One of the biggest mysteries from the 2021 NFL draft was how Justin Fields went from the consensus #2 quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence to the fourth QB taken and failed to even go in the top 10. Guys like Zach Wilson and Trey Lance, who were far less proven, went ahead of him. There have never been straight answers on that subject. However, as time went on, interesting nuggets surfaced about the evaluation process that led to Fields' plummet before the Chicago Bears jumped up to get him.
There were rumblings of work ethic issues, which proved completely ridiculous, and another case of unfounded rumors popping up during draft season. That said, another evaluation seemed to spread across several teams. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reached out to an organization that had been scouting quarterbacks heavily in that draft. When asked about the perception of Fields, the reply was not what one might've expected.
The feeling was playing at Ohio State actually stunted his growth.
One league source whose team actively scouted quarterbacks during the 2021 draft process indicated there were warnings that spring that Fields would have to be rewired for the NFL after playing 22 games at Ohio State with an otherworldly supporting cast...
...“You don’t have to throw into tight windows or play with elite anticipation when you’re with that crew,” the source said.
The interpretation: Fields’ rewiring process still is occurring. But he also exhibits flaws — holding the ball too long, not seeing things quick enough, feeling hesitant against zone coverage, seeming antsy in the pocket — that were known deficiencies when he entered the league.
Justin Fields was never forced to truly learn the position.
Ohio State was ridiculously loaded with talent during his two years as the starting quarterback. Here is an idea of what he had at his disposal purely on the offensive side.
- J.K. Dobbins - 2nd round pick
- Jonah Jackson - 3rd round pick
- Josh Myers - 2nd round pick
- Wyatt Davis - 3rd round pick
- Trey Sermon - 3rd round pick
- Garrett Wilson - 1st round pick
- Chris Olave - 1st round pick
- Nicholas Petit-Frere - 3rd round pick
- Jeremy Ruckert - 3rd round pick
Pretty ridiculous. Justin Fields never had to learn true processing because he knew two things. He knew he'd be protected by an offensive line loaded with future high draft choices, and he knew at least one of those two wide receivers would be open. This proved true in almost every single game he played. By the time it became apparent this was going to be a problem, it was too late. Fields was on his way to the NFL. In hindsight, Matt Nagy's desire to sit him for a year behind Andy Dalton was likely because he saw the same issues.
All of this explains why it has taken so long for Fields to look marginally better as a pocket passer. Not until recently has he shown some signs of figuring it out. He's still not where many feel he needs to be, but there's been progress. Whether it's enough to save his job depends on GM Ryan Poles.
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