From Zach Wilson to Mac Jones, there's no holding back rookie QBs in 2021 ... for better or for worse

Making sense of when the five QBs taken in the first round should debut in 2021

There was some thought among general managers I spoke to in the run-up to the NFL Draft that perhaps this year we might see more rookie quarterbacks ride the bench. The proverbial "redshirt" year might be back in vogue in 2021, after a recent rush of novice QBs playing right away. Now, they are not so sure. And neither am I. Don't get it twisted, sitting for a while and learning seems in order for most of this crop, especially with last year's college football season compromised in ways we never before could have fathomed, much less experienced. Development was stalled, or stilted, across every level of football, so it only stands to reason that there might be some residual impact of that this coming season. Would make sense for teams to account for that in the offseason and preseason plans for young players, particularly those who play such an important position. But now that we know which teams selected which quarterbacks, and with which picks, and through which means (trading up in the case of the 49ers and Bears), you can't help but wonder how soon the first-rounders end up playing, and how many of them play too much too soon, and do too much, much too young. Because that is inevitable in this process, and if NFL teams were anything close to experts at identifying and cultivating quarterback talent, then we wouldn't have an endless carousel of transactions at this position (often involving many of the repeat-offender franchises year after year). History tells us that two of these kids will be stars and two will eventually wash out completely (not on their own, mind you, but with an assist from those coaching them and playing with them) and one might barely see the field at all for the entirety of his career. With five going in the first 15 picks, the stakes are even higher and the risk/reward returns even higher and, again, at least three of these kids should probably sit out most if not all of 2021. ... But with jobs on the line and so much PR and hype tied into these selections, that likely won't be the case. Here is a very early look at when I believe these kids will begin taking over as starters, and when it might make most sense for them to do so (and, yeah, I'm going to be a little cheeky with some of these recommendations): No need to overthink this one. He has been the best quarterback in this country in his school grade since like the sixth grade. He was ready for the NFL a year ago, if not two years ago. He got abundant seasons in a big-time program at Clemson playing in massive game after massive game in the playoffs each year against the best competition on the planet. Plug and play. Just don't get him hurt and just don't get in the way. He will lead your offense to new heights. They have an interesting group of skills players for him to work with, though I am a little unsure they have best invested resources in terms of protecting him up front.