Instant Reaction: 2021 NFL Draft Round 1 Winners/Losers

Justin Carter provides instant reaction to the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft from a fantasy football viewpoint. Which players were among the biggest winners and losers after Round One?

The 2021 NFL Draft started on Thursday night and, just like we all expected for months (years?), Trevor Lawrence was the first overall pick. And after that, the draft didn't really get as wild as many expected it would be, though there were still some surprises.

We're through one round of the draft now, which means it's time to reflect on that first round and on the players -- rookie or veterans -- who left Thursday as winners and losers. Note: Things could definitely happen on Friday and Saturday that change some of these choices, but for now, here are the fantasy winners and losers after the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Be sure to also check out the rest of our NFL Draft coverage and analysis, including the fantasy winners/losers for all other rounds of the draft.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

NFL Draft Round 1: Winners

Trevor Lawrence - Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars

The No. 1 overall pick went exactly as we all expected, with the Jaguars selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. A generational talent, Lawrence is the best quarterback in this draft, no matter what the "Zach Wilson is actually the best quarterback" crowd says.

Lawrence might not be an instant winner for fantasy, as the Jaguars don't have the greatest offense in the world. But they have Urban Meyer at head coach, and while he has no NFL head coach experience, he does have a great track record when it comes to building strong college offenses. Plus, the Jags have some good, young receiving talent in D.J. Chark Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr., plus they signed veteran Marvin Jones Jr. in the offseason. Not an elite receiving group, but some nice options for Lawrence to throw to.

Zach Wilson - Quarterback, New York Jets

While I don't necessarily think this was the right pick for New York because I still think Justin Fields was the second-best QB in this draft, Wilson goes to a team where he'll start immediately. There's a lot to like about the receiving corps here and an offensive line that has some intriguing pieces. Most importantly, Adam Gase is gone, so Wilson might actually be able to do things in this Jets offense.

Trey Lance - Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

Will Lance start immediately? Maybe not. But he's landing in a great spot for a quarterback with Kyle Shanahan coaching him. Long term, this is possibly the best-case scenario for Lance.

Kyle Pitts - Tight End, Atlanta Falcons

Ahh, I love this. Even if the Falcons trade Julio Jones, they have Calvin Ridley to help draw defenders away from Pitts. This is a generational talent at the tight end position who will be playing with an experienced quarterback in an offense that's usually pretty successful and was fifth in passing yards last season.

Joe Burrow - Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

WEAPONS.

Burrow gets his former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase at wide receiver, potentially giving him that No. 1 guy that the Bengals have been needing. If Burrow can come back healthy from last year's knee injury, his fantasy stock should be up.

Tua Tagovailoa - Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

While we're on the subject of college quarterback/receiver duos teaming back up, Tua gets Jaylen Waddle. One of the biggest knocks on Tua as a rookie was that he didn't really have a deep ball, but a lot of that felt personnel-based, because...who was he going to throw deep to? Now he's got Waddle, plus the team signed Will Fuller V this offseason too. Tua's going to have a chance to show why the Dolphins were so high on him last year.

Sam Darnold - Quarterback, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers didn't pick a quarterback, so it looks like Sam Darnold is going to go into 2021 as the starter for this team. I'm...not sure how good that is for anyone on this Panthers team, but it keeps Darnold on the fantasy radar, if only just by a little bit.

Jalen Hurts - Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

As is the common theme of this article, Hurts is a winner because he's a quarterback who entered Thursday without a clear-cut No.1 receiver and who left Thursday with a clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Hurts didn't have the greatest year as a passer as a rookie, but Philly's receiving room was also a complete mess.

The Chicago Bears

I love this landing spot for Justin Fields, plus I love that the skill position players in Chicago can have the accurate Fields running their offense instead of Andy Dalton. No disrespect to Dalton, but Fields just raises the whole floor and ceiling for everyone on this Bears team.

Najee Harris - Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers

Look, I'm not a fan of this pick from a team-building perspective, because I don't believe in taking a running back in the first round. But we know that lead backs in Mike Tomlin offenses tend to do well, and Harris should instantly get a lot of looks in this offense. He can be a fantasy RB1 this season.

NFL Draft Round 1: Losers

Gardner Minshew II - Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yeah, we all knew this was coming.

The Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence first. He's going to start from the first day of the season, which means Minshew's time as an NFL starter is over. And with a strong rookie QB class filling a lot of the holes in the league, it's pretty impossible to see a spot where the Jaguars could trade Minshew that ends in him having a starting role. For now, it looks like Minshew's off the fantasy radar in 2021.

Jimmy Garoppolo - Quarterback, San Francisco

We knew this was happening. Jimmy G will eventually lose his starting job in San Fran, whether it be soon via getting traded or later on when Lance replaces him midseason or in 2022. Jimmy G knows how to win games, but the numbers just don't really pop and it seems that the 49ers realize that at this point.

Joe Burrow - Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Yes, Burrow gets Ja'Marr Chase, but he didn't get Penei Sewell, which means that after returning from a season-ending knee injury, he doesn't get a lineman to help protect him. That could be fine, assuming Cincy goes o-line in the second round, but for now, I'm a little bit worried.

Denver Broncos Skill Position Players

Justin Fields was right there. The Broncos were on the clock at nine and Justin Fields was available. Everyone thought they'd go QB, but instead they took Alabama corner Patrick Surtain II. It's a fine pick in a vacuum for a team that could have used defensive back help, but I just really, really wanted to see a quarterback here to help support a really talented group of pass-catchers. Maybe the Broncos will trade for Aaron Rodgers, as those rumors heated up on Thursday, but as of now, it appears we're in for another year of Drew Lock. Sorry, Jerry Jeudy and Noah Fant!

DeVonta Smith - Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles added a Heisman-winning wide receiver, which is going to be a boost for quarterback Jalen Hurts. But for Smith, this landing spot is worrisome. Jalen Hurts completed just 52 percent of his passes last season and while some of that is definitely because of the lackluster weapons around him, I'm just not ready to trust one of his receivers in fantasy. Even if that receiver had 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns for Alabama last season.

Cam Newton - Quarterback, New England Patriots

I'm not ready to pass judgment on Mac Jones from a fantasy perspective, but the Patriots going QB means that the writing is on the wall for Newton in New England.

Darius Slayton - Wide Receiver, New York Giants

Last year, Slayton caught 50 passes for 751 yards and three touchdowns. He could have been a popular breakout candidate in 2021, except the Giants signed Kenny Golladay this offseason and then doubled down on their receiving corps with Kadarius Toney out of Florida. I don't think Toney was the right receiver to take there -- Rashod Bateman was still on the board!!! -- but it's a definite mark against Slayton heading into the 2021 campaign.

James Robinson and Travis Etienne - Running Backs, Jacksonville Jaguars

Well, this is a mess.

Robinson finished as an RB1 as an undrafted rookie, but that won't happen in 2021 because the Jaguars used a first round pick on Clemson's Travis Etienne. Etienne's pass-catching ability will be a nice addition to this backfield, but Robinson's not going to just completely vanish. Both guys will eat into each other's workload, making it tough to trust either in fantasy.

Also, just...what?

Rashod Bateman - Wide Receiver, Baltimore Ravens

I think it's safe to say that wide receivers don't really thrive on the Ravens, and Bateman will have to contend with Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins for snaps on a team that'll likey go with just two receivers on the field a good chunk of the time. Bateman's a talented wideout, but the Ravens just aren't a team that fantasy managers wanted to see him go.

The Packers?

We heard plenty on Thursday about the deteriorating relationship between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. So, we might have thought they'd try to mend that by finally getting him a first round receiver? Nope, they took a corner. That doesn't seem like a move you make if you're concerned with keeping your MVP quarterback happy. Will we really see Rodgers playing elsewhere next season?

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