2021 NFL Draft Day 1 Thread

Apr 29, 2021

This post will serve as today’s catch-all for news, notes, updates and rumors. Tonight, during the draft, I’ll be updating our Best Players Available post, tweeting, and posting here so bookmark this for tonight (also linked in our VIP Links post).

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8:00pm ET —

Best players available list updated with Lawrence and Wilson removed.

Keep updated all weekend long with it!

7:00pm ET —

Could the 49ers draft Trey Lance? There is a lot of smoke connecting the 49ers to Lance instead of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones who they’ve been linked to since trading up to No. 3 overall.

So what happened?

Mike Shanahan got involved in helping the 49ers evaluate the quarterbacks. I’m told the elder Shanahan is a huge fan of Jones and Lance but slightly favored the upside of Lance.
The 49ers traded up for Mac Jones—that much has been reported and confirmed—but they wanted to take a closer look at Lance and Justin Fields throughout the process. It’s entirely possible that the 49ers “fell for” Lance along the way.
An hour out, I still believe Jones will be the pick because he was their first love this off-season, but it’ll be a wild 10 minutes of the 49ers on the clock.

4:20pm ET —

Sitting next to Adam Schefter while he breaks news is a sight to see. So what happens with Aaron Rodgers? I would say there is a small chance he is moved tonight as no teams have actually made an offer on him. Could all hell break loose? Absolutely, but I would be surprised.

That said, I do think Rodgers plays this thing out and is done in Green Bay.

1:00pm ET —

The New Orleans Saints are rumored to be trying to trade up in Round 1 and while many speculate that’s for a quarterback. That’s not what I’ve heard. Look for the Saints to instead of targeting a top cornerback or wide receiver if they’re able to trade up. That could change if somehow Mac Jones is available.

9:30am ET —

A quiet morning thus far. ESPN and NFL Network are reporting that while teams have called the San Francisco 49ers to inquire about Jimmy Garoppolo, the chance of him being dealt remains slim.
As always happens, after publishing my final 7-round mock draft, rumors started circulating that the New York Jets have eyes on Clemson running back Travis Etienne. As we talked about in the Wednesday night pre-draft Hangout, this is a rumor that’s been out there for some time but one I had a hard time accepting due to Joe Douglas’ reputation as a team-builder. But this one is picking up steam, folks.
There’s still time to enter our Mock Draft Contest! Don’t forget to submit your mock before the first pick is announced today.