A final look at how the 10 QBs drafted in 2021 did during the NFL regular season

Ten quarterbacks were taken in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Five were first rounders.

Nine of 10 saw action during the NFL regular season.

Here are superlatives including all 10 rookie QBs, followed by a statistical wrapup of how each QB fared in 2021.

Best rookie QB

Winner: Mac Jones, New England Patriots

Jones was in the best situation, but he also played the best. He led all rookies in yards (3,801), touchdowns (22) and QBR (51.3). He limited mistakes and took the direction of the greatest NFL coach of all-time to lead the Patriots back into the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. He had one of the season's oddest stat lines when he was 2-for-3 for 19 yards in a 14-10 win over Buffalo in the snow. He also threw for 300 yards twice and had two games with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Runner up: Davis Mills, Houston Texans

Mills wasn't expected to see action this year, but starter Deshaun Watson was benched before the season with legal issues, and his fill-in, Tyrod Taylor, got injured. It forced Mills into action and he showed marked improvement through his final five starts, where he was 2-3. Mills was second in rookie QB touchdowns (16), second in QBR (35.6) and he was tied with Justin Field for the lowest number of INTs for a rookie QB who started at least 10 games. He also led all rookies with four games where he threw for more than 300 yards. Mills threw for 2,604 yards passing this season to move past David Carr (2,592) for most yards passing by a rookie in franchise history.

QB we'd like to see more of

Winner: Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

Lance made an impact immediately. He threw a touchdown pass on his first-ever attempt (his only attempt) in the first game of the season, Sept. 12, a 41-33 win over the Lions. On the receiving end was Trent Sherfield. It took Lance a while before he got into another game, but he showed signs of brilliance, a strong arm and exciting big play ability. The problem is, he sat behind incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo, whose experience and just-good-enough play helped the 49ers into the playoffs. This should be Lance's team next year, then we'll see what he can do in a fulltime role. In the meantime, we got to see a rookie-QB best 76-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel.

Runner Up: Kyle Trask, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trask is the only rookie who didn't even get to take one snap this year. He lit up the scoreboard at the University of Florida, but now he's just third string on a team with the oldest starting QB in the league. It should be mentioned that person is Tom Brady, and he just led the league in passing yards, passing TDs, passing attempts and completions. At this rate, we might not get to see Trask in 2022, either. Especially if Blaine Gabbert continues to be the backup quarterback who gets to take knees so Brady doesn't have to.

Still not a bad job: Gene Frenette: Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching job more attractive with Trevor Lawrence

The future is bright: Gene Frenette: Having Trevor's Back: C.J. Beathard firm believer in Lawrence's Jaguars future

Near Peyton's Place: Rookie interceptions put Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence in elite (Peyton Manning) and not-so-elite company

Toughest situation

Winner: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Way back in 2004, Eli Manning said he would refuse to play for the San Diego Chargers prior to the NFL Draft. It ultimately led him to be drafted by the New York Giants, which won two Super Bowls with Manning at the helm. Perhaps Lawrence should have considered this tactic with Jacksonville. Lawrence became another in a long line of losing QBs with the Jaguars. The team has now posted losing seasons in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Lawrence not only led all rookies with INTs (17), he was tied with the league lead with Matthew Stafford. The big difference being Stafford threw for 41 TDs while Lawrence had 12. Lawrence was second among rookie QBs in passing yards (3,641), led all rookies in passing attempts (602) and completions (359).

Runner Up: Ian Book, New Orleans Saints

Book was listed fourth on the New Orleans depth chart for most of the season. When Jameis Winston tore up his knee on Halloween, Book moved up to third behind Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian. On Dec. 27, after not taking one NFL snap, Book was called into service when Hill and Siemian were placed on the COVID list. Things could have gone better on "Monday Night Football." Book was 12-for-20 for 135 yards and two interceptions in a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He was quickly back to third on the depth chart the following week and did not play again.

Still not sure yet

Winner: Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

Fields has some work to do, but he started 10 games and played in 12, missing the final three games of the season with an ankle injury. He showed some flashes of greatness, such as in a a 33-22 loss to SF on Halloween where he threw for 175 yards, one TD and one INT, with 103 yards rushing and a TD. Perhaps his best performance was his last on Dec. 20. Fields was 26-for-39 for 285 yards and a TD. He also rushed for 35 yards. He only threw for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, so limiting mistakes will be his next big focus. He also will have a new head coach.

Runner Up: Zach Wilson, New York Jets

Wilson started 13 games and showed some upside as well as some recklessness. He had nine touchdown passes to 11 interceptions, and despite missing four games, was still third in the league in sacks (44). He also may have had the Jets' most exciting play of the season when he broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown in a Dec. 26 26-21 win over Jacksonville where he had 102 yards passing and a TD, plus 91 yards rushing and a TD. It was the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in Jets' history. Wilson led all rookie QBs with four rushing TDs.

We hardly knew ye

Winner: Kellen Mond, Minnesota Vikings

Mond made his debut on Jan. 2 with Kirk Cousins on the COVID list, and it was brief. He spelled backup Sean Mannion, throwing three passes, completing two for five yards. Mannion was brought back in on the next drive. After the game, when now-fired Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was asked if he wanted to get a look at Mond in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears, Zimmer said, “Not particularly.” He then doubled down on that statement by saying, “I see him every day.” The next day he walked that back a bit, saying, “I just meant (Mond) is the third-team quarterback. I mean, he’s improved. He’s improved throughout the year. He’s got a chance to be a good player, but he’s third on the depth chart. So I kind of knew that. …You guys ask me those questions 10 minutes after the game, too. So that’s part of it as well.” Not a glowing review, but maybe Mond will get more of a look by the new head coach.

Runner Up: Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts

Ehlinger made his debut with a big smile against the New York Jets on "Thursday Night Football," Nov. 4. He came in on a first and goal from the 2. He got one yard and didn't see action again until Nov. 21. He had one play that ended in a nine-yard run against the Bills. He took one more snap against Indianapolis on Dec. 5, and didn't get into the game again. He was elevated from third string to backup midway through the season, and with Carson Wentz's propensity for injury, he could be in for more playing time in 2022.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Clemson | Round 1, Pick 1

• Games: 17

• Games started: 17

• Completions: 359

• Attempts: 602

• Percentage: 59.6

• Yards: 3,641

• Passing TDs: 12

• INTs: 17

• QBR: 33.6

• Rush TDs: 2

Zach Wilson, New York Jets

BYU | Round 1, Pick 2

• Games: 13

• Games started: 13

• Completions: 213

• Attempts: 383

• Percentage: 55.6

• Yards: 2,334

• Passing TDs: 9

• INTs: 11

• QBR: 28.5

• Rush TDs: 4

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

NDSU | Round 1, Pick 3

• Games: 6

• Games started: 2

• Completions: 41

• Attempts: 71

• Percentage: 57.7

• Yards: 603

• Passing TDs: 5

• INTs: 2

• QBR: 33.6

• Rush TDs: 1

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

Ohio State | Round 1, Pick 11

• Games: 12

• Games started: 10

• Completions: 159

• Attempts: 270

• Percentage: 58.9

• Yards: 1,870

• Passing TDs: 7

• INTs: 10

• QBR: 26.0

• Rush TDs: 2

Mac Jones, New England Patriots

Alabama | Round 1, Pick 15

• Games: 17

• Games started: 17

• Completions: 352

• Attempts: 521

• Percentage: 67.6

• Yards: 3,801

• Passing TDs: 22

• INTs: 13

• QBR: 51.3

• Rush TDs: 0

Kyle Trask, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Florida | Round 2, Pick 64

Did Not Play in 2021.

Kellen Mond, Minnesota Vikings

Texas A&M | Round 3, Pick 66

• Games: 1

• Games started: 0

• Completions: 2

• Attempts: 3

• Percentage: 66.7

• Yards: 5

• Passing TDs: 0

• INTs: 0

• QBR: 14.4

• Rush TDs: 0

Davis Mills, Houston Texans

Stanford | Round 3, Pick 67

• Games: 13

• Games started: 11

• Completions: 263

• Attempts: 394

• Percentage: 66.8

• Yards: 2,664

• Passing TDs: 16

• INTs: 10

• QBR: 35.6

• Rush TDs: 0

Ian Book, New Orleans Saints

Notre Dame | Round 4, Pick 133

• Games: 1

• Games started: 1

• Completions: 12

• Attempts: 20

• Percentage: 60.0

• Yards: 135

• Passing TDs: 0

• INTs: 2

• QBR: 2.3

• Rush TDs: 0

Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts

Texas | Round 6, Pick 218

• Games: 3

• Games started: 0

• Completion: 0

• Attempts: 0

• Percentage: 0

• Yards: 0

• Passing TDs: 0

• INTs: 0

• QBR: 0

• Rush TDs: 0

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: From Mac Jones to Trevor Lawrence, here's how 10 rookie QB's did