his accuracy and anticipation. Trask (DJ’s No. 110 player) owns prototypal size scouts traditionally love but is a pure pocket passer with little mobility and questionable footwork.
Each would likely require seasoning before potentially being given a chance to run a club.
Pelissero noted that one or more of the second tier could get pushed into the back end of the first round. With the fifth-year option on first-rounders, a club could view it as an investment to leap over others to secure its desired signal-caller.
More likely, the QBs will start to come off the board around the middle of Round 2, where the Bears sit.