Justin Fields produced a spectacular showing at his pro day and Kyle Shanahan could see him do the same again next week.
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch caused a significant stir when they chose to attend Mac Jones‘ pro day last week instead of watching Justin Fields’ workout, but the San Francisco 49ers’ key decision-makers will get another chance to watch the Ohio State state star throw.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reported that Fields will throw the ball when Ohio State has a second pro day on April 14. Following their trade with the Miami Dolphins for the third overall pick in the draft, Shanahan indicated the 49ers would attend a second pro day for Fields.
Assuming he stands by those words, the only non-Trevor Lawrence quarterback that will not have worked out with either Lynch or Shanahan in attendance will be North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
That may not prohibit the Niners from taking Lance, however. The one quarterback Shanahan has selected during his time as 49ers head coach is C.J. Beathard, whom they took in the third round in 2017. As Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee points out, Shanahan did not meet with Beathard prior the draft four years ago.
Kyle Shanahan in 2017 worked out one quarterback before the draft (Mitchell Trubisky) and didn’t speak with the only QB the’ve drafted in four years (C.J. Beathard). He left the QB meetings up to position coach Rich Scangarello. https://t.co/9dYOJtSliX
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) April 7, 2021
Alabama signal-caller Jones remains the consensus favorite to be the pick at number three. Adam Schefter told ESPN Radio (h/t Niners Nation) he would be shocked if Jones is not San Francisco’s choice.
However, the 49ers are keeping their cards close to their chest, with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer conceding he isn’t sure many people know whom San Francisco is targeting with the huge move up the board.
Fields is the quarterback who would appear to give the 49ers the best of both worlds in terms of his composure in being able to deliver from the pocket and the athletic upside that allows him to make plays outside of structure and gash defenses with his abilities as a runner.
Shanahan is not going to base the biggest personnel decision of his career on the basis of a pro day performance. But if the 49ers are leaning towards Fields, another spectacular showcase for Lynch and Shanahan next week could tip the scales further in his favor.