2021 NFL Draft: How far will Justin Fields fall?

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence going to the Jacksonville Jaguars first overall surprised exactly nobody. He’s been the projected No. 1 pick since his freshman season with the Tigers.

Zach Wilson and the New York Jets seemed tied together for months, and they landed the BYU-product with the second overall pick after shipping Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers. The San Francisco 49ers traded up to No. 3 to grab their guy, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Whether he starts immediately or not is unknown with Jimmy Garoppolo still on the roster.

The Atlanta Falcons are sticking with Matt Ryan, evidenced by the selection of Florida’s Kyle Pitts at No. 4. Good luck figuring out how to guard Pitts, Calvin Ridley, and Julio Jones, NFC South. And the Cincinnati Bengals don’t need two quarterbacks; they drafted LSU’s Joe Burrow first overall last year.

So I have to ask — when will Ohio State’s Justin Fields hear his name called at the 2021 NFL Draft? And how did three quarterbacks hear theirs’ called before him?

Where Justin Fields could end up

Looking at the rest of the top ten, the Miami Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa), Detroit Lions (Jared Goff), Panthers (Darnold), Denver Broncos (Teddy Bridgewater/Drew Lock), and Dallas Cowboys (Dak Prescott) all appear to have their quarterbacks in place for the immediate future. Barring any trade-ups or deals involving MVP-gunslingers, the next logical landing spot wouldn’t be until the New England Patriots’ pick at No. 15. From then on, though, it becomes a major guessing game.

Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders at 17 could be interested. The Washington Football Team and Chicago Bears at 19 and 20, respectively, should be interested with Alex Smith retiring and, well, the Bears’ quarterback situation. The Jets at 23 probably would’ve been interested, but they grabbed BYU’s Wilson at No. 2. And if Fields somehow slips all the way to No. 24, and the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t take him, check on me to see that I’m doing alright.

Justin Fields winding up in Pittsburgh would be the best thing to happen to the franchise since Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception in the 1972 playoffs. Yes, it would be that big. Sure, adding Fields won’t help 17-year-veteran Ben Roethlisberger score any touchdowns, but I’m not sure there’s a player in the draft that could help the former first-round pick; his time as a top quarterback in the black & yellow is long behind him. Why not, from an organizational standpoint, grab a long-term replacement for the guy who’s held the job down since the second Bush administration?

I can’t imagine a prospect of Fields’ caliber – with his production and record vs. stiff competition – falling out of the first round entirely, so if he makes it past Pittsburgh at 24, expect some trades. All those teams that didn’t take a quarterback will be trying to move back into the first round with a chance at scooping up the Ohio State product.