The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft wrapped up Thursday night in Cleveland, and it was an historic affair. Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a five-star prospect in the Class of 2018, became just the second top-ranked high school prospect to be drafted No. 1 overall when he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not to be outdone, Justin Fields -- another five-star prospect in the same recruiting class -- went 11th overall to the Chicago Bears.
There were some sleepers, though.
The New Orleans Saints drafted Houston defensive lineman Payton Turner No. 28 overall. Turner was a two-star prospect and ranked No. 2,548 overall in the Class of 2017, according to the 247Sports Composite. There were 14 three-star players had their names called on Thursday night, including BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who went second overall to the New York Jets.
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One of the primary stories of the night was Alabama, which had six players drafted on Thursday night. Coach Nick Saban's 2017 recruiting class had a whopping eight players selected in the first round when you combine the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts.
Here's a look at all of the star rankings of the 2021 first round NFL Draft picks.
2021 NFL Draft by recruiting ranking
- 5-stars: 7
- 4-stars: 10
- 3-stars: 14
- 2-stars: 1
- 1-star: 0
- Unranked: 0
| NFL Team | Player | School | Stars | Rank (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence, QB | Clemson | 5 | 1 (2018) | |
| Zach Wilson, QB | BYU | 3 | 958 (2018) | |
| Trey Lance, QB | North Dakota State | 3 | 2005 (2018) | |
| Kyle Pitts, TE | Florida | 4 | 162 (2018) | |
| Ja'Marr Chase, WR | LSU | 4 | 84 (2018) | |
| Jaylen Waddle, WR | Alabama | 4 | 39 (2018) | |
| Penei Sewell, OL | Oregon | 4 | 57 (2018) | |
| Jaycee Horn, CB | South Carolina | 4 | 209 (2018) | |
| Patrick Surtain, II, CB | Alabama | 5 | 6 (2018) | |
| DeVonta Smith, WR | Alabama | 4 | 62 (2017) | |
| Justin Fields, QB | Ohio State | 5 | 2 (2018) | |
| Micah Parsons, LB | Penn State | 5 | 5 (2018) | |
| Rashawn Slater, OL | Northwestern | 3 | 653 (2017) | |
| Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL | USC | 4 | 114 (2017) | |
| Mac Jones, QB | Alabama | 3 | 399 (2017) | |
| Zaven Collins, LB | Tulsa | 3 | 2,142 (2017) | |
| Alex Leatherwood, OL | Alabama | 5 | 4 (2017) | |
| Jaelan Phillips, DL | Miami (FL) | 5 | 1 (2017) | |
| Jamin Davis, LB | Kentucky | 3 | 915 (2017) | |
| Kadarius Toney, WR | Florida | 3 | 421 (2017) | |
| Kwity Paye, DL | Michigan | 3 | 486 (2017) | |
| Caleb Farley, DB | Virginia Tech | 3 | 428 (2017) | |
| Christian Darrisaw, OL | Virginia Tech | 3 | 1,848 (2017) | |
| Najee Harris, RB | Alabama | 5 | 2 (2017) | |
| Travis Etienne, RB | Clemson | 4 | 213 (2017) | |
| Greg Newsome II, DB | Northwestern | 3 | 698 (2017) | |
| Rashod Bateman, WR | Minnesota | 4 | 367 (2018) | |
| Payton Turner, DL | Houston | 2 | 2,548 (2017) | |
| Eric Stokes, DB | Georgia | 3 | 668 (2017) | |
| Gregory Rousseau, DL | Miami (FL) | 3 | 485 (2018) | |
| Jayson Oweh, LB | Penn State | 4 | 76 (2018) | |
| Joe Tryon, LB | Washington | 3 | 773 (2017) |
