Despite his impressive pro day performances, former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will join the NFL teams ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. Fields will pitch on April 14 according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Unlike his professional day, Fields is expected to pass 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, according to Rapoport. Four days before the Fields’ professional day in Columbus, Ohio, the 49ers positioned themselves to draft a quarterback in the first round after moving from No.12 to No.3 overall. Instead of watching Fields on March 30, the 49ers brass were in Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama Pro Day. That day, the 49ers took a close look at former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who also competes with Fields to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the draft. Former BYU star Zach Wilson is also in the running for selection behind former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to be taken by the Jaguars with the No.1 pick overall.
During his professional day, the 6-3, 228-pound Fields ran an impressive 4.43 in the 40-yard dash. He also threw a series of impressive passes including this 65-meter bomb that drew applause from all in attendance.
“Yeah, I think overall I had a great day,” Fields said of his professional day, via ESPN. Of course, as I think everyone knows, my goal in that 40-yard scoreboard was to be at least 4.3 seconds, so of course I’m a little crazy about that. But, you know, other than that, I thought I started pretty well. I thought I just missed a few shots, but it happens. Not everyone will be perfect. ”
While his tangibles speak for themselves, Ohio State coach Ryan Day has been outspoken about Fields’ intangibles. Day’s praise of Fields was largely a response to recent media criticism of Fields’ value ethics.
“The very idea that he doesn’t have a great work ethic?” Day told Peter King of NBC Sports. “(When) these other guys retire (in 2020), what does he do? He asks for a season. He wrote this petition that the Big Ten athletes all signed off saying they wanted to play, but they wanted to play. safe and not agree to cancel the season. It was all run by Justin Fields. Where were the others? Where were the guys pulling out then? You know, you don’t like it. game if you do something like that. This kid loves the game.
“I heard that (Fields was) the last to come in, the first to go. First of all, the scouts were not in our building all year round. The last to arrive? Every morning, at least every morning, we could be inside the building, early it’s with (Ohio State Assistant) Mickey Marotti. The guys who were motivated and who could do it on their own, they were the ones who did it. He was amazing. He changed his diet, he did better than most of the others. … I think some people are a little reckless with their comments. “
Fields’ intangibles were clearly on display during his prime as Buckeye. Despite a mid-section injury in the Ohio State College Football Playoff semifinal game against Clemson, Fields stayed in the game and threw six touchdown passes, a bowl game record of the ‘Ohio State. All told, Fields went 22 of 28 for 385 yards while leading the Buckeyes to a 49-28 victory.
“Justin is a great quarterback,” former Buckeye running back and draft prospect Trey Sermon recently told CBS Sports. “He’s versatile. He’s precise. He can do things from scratch. He’s also a great leader. I don’t know why people are mad at him. He’s just a great player. He struggled. against adversity as well; getting injured, coming back, completing passes, throwing touchdowns and making plays to help the team succeed. ”
