What a wild season that was…. The 2023 regular season is over.
We are now over two years removed from the 2021 NFL draft. It’s now possible to see whether or not these players developed into the stars their teams hoped.
For this list we will be Grading All 32 NFL First-Round Draft Picks From 2021 So Far
1. Trevor Lawrence: A
The Jaguars were in desperate need of that franchise quarterback they seem to never have and hit with this pick. Lawrence was the clear number one choice in the draft being one of the most hyped college prospects of all time.
2. Zach Wilson: D
It didn’t take long for the Jets to give up on Wilson being their starter. If it wasn’t for the injury to Aaron Rodgers he would have spent this entire season as a backup. Early on in his career he’s shown a lack of maturity and an inability to take any criticism.
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3. Trey lance: F
This might be one of the biggest waste of a top three pick in NFL history. In his two years with San Francisco he attempted just 102 passes. The 49ers gave Lance almost no chance to prove himself in game situations.
4. Kyle Pitts: B
The Falcons made Kyle Pitts the highest drafted tight end of all time. With that in mind you’d expect him to be the main target in the offense. That hasn’t necessarily been the case as he is extremely underutilized.
5. Ja'Marr Chase: A-
He’s already been to two pro Bowls and was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Chase is already considered a top 10 wide receiver in the league and he’s only 23 years old. He was an extremely important piece that brought the Bengals to their 2022 Super Bowl appearance.
6. Jaylen Waddle: A
In his first two full seasons Waddle was able to rack up back to back 1,000 yard seasons. It’s hard to find someone that fits so perfectly into an offense the way Jaylen does with the Dolphins. We should see him making his first Pro Bowl appearance shortly.
7. Penei Sewell: B+
Sewell has been an absolute powerhouse in that Lions offensive line. He did not miss a single offensive snap in 2021 and 2022 with 2023 shaping out to be the same. He also keeps the penalties to a minimum as he was only called for five holds in his first two years.
8. Jaycee Horn: B
Horn has been locked down for the Panthers so far. His best season was 2022 as he allowed just one touchdown and a passer rating of 62.4. Pro FOotball Focus ranked him as the twentieth best corner at the end of his Sophomore year. An extremely promising player who still hasn’t hit his ceiling.
9. Patrick Surtain II: A-
By his second season, Surtian was already a All-Pro First Team selection. It’s no surprise either as Pro Football Focus had him as the second best corner in the league coming into 2023. It’s extremely rare to see a player come in and make such an immediate impact.
10. DeVonta Smith: B
With how stacked the receiver class was in 2021 it’s understandable that the former Heisman saw his name slip down the board a little. Still tough it proved to be an excellent selection considering Waddle and Chase were gone. He had his first 1,000 yard season in 2022 and is only improving.
11. Justin Fields: C+
There’s a lot of talk around the league that Fields was set up for failure by the Bears due to not having much around him. As a starter he’s 6-25 without much hope in sight for significant improvement.
12. Micah Parsons: A+
This might be the best pick in the entire first round. Parsons has already won Defensive Rookie of the Year, been selected to the All-Pro First Team twice, two Pro-Bowls and has twice finished second in Defensive Player of the Year. As already one of the most feared edge rushers in the league it’s scary thinking he’s only 24 years old.
13. Rashawn Slater: B+
Slater allowed only five sacks in his first two seasons, all while keeping the penalties to a minimum. He experienced some injuries in 2022 but seems to be back on track for the 2023 season. He also made the Pro Bowl his rookie season.
14. Alijah Vera-Tucker: B-
It might not sound very believable but Tucker only committed one penalty in his first two seasons. He has shown that he can compete with the highest level of competition and proven to be well worth the fourteenth overall pick..
15. Mac Jones: C
His first two seasons in New England were decent but the Mac Jones experience might be coming to an end quickly for the Patriots. It’s become clear that he won’t be the answer in the post Tom Brady era.
16. Zaven Collins: C+
Collins has a bit of a word role on the Cardinals as he switched from inside to outside linebacker in 2023. With little production since being drafted it’s hard to give him a better grade.
17. Alex Leatherwood: F
Leatherwood was an absolute bust for the Raiders. By the end of his rookie season he was already off of the Raiders and made his way to Chicago. He didn’t last very long there either and is already out of the league.
18. Jaelan Phillips: B
The Dolphin uses Philips limitedly but when he’s on the field he makes his presence known. During his first two years he averaged a QB hurry just about every six times he was called on to blitz. Philips has also found himself having tremendous success in the run stopping game.
19. Jamin Davis: B-
As a middle linebacker you won’t see Davis having major success in pass rush but has definitely been serviceable in the pass game. He saw major improvement in limiting completion percentage in his second season.
20. Kadarius Toney: D
He certainly had his moment with the Giants but when you spend a first round pick on someone you hope they aren’t traded away in their second season. Even with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback though he has found limited success.
21. Kwity Payne: C+
Payne hasn’t lived up to nearly what the Colts had hoped for. He has had little to no success when pass rushing but has made up for it with his ability to stop the run. If Payne could develop more pass rushing moves the grade would increase significantly.
22. Caleb Farley: D
Farley played in just nine games in 2022 before needing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his shoulder. He has still yet to make a 2023 appearance and Titans fans hopes of having him become a lockdown corner are fading away.
23. Christian Darrisaw: A
In 2023 Darrisaw was one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL. With a Pro Football Focus grade over 80 the Vikings won’t need to find a new left tackle any time soon.
24. Najee Harris: B-
Najee made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and it looked like he might become the next star running back in the Steelers organization. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem to know how to correctly use him and his numbers take the punishment.
25. Travis Etienne: B+
Pairing college teammates Trevor Lawrence and Travis Ettienne has become more than a feel good story as Etienne is slowly becoming a star. He had to miss his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury but he was well worth the wait.
26. Greg Newsome II: C+
He still has time to develop and hasn’t had any struggles with injuries but has been lacking in coverage. In his first two years he gave up over an 80 passer rating. His 2023, not so good.
27. Rashod Bateman: D+
His rookie year only saw 515 receiving yards and one touchdown. His second season wasn’t any better gaining more than 200 less yards and only one more touchdown. With how many great receivers there were in this class it hurts to miss on one this much.
28. Payton Turner: F
Turner played in only 12 games between his first two seasons.Injuries have completely ruined his career so far and he hasn’t even been good when healthy.
29. Eric Stokes: C-
Just another case of a player being consistently hurt. It’s hard to give someone a good grade if you can’t even evaluate them.
30. Gregory Rousseau: B
Rousseau saw significant improvement in his second year and so far it looks like he’s only on his way up in 2023. It can be hard to evaluate these first round talents toward the back end but Buffalo did well with this one.
31. Odafe Oweh: C+
He has seen success in the limited playing time the Ravens are giving him. He just doesn’t play much more than 50% of the teams defensive snaps so it can be hard to make a solid evaluation for Oweh.
32. Joe Tyron-Shoyinka: B-
Tyron Is able to get a lot of QB hurries despite a limited amount of blitz calls for him. He could easily grow into a top edge rusher at 6’5” 259 pounds.
