National Football League

Colin Cowherd analyzes potential pitfalls for the NFL's 2021 QB class

Updated Sep. 1, 2021 1:25 p.m. ET

The 2021 NFL rookie quarterback class looks loaded on paper — and for good reason.

With five QBs selected in the first round of the draft, the next era of great signal-callers could be starting right now.

But the likelihood of that becoming a reality is slim, and that is where Colin Cowherd comes into play.

Tuesday on "The Herd," Cowherd explained what could prevent each of these first-round quarterbacks from reaching greatness.

Here we go.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots

What could go wrong? "Josh Allen's great, and Miami makes the Deshaun Watson trade, and Mac Jones is solid, but he finishes third a lot. … [The Patriots] just don't have the pop and the juice to beat Buffalo and Miami, and you look up, and Mac Jones is only winning 60% of his games and not making the playoffs."

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

What could go wrong? "Matt Nagy gets fired after this year, and the front office, which I don't love in Chicago, whiffs on the next coach. Bad offensive line, a lot of bad drafts, and oh, by the way, Justin Fields develops really bad habits running around to save his life."

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

What could go wrong? "He remains a great athlete who runs around, but he struggles with accuracy. Oh, by the way, he plays in a division where Russell Wilson's better, Matthew Stafford and [Sean] McVay are better, and let's just say Kyler Murray just keeps getting better. So Lance becomes the fourth-best quarterback in the division."

Zach Wilson, New York Jets

What could go wrong? "Two words: the Jets. Bad owner, bad moves, bad contracts. Great division, three great defensive coaches. … He's talented, he can wing it, he has a good arm, but he's small, gets beat up behind a so-so offensive line and great defensive coordinators. And you look up, and he finishes fourth in three of his first four years."

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

What could go wrong? "Jaguars can't surround him with talent. Urban Meyer is OK but not special as an NFL coach. They get a lot of things right, but they never get the offensive line right. And let's be honest, he's a kid who is not totally defined by football. … And after about four years of getting beat up behind a terrible offensive line, he checks out. He's done with it. He doesn't want to play that much anymore."

Watch Cowherd's full breakdown of each quarterback below.

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