NFL Draft: 13 prospects who will attend the 2021 Draft in Cleveland

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing disruptions around the world in 2020, it was no surprise that the NFL was heavily affected by it last year. In what was going to be a grand NFL Draft event in Nevada where players were carried on a boat to the center stage, the 2020 NFL Draft was switched to a virtual event where NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called out the picks from the comfort of his home.

Less than a week until the 2021 #NFLDraft! The Draft Theater in Cleveland is really coming together 👀Can’t wait to welcome fans to celebrate the new rookie class‼️📺: 2021 #NFLDraft - 4/29 to 5/1 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/XeNvFy4g5s

— NFL345 (@NFL345) April 23, 2021

This year, however, NFL prospects will be allowed to attend the 2021 Draft in-person, and several first-round players have already announced their decision to attend in person.

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NFL: League taking COVID-19 precautions for the Draft

With just less than a week left before the 2021 NFL Draft, 13 prospects have already announced they will be in Cleveland for this nationwide event.

• QB Mac Jones
• QB Trey Lance
• QB Zach Wilson
• WR Ja'Marr Chase
• WR Devonta Smith
• WR Jaylen Waddle
• TE Kyle Pitts
• OL Rashawn Slater
• DL Christian Barmore
• DE Gregory Rousseau
• LB Micah Parsons
• CB Caleb Farley
• CB Patrick Surtain II

Fans will be surprised to see that top QB prospects Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are not on the list. Both QB's have stated they will be attending the Draft virtually from their respective locations. We know Lawrence will be the first-overall pick this year, so fans are shocked to see that he will not be there in attendance for the grand stage.

See you soon, Cleveland.2021 #NFLDraft | April 29 - May 1 pic.twitter.com/YylRI1TE6t

— NFL (@NFL) March 22, 2021

As of right now, it's unclear whether any other prospects will be in-person, or if the NFL has a deadline for these players to determine whether they will attend in-person or virtually.

Either way, this year's Draft will be an exciting one to watch. The 2021 NFL Draft begins at 8 PM ET on Thursday, April 29, and will last through Saturday, May 1.