2021 NFL draft

The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021.

Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round — Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones — the second highest number of first-round quarterback selections (along with the 1999 and 2018 drafts) after the six selected in 1983 and 2024. The draft also marked the third time the first three picks were quarterbacks, following the 1971 and 1999 drafts. A total of eight quarterbacks were selected in the first three rounds, the most in NFL draft history although, only two quarterbacks were taken in the remaining rounds. By 2024, Lawrence was the only first-round quarterback to remain with his original team while the other four were traded by the 2024 season.

In addition to the high number of quarterbacks, six Alabama players were taken in the first round, which is tied with the six Miami players in 2004 for the most from an individual school. Conversely, no Big 12 Conference players were drafted in the first round for the first time since the conference began play in 1996 and no Michigan State players were selected for the first time since 1941.

Scouts considered the later rounds of the draft lacking desirable prospects due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020 college football season. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility and an opt-out option for athletes because of the shortened season, resulting in many prospects returning to school instead of declaring for the draft.

Host city bid process


The host city was chosen during the NFL Spring League Meeting on May 22, 2019. Cleveland and Kansas City were announced as the hosts for 2021 and 2023, respectively, from the remaining finalists from the 2019 draft after Las Vegas was chosen to host the 2020 event.

Player selections
The following is the breakdown of the 259 players selected by position:


 * 38 cornerbacks
 * 36 wide receivers
 * 33 defensive ends
 * 25 offensive tackles
 * 22 linebackers
 * 21 safeties
 * 19 defensive tackles
 * 18 running backs
 * 13 offensive guards
 * 11 tight ends
 * 10 quarterbacks
 * 8 centers
 * 2 long snappers
 * 1 fullback
 * 1 placekicker
 * 1 punter



Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft.

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

2020 Resolution JC-2A picks
In November 2020 the NFL passed that year's Resolution JC-2A, which rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and/or general manager positions. The resolution rewards teams whose minority candidates are hired away for one of those positions by awarding draft picks. These draft picks are at the end of the third round, after standard compensatory picks; if multiple teams qualify, they are awarded in draft order from the first round. These picks are in addition to, and have no impact on, the standard 32 compensatory picks. Four picks have been awarded for the draft pursuant to the resolution.

Selections by NCAA conference
A new record-high 65 players were drafted from one conference, the most in NFL history, surpassing the previous number of selections, 64, in 2019. Both numbers were set by the Southeastern Conference.