Will the 49ers Draft Justin Fields With the Third Pick?
Eight days.
Only eight more days until the NFL Draft finally commences.
The draft cannot come soon enough, so all of the smoke and mirrors can be put to rest when the 49ers make their pick at No. 3. The only question is who will it be? At this point, it is down to just three prospects: Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones. I guess you could put Zach Wilson as a wild card in case the Jets somehow pass him up.
Last week, Fields became the betting favorite to be drafted by the 49ers. His fit for the 49ers, along with the draft capital they gave up to move to No. 3, makes a ton of sense. Fields' traits have been what Kyle Shanahan has touted for the last half year as a "top-10" quarterback. Now is his chance to get that guy.
So will the 49ers draft Fields with the third pick?
I believe they will, and so does Omar Ruiz of NFL Network.
"I would take Justin Fields," answered Ruiz. "I think just from a physical standpoint he can make every throw, he adds the dynamic with the explosive capabilities of running the football and has proven he can do it at a high level in college. Usually those players project very well, and I would also keep Jimmy Garoppolo and make it his team in 2021. If Fields, or whoever that quarterback that they end up picking at No. 3, proves that he is so much better than Garoppolo, then great! You might've struck gold and you play and he is now your starter."
Fields as the player drafted just makes all the sense in the world. He has been a player that I dubbed the "dream quarterback" for the 49ers at the beginning of March. Sure enough, the 49ers traded up to No. 3 and are now in a prime spot to take him.
Just imagine the offense with Fields. Deep shots will be dialed up more as well as taken advantage of since Jimmy Garoppolo has inaccuracies down the field. Not to mention the dual-threat ability with Fields as a runner. Shanahan will not have to handicap the offense with Fields like he does with Garoppolo. And now the offense will finally get that off-script quarterback when things breakdown.
Shanahan's offense was phenomenal with a limited quarterback in 2019. With a quarterback who has gifted physical skillsets, the sky is the limit for the 49ers. Picking Fields is a no-brainer for me. Seeing him advocate and rally the troops to get the Big 10 to have a season was revealing of the love of the game he has. He lives and breathes football. That is a guy the 49ers need at quarterback.
With Fields at the helm, the 49ers will have their best chance of sniffing their success in 2019 and will be setup for success in the long term as well.
