It’s creeping ever so closer. The 2021 NFL draft will be here now in less than two weeks, and we’re starting to get seemingly updated mock drafts from all the NFL analysts out there on an almost daily basis. And since Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields seems to be the hot topic, we’re keenly interested in what the intel is saying about where the former Heisman finalist will eventually go.
For a period of time there, it sure felt like the San Francisco 49ers trade up to the No. 3 spot may have had Justin Fields in mind, but there are others out there that don’t believe so. In fact, the majority of the mock drafts have Fields being taken further down.
But what does ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper think? He’s been doing this a long time and is as connected as about anyone out there. He’s been very vocal about Fields being the second-best prospect at the quarterback position in this draft, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to where the Buckeye QB will be taken.
In fact, in his latest NFL mock draft 4.0 (subscription required), Kiper has Fields landing with a team that more and more NFL types are starting to believe in.
NEXT … Where Kiper believes Justin Fields will go
Justin Fields – No. 10 overall to the New England Patriots
What Kiper Says
“This makes five quarterbacks in the top 10, with Bill Belichick & Co. making the move up for Fields, my second-ranked quarterback. All the moves the Patriots made in free agency showed me that they believe they can get right back into competing for the AFC East title, but I don’t think Cam Newton is the quarterback to get them there. He had too many accuracy issues last season. He’s not the long-term answer. Fields had an up-and-down 2020 season, but he can be a star if he becomes more consistent. And I trust that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will get him there.”
NEXT … What we say
Fields in the 2021 NFL draft
What We Say
Man, it’s hard to believe Fields is going to slip this far, but Kiper and Todd McShay both seem to be leaning more and more towards this being the case based on what they are both hearing. There seem to be some legitimate concerns about the couple of games that Fields looked baffled by in 2020. Both Indiana and Northwestern used some zone coverages and disguises that made an impact in decision-making, and that’s what NFL teams love to do.
Still, the body of work and athleticism says that Fields has a higher ceiling than any other quarterback in the draft. We have a feeling that he’s going to turn into one whale of a player for someone, and if that someone is named Bill Belichick, well then I guess his legendary status as a football savant will only grow.
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