One of the biggest questions leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft is which quarterback will be selected with the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded up in order to get in that position, or perhaps who the Atlanta Falcons will go with at No. 4 depending on how everything shakes out. Some analysts and experts say that Mac Jones from Alabama is the pick for San Francisco, while others insist that Justin Fields would be an amazing fit, and there are some who say that Trey Lance could be a surprise selection at No. 3.
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But former six-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb discussed another aspect of these quarterbacks — and players at the position as a whole — when he joined Takeo Spikes and Tutan Reyes on the latest episode of the "Behind the Mask" podcast. Instead of analyzing the quarterbacks himself, he talked about how experts analyze these quarterbacks (go to the 24:05 mark).
"...The question... they always wanna bring up is, does he love the game? You know, is it something that's a passion for him?" McNabb said, referring to how Black quarterbacks are discussed and evaluated. "Is he the first guy in the building and the last to leave? When, really, they're kind of directing that toward us as Black quarterbacks.
"You don't ever hear that [about] any white quarterbacks. They usually say, well, he's a cerebral guy, he processes information, he loves the game, he's a grinder, you know. It's always this reflection and [analysis] of white quarterbacks, but when it comes to us, it's, you know, does he throw receivers open, the accuracy issue, is he a guy that can go from one read to the next, you know, can he pick up an offense?"
McNabb went on to describe how he feels Justin Fields, specifically, has been critically evaluated despite some other evidence that should go toward helping his case, including how there may be a double standard at work when looking at Fields and his alma mater when compared to other quarterbacks from schools without the best QB track record.
"He's playing in Ohio State with Coach Day, who's supposed to be one of the quarterback whisperers and offensive gurus, and you're trying to say that he (Fields) doesn't process information in his offense?" McNabb said. "I understand that you want to reflect back on the quarterbacks that have been playing at Ohio State, but if that's the case, how many quarterbacks [have] done that much or done anything from Alabama? How many quarterbacks besides Steve Young and maybe Jim McMahon have done anything from BYU?"
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Similarly, Mike Jones of USA Today had this to say in a column he published on Tuesday morning, additionally noting that "to think that racial bias hasn't factored into the assessments would be naive":
"...in the lead-up to the NFL draft, Fields has found himself more heavily scrutinized than any other member of his position group. There’s a double standard at play. While his question areas or perceived weaknesses set off alarms in the eyes of some draft analysts, many of Fields’ peers have had their shortcomings minimized or explained away."
It remains to be seen how the San Francisco 49ers — or whichever team facing a potential quarterback dilemma in the draft — will go about making that decision, but if you share McNabb's perspective, there definitely could be some external, non-football factors at play.
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