This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
Ever since he broke out in 2019, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was projected to be a high first-round pick. Fields was a superstar in high school and one of the top recruits in the nation. He started out at Georgia before transferring to Ohio State for 2019 and then took college football by storm that season by completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,273 yards, 41 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 484 yards and 10 scores. Fields led the Buckeyes to the college football playoff before losing to Clemson.
Fields turned in a number of uneven performances across Ohio State’s limited 2020 schedule. He dominated Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers, but he struggled against Indiana and Northwestern. Fields then played well in the college football playoffs, leading Ohio State to victory over Clemson and he putting together a respectable outing versus Alabama. In 2020, Fields completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,100 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He had five rushing scores as well. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound Fields worked out well before the 2021 NFL Draft and throughout the leadup to the draft, he was a consensus top-10 pick. Thus, it was surprising when he slid to the middle of Round 1.
NFL sources said Fields’ slide stemmed from team-specific reasons. The first three drafters, the Jaguars, Jets and 49ers, simply preferred other quarterback prospects. The Falcons, meanwhile, were not sold on Fields and decided against having him sit behind Matt Ryan as the quarterback in waiting. The next two teams, the Bengals and the Dolphins, did not need quarterbacks, while the two teams after them, the Lions and the Panthers had already committed to giving veteran quarterbacks, Jared Goff and Sam Darnold respectively, fresh starts with their clubs.
The big surprise was when Denver passed on Fields at No. 9-overall pick. Sources said the Broncos claimed they were going to pass on Fields even if the Aaron Rodgers trade rumors hadn’t exploded just hours before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, but multiple sources shared they didn’t believe that story. They believed Denver was/is hoping to trade for Rodgers and that pushed them away from drafting Fields. The Eagles traded up to No. 10, but decided to stick with Jalen Hurts.
The Chicago Bears traded up to the 11th pick in a deal with the Giants to end Fields’ fall. Chicago is a great landing spot for playing time in that Fields should become the starter at some point during his rookie season. Only veteran journeyman Andy Dalton is ahead of Fields on the depth chart, so it won’t take long before the Bears make the switch. Head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace need Fields to save their job, and he can’t do that by sitting on the bench. Chicago’s offensive line is average, the running game with David Montgomery is solid but not dominant, and the team has just one good receiver in Allen Robinson. The big concerns with Fields not panning out for Chicago are possibly not having a good-enough supporting cast to help him on the field or the coaching staff failing to develop him. Giving Fields good coaching and improving the talent around him could be a huge determining factor in whether he pans out with the Bears. Thus, it will take a few years to render judgement on Fields or the move up to get him by Chicago.
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