National Football League

Top Moments from the 2021 NFL Draft

Updated Apr. 30, 2021 1:32 p.m. ET

After weeks of trades, rumors and exciting chatter leading up to the big event, the 2021 NFL Draft finally arrived.

Media, athletes and NFL personnel gathered in Cleveland for one of the league's most-watched events on the calendar.

And we had you covered at FOX Sports, with a live draft party featuring Trey Wingo, Eli Manning, Michael Vick and more!

We also had a Draft Tool Kit, a betting recap and a "Big Board" updated with the best players available.

Here are the top moments from the 2021 NFL Draft.

A formality

It had been a foregone conclusion during the pre-draft process that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson would be the top two picks of the 2021 NFL Draft.

That became reality with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting Lawrence with the first overall pick and the New York Jets selecting Wilson second.

Now the fun begins

The real mystery was what the San Francisco 49ers were going to do after trading up to get the third overall pick from the Miami Dolphins.

The world got the answer to the biggest question of the draft, with the 49ers selecting North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance.

Lance won the 49ers over with his mental approach to the game.

Jordan Palmer spoke highly of the 49ers' future quarterback during the FOX Sports Draft Party.

Pitts to Atlanta

The Atlanta Falcons' offense already featured elite wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, and the offense got even stronger Thursday.

The Falcons selected Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick.

Rounding out the top five

The Cincinnati Bengals reunited quarterback Joe Burrow with LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick to round out the top five picks of the first round.

It's safe to say Burrow was excited about the pick.

Heisman winner off of the board

The Philadelphia Eagles traded into the top 10 to get Jalen Hurts a weapon, and that weapon is his former Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith.

The Heisman Trophy winner is headed to the NFC East.

Chicago gets its quarterback

The Chicago Bears weren't going to wait around for their guy to fall to them in the draft, aggressively moving up to get the 11th pick from the New York Giants.

With that pick, they selected Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

The pick elicited a lot of reaction on social media due to Fields' surprising slide.

The fifth quarterback off the board

The top 15 picks of the first round featured five quarterbacks taken, with the fifth being Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who was selected by the New England Patriots.

Jones is the first quarterback that Bill Belichick has taken in the first round during his tenure in New England.

The sixth Crimson Tide player selected

What a first round it was for the Alabama football program, with six players selected in the first round of the draft after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected running back Najee Harris.

That number ties the record for most players from one school taken in the first round of the draft.

Instead of going to Cleveland to walk across the stage, Harris spent his night at the homeless shelter where he spent time while growing up.

Reunited in Jacksonville

The Jaguars took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the draft and made sure to reunite him with one of his favorite weapons with the 25th pick, selecting running back Travis Etienne.

And the final pick of the first round is ...

Washington linebacker Joe Tryon, who was selected by the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 32nd pick.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!