Who needs Sam Darnold when you can draft Justin Fields No. 2 overall?
For all the New York Jets watching the Sugar Bowl, one thing is clear: Gang Green has already fallen head over heels in love with Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields.
It is a match made in football heaven, as Fields would provide the excitement from the quarterback position the Jets have not had since “Broadway” Joe Namath used to wear furs coats and accurately predict Super Bowls. Maybe Fields is the one who gets the Jets their first Lamar Hunt Trophy since it was named the Lamar Hunt Trophy as 2020-something AFC Champions?
Is Justin Fields worth giving up on Sam Darnold for?
If Fields were to go to the Jets, he would be the second top-three overall pick New York has used on a quarterback in three seasons. Back in 2018, Gang Green used its No. 3 overall pick to draft Sam Darnold out of USC. He was seen as the closest thing to a can’t-miss prospect in his draft class. Three years later, only clipboard holder Josh Rosen is a worse first-round quarterback.
If the Jets do take Fields, he will be their unquestioned Week 1 starter, which would mean they would have to cut bait with Darnold after only three seasons and a year left on his rookie contract.
Darnold is not done in the NFL, but he has not progressed all that much in the last three seasons. Frankly, if he were better, the Jets would not be picking in the top five yet again. But here we are.
Overall, there is a lot for Jets fans to like about Fields. He can run, throw and plays and exciting brand of football. He is everything the Jets could have ever wanted out of a blue-chip quarterback prospect. Will he be the guy they end up taking?
With Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence expected to go No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jets have to decide if they want to take a quarterback or not. If they do want to move on from Darnold, they have to decide between Fields and another promising dual-threat signal-caller in BYU Cougars quarterback Zach Wilson. He is another A-level prospect entering this draft.
Jets fans may love Fields, but it all comes down to how much Joe Douglas loves him for New York.
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