Which star rookie NFL quarterbacks will start Week 1?
There were five quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Which ones will start from the beginning?
– Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have been cagey about whether the No. 1 overall pick will start, or if third-year signal-caller Gardner Minshew will get the call. In reality, it will be Lawrence who gets the opportunity and rightfully so after starring at Clemson and winning a national title over his three campaigns. Lawrence has a middling offensive line in front of him. Although he has some solid weapons in running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne, and receivers Marvin Jones and D.J. Chark.
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– Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Nobody is a safer bet to start than Wilson, who is on a team with nary a quarterback who has ever thrown an NFL pass. After being chosen with the second-overall pick out of BYU, Wilson was made the clear starter from the jump. Wilson was given a nice weapon in free agency in receiver Corey Davis, and then a rookie in Elijah Moore from Ole Miss. Wilson is being put in a tough spot without a veteran behind him.
– Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Lance is the first quarterback on the list who isn’t going to be starting in all likelihood. It’s not impossible Lance is under center in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. However veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is the favorite to get the job. However, it would be surprising if the North Dakota State product doesn’t get on the field at some point as a rookie, either because of upside or Garoppolo dealing with another injury.
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– Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Fields should start. He should be on the field come Sept. 12 on Sunday Night Football when the Bears visit the Los Angeles Rams. However, head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t given any notion that he’ll allow the rookie to get the job from veteran Andy Dalton, who has been very unimpressive over the first two preseason games against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
– Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Jones and former MVP Cam Newton are fighting it out to see who gets top billing in Foxboro. For now, it’s hard to see Jones usurping Newton, who has a year in the system and more athleticism in what has become an offense in need of all the extra yards it can find. Much like Lance, it’s easy to envision Jones getting more starts than Newton over the course of the campaign, but Newton is the better bet for Sept. 12.
