For much of the 2020 NCAA football season, the belief was that Justin Fields would be the second quarterback taken behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence. Not only has BYU's Zach Wilson usurped Fields as the favorite to be the No. 2 pick, but we're not sure Fields will even be the third quarterback selected.
However, one scout believes that if Fields hits his ceiling, he could have a similar impact to a former Pro Bowler.
“He’s a very smart guy and I see all the tools,” an anonymous scout told Bob McGinn of The Athletic. “If he’s good, he can be Donovan McNabb. But he’s going to need that redshirt year to kind of mesh.”
Fields had a dominant sophomore season at Ohio State (after transferring from Georgia), tossing 41 touchdowns and adding another 10 on the ground. Fields was much less consistent in his junior season, throwing two interceptions in a Big 10 Championship Game victory over Northwestern, for example. However, there's other impressive performances you can point to, such as Fields leading Ohio State to an upset victory over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, despite what appeared to be a relatively serious rib injury.
There are mixed evaluations on whether Fields was too much of a one-read quarterback during his time at Ohio State, though there's not much of a debate about how gifted of an athlete he is. Fields - who ran an unofficial 4.44 40-yard dash - has "plenty of long speed to break angles from pass rushers and B-level defenders as he presses for the sideline and he's big enough to physically impose smaller defenders in the secondary or on the perimeter," according to Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network.
McNabb wasn't on par with Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but he made six Pro Bowls, led the Philadelphia Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance. McNabb was able to lean on his legs when need be early in his career, before injuries limited him much more to the pocket in his final few seasons. Whatever team drafts Fields will likely include some designed runs for him early on.
The redshirt concept that the scout mentioned points much more to a team like the New England Patriots than the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots have Cam Newton under contract for 2021, and while they spent like a team that hopes to contend next season, they're probably not a realistic Super Bowl contender. The 49ers, in theory, could have Fields sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo for a season, but the rest of their roster is ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now. One would think they traded up to the No. 3 pick for a quarterback they believe can help them to that end sooner rather than later.
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