Sometimes you read some things and can’t help but shake your head. This is one of those times. Raise your hand if you believe Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is not a slam-dunk first-round selection at this point.
Yeah, you in the back who snuck in? Oh, it’s Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Please see yourself out now because you’ve let too much deep and zany thought get in the way of solid thinking. It’s called paralysis by analysis.
Yes, that’s right, Miller came out with his first way-too-early 2021 NFL Draft big board last week and he teased early about Justin Fields not being as high as everyone else. Then, after priming the pump a little, he published his list and has Fields all the way down as the No. 24 prospect.
Okay?
His analysis seems a wee-bit off if you ask us, and we know you are.
Next … Matt Miller’s analysis of Justin Fields’ NFL draft stock
Matt Miller on why Justin Fields is the No. 24 prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft
“Justin Fields enters the 2020 season as a Heisman favorite and one of the most productive returning quarterbacks in college football. But like Trevor Lawrence before him, he has a bullseye on him from scouts and defensive coordinators alike.”
“Fields impresses with his touch and his toughness as a runner, but his decision-making and field vision don’t stand out. His average arm strength also could be an issue if it doesn’t increase in power, which can happen naturally as a player matures.”
“There’s no doubt that Fields is good, but the transition from good college quarterback to good NFL prospect isn’t always easy. He will require plenty of future evaluation before locking him in as a prospect.”
“Too many early-season watchlists are littered with Heisman finalists and big-time producers, but my early evaluation on Fields was not overly positive. There’s 12 months for his stock to improve, but he shouldn’t be seen as a first-round lock at this point of the predraft process.”
Next … The problem with Miller’s assessment
Where Miller gets it wrong on Justin Fields
Look, it’s okay to pick a guy apart — after all, it’s the nature of the NFL draft process, and that’s his job as a so-called analyst. But we’re calling you out on this one Miller. If Fields still has all of his limbs and can crawl his way through any sort of 40-time at the NFL combine, he’s going very early in the first round next year.
That’s not to say there isn’t some development that still needs to occur with Fields, there clearly is. He needs to progress through his reads a little quicker and not hold the ball so long, taking sacks when he doesn’t need to. But still, it was his first year in a new system and made his way to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Also, he only threw three interceptions which says his decision-making process must not have been all that bad, and that he had a strong enough arm to make the necessary throws in tight windows. Heck we even saw him throw lasers off his back foot.
I mean, the film doesn’t lie. You turn it on and I don’t know how you see a guy that doesn’t have more than above-average arm strength. He also played through injury and showed resiliency and leadership. The NFL is a quarterback league and he’s one of the best there is. There’s going to be a handful of teams looking for a signal-caller, and if Trevor Lawrence goes off the board first, Fields is next.
Perhaps as telling as anything though is how Miller leaves himself an out by saying that he could develop arm strength and that his stock could rise in the next twelve months. It’s as if he’s setting up the out when he’s dead wrong next draft.
Let’s call this what it is — an outlier by someone looking way too hard for flaws in a quarterback that has all the tools to be a sure-fire early first-round NFL draft pick in 2021.
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