The case of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has been a curious one when dissecting where his stock is for the upcoming 2021 NFL draft. Before the year, he was thought to be just a wee-bit behind Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, with a shot to catch him as the No. 1 overall pick with a rockin’ season.
The year started out that way for Fields, but he had some subpar performances against Indiana and Northwestern that flipped the narrative on its head. Once all the crimson confetti stopped falling in Miami, draft experts started nitpicking the Buckeye quarterback’s decision-making with progressions, his arm-strength, and more.
As a result, he started to fall down draft boards on many mocks that began to hit the world wide web. More recently though, some experts have begun coming to Fields defense, and as a result, he seems to be inching back up in some of the mock drafts.
Count ESPN’s Todd McShay in that camp. He just released his latest NFL mock draft (subscription required) and has the former Heisman finalist moving up from his last projection, and it all has to do with a team trading up to get him.
NEXT … Where McShay has Justin Fields going
No. 3 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers
What McShay Says
“Carolina is closer to competing than its 5-11 record suggested, and a real game-breaker under center would go a long way toward getting the Panthers there. Teddy Bridgewater was more of a game manager last season, especially down the stretch, throwing only four more touchdowns than interceptions. Fields can make off-schedule throws or tuck it and run, but he has shown poise when he hangs in the pocket too. Accuracy pops on his deep balls.”
NEXT … What we say
Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL draft
What We Say
Someone is going to take a chance on Fields based on the high, high ceiling he has. More than that, some experts forget that he’s put some pretty remarkable tape out there and played fantastic against some really good competition. Sure, there are a couple of games where he panicked and made some poor decisions, but that wasn’t the norm. You can’t track the physical abilities and work ethic he possesses, and he’s going to go very, very early — maybe earlier than many believe. We think McShay is onto something here as a top-three pick.
It should be noted, the only two players McShay has going off the board before Fields is Lawrence and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson.
All Ohio State football players eligible for the 2021 NFL draft
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