The Chicago Bears perhaps got the steal of the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick.
The 6-foot-3 dual-threat Ohio State Buckeyes passer transferred from Georgia and made back-to-back College Football Playoffs in Columbus, where he threw for 5,373 passing yards, tallied 63 passing touchdowns and added just nine interceptions. Still, he found himself behind the likes of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, BYU’s Zach Wilson and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, according to some draft expert rankings.
While Fields turned heads for his big-time throws at Ohio State’s Pro Day last March, it was his blazing speed that grabbed the attention of NFL scouts and set social media ablaze.
Justin Fields Runs 4.44 Second 40-Yard Dash Time
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Justin Fields officially ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, which is a historically fast time. According to The MMBQ‘s Albert Breer, a second scout in attendance clocked him at 4.43 seconds.
Only two first-round quarterbacks in NFL Combine history have ever been clocked faster. Michael Vick ran the fastest time for a quarterback at 4.33 seconds in 2001 and Robert Griffin III ran it in 4.41 seconds in 2012, according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter.
The NFL Combine was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but teams are treating pro days as such.
Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray didn’t run the 40-yard dash. Both were expected to run faster than a 4.44.
The OSU product ran a faster time than all of these current NFL quarterbacks: Marcus Mariota (4.52), Russell Wilson (4.53), Cam Newton (4.59) and Deshaun Watson (4.66).
This year’s quarterback class was a good one. It included first-round picks in Lawrence, Fields, Wilson, Lance and Alabama’s Mac Jones.
Only time will tell if Justin Field’s blazing speed will translate from college football to NFL teams. We’ll know soon enough as the trending QB makes his first NFL start for head coach Matt Nagy against the Cleveland Browns.
He’ll have a chance to make NFL teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos regret passing on him.
The Bears QB could wind up with the next MVP or Super Bowl-winning quarterback considering he can run faster than some running backs. Whatever Fields was doing to work on his speed last offseason paid off big time.
