Justin Fields, Ohio State football, 2021 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Justin Fields led Ohio State football to a National Championship Game appearance, so which teams in the 2021 NFL Draft could look for him to lead them?
Initially committed to Georgia, Justin Fields was spurned for the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback job after being used as a role player in his freshman season. That led to his transfer to the Ohio State football program where he immediately took the reins. He and the Buckeyes never looked back after that decision.
Over 14 games in the 2019 season, Fields threw for 3,273 yards with 41 touchdowns and only three interceptions while rushing for 10 touchdowns. The following year in the truncated campaign, Fields tossed 22 touchdowns with six picks and rushed for five scores while throwing for 2,100 yards in only eight games. Now he’s heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
While most people still hold the belief that Fields is the second-best quarterback in the 2021 draft class behind Trevor Lawrence, some have begun to debate whether or not he’s QB3 behind BYU’s Zach Wilson. In any case, though, he has the athleticism, size, arm strength and overall skill set to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
So which teams could use a quarterback of that ilk and could end up landing Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft? Let’s take a look at five possible destinations for the Ohio State football star.
Justin Fields 2021 NFL Draft landing spot No. 5: Chicago Bears
It was just four years ago that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace pushed his chips to the center of the table to trade up one spot and select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick. That gamble, of course, ended up being a bust in the Windy City.
With Trubisky now out of the picture and after missing out on Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz on the trade market, the Bears are left still looking for a replacement. Otherwise, they will be looking at a season in which Nick Foles is the starter. That’s not ideal for Chicago by any stretch.
Currently occupying the 20th overall pick, Justin Fields isn’t going to fall to the Bears. However, if Pace is desperate enough as he enters a season in which his job is on the line, he could make an aggressive move to trade up again and draft the Buckeyes star. Without question, he’d fill a massive void on the roster.