Mac Jones

The San Francisco 49ers' trade for the No. 3 overall pick reportedly created a cool market for teams looking to trade up for draft picks.

"The 49ers ruined the market by trading two ones to move nine spots," a general manager told Peter King of NBC Sports.

Several teams in the top 10 are reportedly willing to move their picks, but the 49ers' deal with the Miami Dolphins has created outsized expectations for those teams. San Francisco traded the No. 12 pick along with 2022 and 2023 first-round selections and a 2022 third-round pick to the Dolphins for the third pick in Thursday's draft. 

King noted he would not be surprised if teams stay put in the top 10.

Teams generally use the same value chart for draft picks, and it's clear the 49ers' decision to move two future firsts and a third to move up nine spots was an overpay in chart value. That creates a ripple effect where other teams looking to trade won't want to accept a significant amount less than the Dolphins did.

In essence, the 49ers paid such a high price that no team with a high draft pick wants to look bad by trading back, whereas no team looking to move up has any intention of breaking the draft chart to do so.

Things could naturally change on draft night if a player falls or a team decides to move up for a quarterback. However, it's possible the major deals are done as we prepare for Thursday night.

The first round of Thursday's 2021 NFL draft will have a number of quarterbacks and pass-catchers come off the board early, but in what order?

Peter King of NBC Sports released his final mock draft Monday, featuring three quarterbacks going with the first three picks in Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones. There has been significant debate surrounding the third of those picks, but Jones going to the San Francisco 49ers has always made sense.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

3. San Francisco 49ers: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

4. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

6. Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

7. Detroit Lions: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

8. Carolina Panthers: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

9. Denver Broncos: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

The quarterbacks will be the biggest story on draft night, likely starting at No. 3 where there are no clear indications about who the 49ers will select. King reported it's a "two-horse race" between Jones and Lance, with Jones potentially getting the edge for fitting into Kyle Shanahan's system.

"Jones has elite NFL traits," a coach told King. "He's a natural thrower, is technically very sound, very accurate and throws a catchable ball. His base and mechanics are excellent."

There will also be plenty of headlines surrounding the receivers and tight end Kyle Pitts. Jaylen Waddle is listed ahead of teammate and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who had 117 receptions for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, but he weighed just 166 pounds at the combine.

That could be enough to drop Smith to the New England Patriots at No. 15.

Even though New England added Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency, Smith would give the team a potential No. 1 option while upgrading a receiving corps that struggled mightily last season.

The countdown has dropped below 100 hours remaining until the 2021 NFL draft, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will soon be officially on the clock.

While all signs are pointing to Jacksonville selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall, he'll be the first of 259 players picked. The draft—which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio this year—is a three-day process.

And there is no shortage of ways to follow the event.

ABC/ESPN and NFL Network will provide live coverage throughout all seven rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.

2021 NFL Draft Info

Thursday, April 29 (Round 1)

When: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network

Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com

Friday, April 30 (Rounds 2-3)

When: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network

Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com

Saturday, May 1 (Rounds 4-7)

When: Noon ET

TV: ABC, ESPN (Deportes), NFL Network

Stream: ABC.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com

QBs Ready to Headline 1st Round

Because of the position's value, quarterbacks are often selected within the first 10-15 picks of the opening round. That will undoubtedly be the case Thursday night.

Jacksonville is expected to take Lawrence, who's been considered the future top pick since high school. After the Jags finalize their choice, the New York Jets will be up. They've long been connected to BYU signal-caller Zach Wilson.

And then, it gets interesting.

Since the San Francisco 49ers dealt this year's first-round pick as well as two future first-rounders and a third-rounder for the No. 3 selection, it's extremely likely they'll take a quarterback. The question, though, is whether it'll be Alabama's Mac Jones—the rumored favorite—or either Ohio State's Justin Fields or North Dakota State's Trey Lance.

No matter the choice, it means two highly respected QBs will remain atop the "best available" lists.

Will the Atlanta Falcons take Matt Ryan's heir at No. 4 or target a different player, such as Florida tight end Kyle Pitts? Both the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5) and Miami Dolphins (No. 6) took a quarterback last year, so the next franchises to watch follow them.

In order, those are the Detroit Lions (No. 7), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) and Denver Broncos (No. 9). Detroit acquired Jared Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade; Carolina has Teddy Bridgewater and added Sam Darnold; Denver has Drew Lock. None of the franchises need a QB, but they're not settled at the position, either.

Otherwise, major QB-needy teams are the New England Patriots (No. 15), Washington (No. 19) and Chicago Bears (No. 20) and New Orleans Saints (No. 28). Whether any of them trade up is another storyline to monitor Thursday night.

Additionally, there's a case for the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 12), Minnesota Vikings (No. 14), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 17) and Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 24) to grab a QB.

Of those 12 teams, however, only two—barring a massive surprise—are likely to select a quarterback in the opening round.

While the attention devoted to quarterbacks can overshadow other great prospects, the NFL's most important position will dominate the spotlight Thursday night.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

With the 2021 NFL draft only days away, the San Francisco 49ers may have narrowed their options with the No. 3 overall pick.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Niners "are down to two prospects," with Alabama's Mac Jones and North Dakota State's Trey Lance believed to be the players in question.

Jones has been a rumored target for San Francisco for the last few weeks, but CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora was among those wondering whether the Crimson Tide star will land in the Bay Area.

Meanwhile, Rich Eisen said Wednesday he was hearing Lance will get the nod on draft night:

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler appeared on SportsCenter to break everything down. He reported the 49ers are holding their cards close to their chest to the point that some of their own top executives don't know the preferred target. Fowler added that representatives from opposing teams have the impression Jones is the guy:

Intrigue and subterfuge are staples of the predraft buildup. In this case, San Francisco doesn't need to be purposefully deceptive, though.

General manager John Lynch has already made his big move up the draft board, and the first two picks are basically locks at this point.

Everybody expected Trevor Lawrence to be a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars from the moment they earned the No. 1 selection, and a similar consensus grew around the New York Jets and Zach Wilson.

Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan basically know who's going to be available when they're on the clock Thursday, and the situation probably won't change between now and then.

By this point, 49ers fans will be celebrating not only the franchise's first-round pick but also the fact that the entire drama is finally over.

Projected No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence will be among the 45 players who will participate in the 2021 NFL draft virtually, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

The draft is set to begin Thursday in Cleveland, although only 13 players are currently scheduled to attend in person amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This group includes potential first-round picks at quarterback like Zach Wilson, Mac Jones and Trey Lance as well as offensive playmakers Kyle Pitts and Ja'Marr Chase.

It still leaves plenty of big names who will remain at home with their families before joining the festivities virtually when their name is called.

This includes Lawrence, the former Clemson quarterback who is the heavy favorite to be the first overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, Alabama running back Najee Harris and Clemson running back Travis Etienne were also listed among the virtual participants.

After the 2020 NFL draft was completely virtual, the current class should know exactly what's ahead of them this week.

The San Francisco 49ers are ready to pick their quarterback of the future.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter the 49ers have concluded their predraft meetings and have decided who they are taking with the No. 3 overall pick:

"I'm told the work is done in Santa Clara. They have wrapped up their draft meetings officially. They're ready to make this pick, but it's in the hands of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. They're probably not telling anybody. Nobody in that building knows and doesn't expect to know until Thursday. But the coaches broke down Mac Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance this week together in a neutral process. I'm told they've kept an open mind with Justin Fields and Trey Lance winning them over. They had a good process, but there's still a decent amount of buzz league-wide about Mac Jones."

Of course, the 49ers likely knew who they were taking at No. 3 the second they moved up to the spot. Teams don't give up three first-round picks without a clear idea of what direction they are headed in.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's first round, and Zach Wilson has looked increasingly likely to go to the New York Jets at No. 2. That leaves Mac Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance as the remaining options for the 49ers.

Jones has been viewed as the favorite since the trade's completion, with a near-constant stream of rumors about Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch being locked in on the Alabama product. He reset the Alabama passing record book in 2020, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns against four interceptions while completing 77.4 percent of his passes.

Fields is the consensus best player among the three quarterbacks, with his seeming drop as the process played out seeming odd. The Ohio State product has shown a capability to throw every pass on the field, putting up 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions while adding 383 yards and five scores on the ground in the shortened 2020 Big Ten season.

Lance stands out as a wild card, an unproven star at the FCS level who may have the highest ceiling of any quarterback but is also the biggest risk. His combination of size, speed, arm strength and accuracy are renowned, but there is a limited sample of FCS quarterbacks having success at the NFL level.

Odds are the 49ers are focusing on one of the two quarterbacks who competed for a national championship in January.