2021 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
The 2021 NFL Draft has arrived! As the picks come in, we’ll keep track of each team’s haul right here:
[RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1: No. 16 Zaven Collins, LB (Tulsa) (signed)
Round 2: No. 49 Rondale Moore, WR (Purdue) (signed)
Round 4: No. 136 (from Ravens) Marco Wilson, CB (Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 210 (from Ravens) Victor Dimukeje, LB (Duke) (signed)
Round 6: No. 223 (from Vikings) Tay Gowan, CB (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 7: No. 243 James Wiggins, S (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 7: No. 247 (from Bears through Raiders) Michal Menet, C (Penn State) (signed)
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1: No. 4 Kyle Pitts, TE (Florida) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) S Richie Grant (Central Florida)
Round 3: No. 68 Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Round 4: No. 108: Darren Hall, CB (SDSU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 114 (from Broncos) Drew Dalman, C (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 148 Ta’Quon Graham, DT (Texas) (signed)
Round 5: No. 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 183 Avery Williams, CB (Boise State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 Frank Darby, WR (Arizona State) (signed)
Baltimore Ravens
Round 1: No. 27 Rashod Bateman, WR (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 1: No. 31 (from Chiefs) Jayson Oweh, DE (Penn State)
Round 3: No. 94 (from Chiefs) Ben Cleveland, G (Georgia)
Round 3: No. 104 Brandon Stephens, CB (SMU)
Round 4: No. 131 Tylan Wallace, WR (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 160 (from Cardinals) Shaun Wade, CB (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 171 Daelin Hayes, LB (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 5: No. 184 Ben Mason, FB (Michigan) (signed)
Buffalo Bills
Round 1: No. 30 Gregory Rousseau, DL (Miami) (signed)
Round 2: No. 61 Carlos Basham Jr., DE (Wake Forest) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Spencer Brown, OT (Northern Iowa)
Round 5: No. 161 (from Raiders) Tommy Doyle, OT (Miami (Ohio) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 Marquez Stevenson, WR (Houston) (signed)
Round 6: No. 212 (from Saints via Texans) Damar Hamlin, S (Pittsburgh) (signed)
Round 6: No. 213 Rachad Wildgoose, CB (Wisconsin) (signed)
Round 7: No. 236 (from Panthers) Jack Anderson, G (Texas Tech) (signed)
Carolina Panthers
Round 1: No. 8 Jaycee Horn, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 2: No. 59 (from Browns) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR (LSU)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Eagles) Brady Christensen, OT (BYU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 83 (from Bears) Tommy Tremble, TE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 4: No. 113 Chuba Hubbard, RB (Oklahoma State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 Daviyon Nixon, DT (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 166 (from Titans) Keith Taylor, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 6: No. 204 (from Bears) Shi Smith, WR (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 6: No. 222 Thomas Fletcher, LS (Alabama) (signed)
Round 7: No. 232 (from Titans) Phil Hoskins, DT (Kentucky) (signed)
Texans Draft Stanford QB Davis Mills
In his first pick as the Texans’ general manager, Nick Caserio selected Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. The No. 67 overall pick will now join Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Finley, and embattled star Deshaun Watson on the team’s QB depth chart.
Mills went in the midst of a Day 2 QB run, hearing his name called just after Florida QB Kyle Trask (Buccaneers) and Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond (Vikings). Some prognosticators preferred Mills to Trask and Mond, and most oddsmakers actually expected him to come off the board first. Mills does not project to be a world-beater, but he is nearly 6’4″ and fairly built with better-than-average footwork.
Injuries to starter K.J. Costello thrust Mills under center in 2019. That year, he threw for 1,960 yards and eleven touchdowns across eight games. In 2020, he was named the starter as Costello left for Mississippi State. In his (abbreviated) 2020 campaign, Mills completed 66.2% of his throws for 1,508 yards and seven TDs.
In related news, the Texans fielded inquiries from the Pats, Bears, and the Washington Football Team prior to the draft. By now, at least two of those teams are probably out of the Watson picture.
Buccaneers Draft Kyle Trask
With the No. 64 overall pick, the Buccaneers selected Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. Trask will now get to learn from the best as he backstops Tom Brady.
The Florida quarterback broke onto the scene in 2019 and elevated his game further in 2020. Trask ultimately finished 2020 with a 68.9-percent completion rate, 4,283 yards, and 43 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Meanwhile, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus, Trask was the only college QB to throw for 10+ TDs with zero turnovers on deep balls.
Many pegged Trask as the best quarterback outside of this year’s top tier. Only Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, and Trey Lance were regarded as qualified first-rounders, but Trask’s game management skills had him ranked fairly high on most boards. In addition to the Bucs, the rival Saints were also said to be eyeing him.
Cardinals Draft Purdue WR Rondale Moore
The Cardinals used the No. 49 pick in the draft to select wide receiver Rondale Moore. Depending on Larry Fitzgerald‘s big decision, the Purdue product could be in line for a significant role in 2021.
Moore dominated as a freshman in 2018, totaling 1,471 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns en route to Big Ten freshman of the year acclaim. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury ended the Boilermaker’s second season after just four games. Rather than enter the NFL only on the strength of his abbreviated underclassman run, the 5-foot-9 standout returned for one more year.
This summer, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tabbed Moore as his No. 3 wideout prospect for the 2021 class. He wound up playing just three games this past year, but he made the most of them, going off for 35 catches and 270 yards.
Moore is a big-play threat who can make plays in space, and also has been an elite return specialist. His selection could be a sign that Fitzgerald is planning to hang up his cleats.
Arizona also signed A.J. Green this offseason, and this move is only pouring more fuel on the fire that Fitz is leaning toward retirement. With DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk also in tow, Kyler Murray is going to have quite the receiving group at his disposal in 2021.
Falcons Trade No. 35 To Broncos; Broncos Take Javonte Williams
The Falcons have traded their early second-round choice to the Broncos. With the No. 35 overall pick, the Broncos have selected UNC running back Javonte Williams.
Here’s the breakdown of the trade:
Broncos Receive
- No. 35
- No. 219
Falcons Receive
- No. 40
- No. 114
The Broncos needed backfield help after letting Phillip Lindsay walk in free agency, and Williams was widely considered the top running back left. Williams, Najee Harris, and Travis Etienne were universally regarded as the top three backs, with many teams having them ranked in different orders.
As Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets, there were strong rumors that the Dolphins wanted Williams at 36, so Denver wanted to leapfrog them to get their guy. Williams broke out as a sophomore in 2019 with 933 yards and five scores, but took his game to a new level this past season.
He was electric for UNC in 2020, rushing for 1,140 yards (7.3 YPC) and 19 touchdowns. He added 25 catches for 305 yards and another three touchdowns. He’ll immediately start pushing Melvin Gordon for touches.
Jaguars Draft Georgia CB Tyson Campbell At No. 33
The Jaguars kicked off the second round by drafting cornerback Tyson Campbell from Georgia.
After taking Clemson stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne on Day 1, the Jaguars entered Round 2 with cornerback, offensive line, defensive line, and tight end as their most pressing needs. They opted to bolster the secondary. Campbell will now join a very young cornerback group in Jacksonville that has a lot of potential. The Jags just drafted C.J. Henderson ninth overall last year.
Just a few short years ago the Jaguars had a dynamic cornerback duo with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, and they’re looking to rebuild that. They also signed Shaquill Griffin away from the Seahawks with a big contract in free agency, so the position has the chance to soon be a strength again.
Plenty of people thought Campbell would go in the first-round, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had him going 28th to the Saints in his final mock draft. Campbell became a starter as a true freshman at Georgia, and is seen as having strong physical tools. He had 20 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, an interception, and five passes defended in ten games last year.
Cowboys VP: Micah Parsons Pick Doesn’t Impact LVE’s Option
When the Cowboys’ preferred cornerbacks were off the board, they pivoted to Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. Despite the speculation, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says that the pick doesn’t necessarily rule out Leighton Vander Esch beyond 2021. 
“I don’t think it affects it,” Jones said (via the Cowboys’ website). “We’ll make a decision on Leighton — we’ll make that decision when the time comes. We’ve got some discussions to have on that, period.”
The Cowboys have a few more days — and six more rounds of the draft — before they have to make their call on LVE’s fifth-year option. The Cowboys can extend the linebacker’s contract for an extra year at a rate of $9.145MM in 2022. Of course, that add-on would be fully guaranteed, which may give the Cowboys pause in light of Vander Esch’s injury history.
Over the last two seasons, Vander Esch has missed a combined 13 games. Still, he’s remained a productive part of the starting lineup when healthy. Last year, the 25-year-old finished out with 60 stops, one sack, and one forced fumble in ten games.
Packers GM: “We’re Not Going To Trade Aaron Rodgers”
Aaron Rodgers wants out. Unfortunately for him, the Packers’ GM says the star quarterback isn’t going anywhere. 
“No, we’re not going to trade Aaron Rodgers,” Brian Gutekunst told reporters after the first round of the NFL Draft (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Rodgers and the Packers have been negotiating a new deal for months, but Rodgers has been unhappy with the nature of the talks. The Packers are reportedly seeking a restructuring of his deal that would grant them cap relief. Meanwhile, Rodgers is seeking a lucrative long-term extension.
The Broncos, 49ers, and Raiders were reportedly high on the QBs’ wish list, but trade talks were a non-starter for Green Bay. Ultimately, the Niners stuck with the No. 3 pick they traded up for and used it on Trey Lance, but GM John Lynch admitted that he first tried to swing a deal for Rodgers.
“You‘re talking about the MVP of our league last year,” Lynch said (via the San Jose Mercury News). “I don’t know about you guys, but when the MVP of the league might be available — and I didn’t know that, I’m just reading the tea leaves like everybody else and saying, ‘Hold on, is something going on here?’ Yeah, we inquired. And it was a quick end to the conversation. It wasn’t happening.”
“As we said, we’ve been convicted and excited for a long, long time, so we went right back to where we’ve been and that’s really excited about adding Trey Lance to the 49ers and we’re thrilled about that.”
Panthers Pick Up Sam Darnold’s Option
The Panthers have officially picked up Sam Darnold‘s fifth-year option, per a club announcement. This was the expected move after they passed on Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields to select South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn at No. 8. 
[RELATED: Panthers Pick Up D.J. Moore’s Option]
The Panthers came into Thursday night knowing that Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were virtual locks to go Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Unlike other teams, they weren’t all that wild about North Dakota’s Trey Lance, who went No. 3. Fields reportedly held “intrigue” for the Carolina front office, but they chose to bolster the secondary instead.
Meanwhile, it’s undoubtedly a confidence booster for Darnold, who is coming off of a turbulent stretch with the Jets. Darnold, still just 23, has yet to deliver on the hype he carried in 2018. Last year, he ranked last in QBR among qualified passers and he has yet to eclipse 20 touchdown passes in a season. He’s also missed at least three games in each of his three seasons, including a lengthy stay on the sidelines due to an enlarged spleen.
The once-coveted prospect will replace Teddy Bridgewater (now with the Broncos) under center. Surrounded by old pal Robby Anderson, star running back Christian McCaffrey, and fellow ’18 draftee D.J. Moore, Darnold has a great opportunity to reignite his career.
Titans Draft Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
With the No. 22 pick, the Titans snagged Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley. He wound up lasting beyond the No. 20 pick – despite agent Drew Rosenhaus’ prediction — but he still landed in Round 1 despite the medical concerns.
If it weren’t for his multiple back surgeries, Farley could have been a top 10 pick. He hasn’t played since 2019, but his surgeon says he’ll be cleared before training camp in late July.
Originally a quarterback in high school, Farley committed to the Hokies in 2017 as a wide receiver. Then, an ACL tear wiped out his true freshman season. When he returned, he was asked to change positions again — this time, to cornerback. By 2019, he was a star defender for the Hokies, racking up four interceptions and 12 passes defensed en route to First-Team All-ACC honors. He also allowed a completion rate of less than 50% on passes thrown in his direction.
Other teams were scared off, but the Titans believe that Farley is well worth the risk. It also helps that they’ve had success in this area before. Two years ago, they took a gamble on Jeffery Simmons after his ACL tear. Now, he stands as one of the Titans’ most talented defenders.