The 2021 NFL Draft Actually “Begins” At Pick #4

Everyone is talking about San Francisco’s selection, but the real intrigue lies with what the Atlanta Falcons will do with the ensuing pick.

Between now and Thursday, April 29th, expect to hear the phrase “the Draft starts at pick #3!!!” another bajillion times or so, to the point where the empty cliche will make your eyes bleed. After all, we’ve been led to believe that it’s all but a done deal that the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets will select quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson (respectively), so the first official place of uncertainty would be the #3 overall pick, now owned by the San Francisco 49ers.

Except, the closer we get to the 29th, it feels like the uncertainty around the 49ers’ pick is diminishing as well. I STILL remain unconvinced that they paid such a hefty cost to move up so dramatically in order to secure the rights to Michael McCorkle “Mac” Jones (yes that’s actually his name), even though many top NFL executives remain convinced that this is the case. And it’s really hard to ignore certain “tells” that the 49ers may be a bit more invested in Trey Lance from North Dakota State and/or Justin Fields from Ohio State; coming from someone who fervently believed the 49ers moved up with the intention of drafting…