2021 NFL Draft Prospects: Quarterbacks

By Charlie Campbell.
Send Charlie an e-mail here: [email protected]
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The top 2021 quarterback prospects available for the 2021 NFL Draft. * – denotes 2022 prospect. ** – denotes 2023 prospect.

This page was last updated Feb. 10, 2020. Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.

1. Trevor Lawrence*, QB, Clemson
   Height: 6-6. Weight: 220.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.65.
   Projected Round (2021): Top-5.
   2/10/20: In 2019, Lawrence completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,665 yards with 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran for 563 yards and nine touchdowns while leading Clemson back to the National Championship Game. Lawrence showed further development as a passer and as a team leader.
   
   Lawrence took college football by storm as a freshman in 2018, compiling a superb season that culminated with him ripping Alabama’s defense comprised of NFL talent to win another National Championship for Clemson. Lawrence completed 65 percent of his passes that season for 3,280 yards with 30 touchdowns and four interceptions.
   
   Lawrence has a good arm, developed poise, and play-making ability. He also makes good decisions while distributing the ball well to his phenomenal supporting cast. Unless Lawrence gets injured, he should have another massive seasons and has the potential to be the best quarterback prospect to enter the NFL since Andrew Luck.





2. Justin Fields*, QB, Ohio State
   Height: 6-3. Weight: 223.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.60.
   Projected Round (2021): Top-10. 2/10/20: Fields was one of the top recruits in the nation with Trevor Lawrence. To start out his college career, Fields played at Georgia before transferring to Ohio State. In 2019, Fields took over as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback and dominated. The sophomore completed 67 percent of his passes on the season for 3,273 yards with 41 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 484 yards and 10 scores.
   
   Fields has a dynamic skill set with natural passing ability and is a dangerous runner. In speaking with some team sources, we agreed he looks like a bigger Deshaun Watson. In Fields’ one season at Georgia, he was 27-of-39 for 328 yards with four touchdowns passing and four touchdowns rushing.



3. Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia
   Height: 6-4. Weight: 230.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.65.
   Projected Round (2021): 1-3.
   2/10/20: After the 2019 season, Newman decided to transfer to Georgia from Wake Forest rather than enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Newman created a buzz in the scouting community in the fall of 2019 as a legit pro prospect for the next level.
   
   Newman is a dual-threat quarterback with running and passing talent to challenge defenses. He has quality size with a live arm and athleticism. Newman has improved as a significantly as a passer and has shown a lot of upside to develop for the pro ranks. Some team sources think Newman would have been a second-day pick if he entered the 2020 NFL Draft, but was wise to go back for his senior year instead.
   
   Newman completed 61 percent of his passes in 2019 for 2,868 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also has six rushing touchdowns with 464 yards on the ground. In 2018, Newman completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,083 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.



4. Kellen Mond*, QB, Texas A&M
   Height: 6-4. Weight: 225.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.70. Projected Round (2021): 1-3.
   2/10/20: Mond had a mixed 2019 season. There were ugly games against Clemson and LSU to bookend the year. He had mixed outings versus Auburn and Georgia, and then very good games against Alabama and Mississippi State that demonstrated significant improvement. Sources from a handful of teams all believed Mond was best off returning for his senior year to develop under Jimbo Fisher before going pro.
   
   In 2019, Mond completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,897 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions while running for 500 yards and eight touchdowns. He displayed improvement in his accuracy, foot work, decision-making, and composure during the course of the season, but he still has a ways to go for the NFL.
   
   Evaluators like Mond’s his size, arm and athleticism. He needs to continue to improve his accuracy, but he has shown improvement better under Jimbo Fisher. In 2018, Mond completed 57 percent of his passes for 3,107 yards with 24 touchdowns versus nine interceptions.



5. K.J. Costello, QB, Mississippi State
   Height: 6-5. Weight: 215.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.70. Projected Round (2021): 2-4.
   2/10/20: Costello transferred to Mississippi State and will be blessed with working with passing guru Mike Leach. It will be interesting to see how Costello improves under Leach’s tutelage.
   
   In 2019 for Stanford, Costello completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,038 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He only played the first half against Northwestern, going down with a head injury just before halftime. Costello returned after missing Week 2 and struggled against Central Florida and Oregon. He missed the majority of Stanford’s games in 2019 and stopped playing in early November.
   
   8/15/19: Costello has quality size to him with a nice arm and has experience operating in a pro-style offense. He really improved in 2018, his second year of extensive playing time, completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 3,540 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 59 percent of his passes in 2017 for 1,573 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. There are definitely some strengths for Costello as it relates to translating to the NFL. He has good size with a decent arm and pocket presence. Costello stands tall in the face of a rush using pocket presence to hang tough with defenders closing around him. Costello flashes some accuracy throwing into coverage, tossing some well-located passes that allow his receivers to make catches even when they are closely covered. Costello also displays a pretty good understanding of where his receivers are and executing the offense.
   
   There definitely are areas for improvement that he needs to work on for the NFL. Costello definitely has to quicken his passing process. He needs to get faster at reading the defense, working through his progressions, and getting ball out. There are times when he is too slow to pull the trigger, which allows the defense to close on the backend. Costello has to improve his field vision to work through his reads.
   
   From a mechanics perspective, Costello can be a bit mechanical and could stand to improve his release. He can get long at times and could stand to get more compact and quicker. His feet also can get out of whack, and improving his feet would allow him to be more accurate with his ball location. While he will use his feet to buy some time or pick up yards on the ground, he is not a running threat for the NFL. He will have to succeed as a pure pocket passer to make it at the next level. He will never be a quarterback who is a real threat to buy a lot of time with his feet, dodge pass rushers, or pick up yards on the ground.





6. Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas
   Height: 6-3. Weight: 230.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.79.
   Projected Round (2021): 3-5.


7. Tanner Morgan*, QB, Minnesota
   Height: 6-2. Weight: 215.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.79.
   Projected Round (2021): 4-6.


8. Holton Ahlers*, QB, East Carolina
   Height: 6-3. Weight: 235.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.81.
   Projected Round (2021): 5-7.





9. Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
   Height: 6-5. Weight: 227.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.83.
   Projected Round (2021): 5-7.



10. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
    Height: 6-5. Weight: 239.
    Projected 40 Time: 4.80.
    Projected Round (2021): 6-FA.



11. Emory Jones**, QB, Florida
    Height: 6-2. Weight: 199.
    Projected 40 Time: 4.60.
    Projected Round (2021): 7-FA.



12. Sean Clifford*, QB, Penn State
    Height: 6-2. Weight: 216.
    Projected 40 Time: 4.80.
    Projected Round (2021): 7-FA.

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