Justin Fields 2021 NFL Draft Profile
The universe has decided to hate Justin Fields. We’re not sure why. It’s just the world we live in. The Ohio State quarterback is uber talented but his draft stock seems to be taking a tumble. Is it fair or unfair? Let’s check out the 2021 NFL Draft profile on Justin Fields.
Fields stands in at 6-foot-3, 227, and comes with terrific athletic traits. Fields ran a 4.44 – 40 time at his Pro Day which is just ridiculous for a quarterback. Fields originally went to Georgia but never “won” the job. Jake Fromm was the incumbent starter forcing Fields to eventually transfer to Ohio State.
Fields has been on my radar for a long time. He was dubbed as Mr. Football in Georgia as a senior at Harrison High School. Yes, the same state Trevor Lawrence played in. Speaking of Lawrence, Fields beat him at the Elite 11 camp in high school as well. The pure talent and ability Fields has is off the charts.
There also has been this narrative (a ridiculous one) that Fields can’t see the field or progress through reads. First of all, this argument sucks. It’s a terrible way to evaluate quarterbacks. It’s not helpful and it really has no bearing on success. The knees always tell the story.
In fact, the data doesn’t even agree with the narrative. Fields had a 69% completion rate on throws where he didn’t target the first read in the progression. That mark is the highest in the draft class. Keep in mind, Fields faced the toughest schedule of all CFB defenses by SP+’s metrics. It’s a bullshit narrative because nobody actually knows what to look for in quarterbacks.
This narrative has also come up that Fields has bad mechanics. Chris Mortensen said he struggled with this because of his collegiate baseball career. Of course, Fields didn’t play baseball in college. IT’S ALL NONSENSE.
Fields has also been questioned for holding onto the ball too long. Of course, the critics say it’s because he can’t see the field (even though it’s not true). I still believe Justin Fields is the Deshaun Watson of the draft. All of the criticisms have been made up red flags from people that don’t know how to scout the position.
Fields had the single best game a quarterback had all year. The Ohio State signal caller went 22-28 for 385 yards, six touchdowns, and 1 interception against Clemson. The man was possessed. You can see he plays with a chip on his shoulder and a fiery edge to his game. He took a shot in that game from James Skalski and never blinked. Kept battling and throwing darts.
The Buckeyes quarterback is DEADLY accurate. Fields completed over 70% of his throws in 2020. Pure completion percentage isn’t always the best way to translate accuracy. I’d say more so Fields’ deep ball placement jumps off the screen. You don’t accident your way into 70% with 9.3 yard per attempt mark in the Big 10. In his collegiate career, Fields posted a 68-9 TD to INT ratio.
Forget about keeping defenses honest with the legs. Fields can be a serious threat in the ground game. Of course, you’re not drafting him because of that. Still, to have a 4.4 speed athlete back there that can run at any time is a nice trait to have in your back pocket.
I just love the way Fields bends his knees. Rolling out of the pocket, he’s so smooth. There was a play against Penn State he should have got tripped up on but kept his balance and threw a strike down the field. He really sets himself up well. Better yet, he’s got plenty of mustard on that ball. The arm strength more than plays. I’d say it’s borderline excellent.
I’m in on Justin Fields and to be honest, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t be either. Fields has the traits and leadership qualities that should make him an elite level franchise quarterback. I have the Ohio State gunslinger ranked second on my quarterback list just behind Trevor Lawrence. The truth of the matter is, he could be better when it’s all said and done.
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