Carolina Panthers Draft: Is Justin Fields the best QB in 2021 class?
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers Draft: Justin Fields scouting report
Watching what Justin Fields brings on the field makes it very hard to believe he is not going to be a considerable success at the next level. He has all the makings of a franchise signal-caller at the next level. And it could see the player going No. 1 overall ahead of Clemson phenom Trevor Lawrence.
Fields is used primarily in a spread offense that tends to go more with short or intermediate passes. His accuracy has been good in this regard. And he has a good ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly with tremendous timing.
Despite Ohio State using this sort of scheme, Fields has been able to demonstrate his exceptional arm strength when required. He has a fluid motion and has the sort of vision that is sure to make a smooth transition to the pros.
There don’t appear to be many kinks in his armor regarding his ability to get the ball downfield. Fields is mobile enough to escape pressure. And with another year of experience under his belt, it could prove a massive difference in terms of becoming more aware of blitz packages coming his way.
His footwork is one area that could need brushing up against quicker pass-rushers in the NFL. But this is just splitting hairs and should not detract from just what an exciting prospect Fields is.
The player will need to show that he can take snaps under center during the evaluation process. And Fields also needs to learn that throwing the ball away if there is nobody open is not necessarily a bad thing.