A Look at Nine Potential Destinations for Ohio State Quarterback Justin Fields in This Week's NFL Draft

Fields isn’t going to be the No. 1 overall pick, and he probably isn’t going to be the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick either, even though the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are all locks to draft quarterbacks. The Jaguars appear certain to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jets are expected to draft BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday night that the San Francisco 49ers are expected to draft either Alabama quarterback Mac Jones or North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance.

Still, Fields should hear his name called sooner than later during Thursday night’s first round of the 2021 NFL draft. While there's no clear frontrunner to draft Fields as of Monday morning, there should be plenty of teams interested in getting him, even if that means they have to trade up for the opportunity to do so.

Below, we take a look at nine of the most likely destinations for Fields, why each of those teams could be fits for Fields and what might have to happen for them to have a chance to draft him. Teams are listed in order of the first pick they currently hold in this year’s draft.

Atlanta Falcons

It might not actually make sense for the Falcons to draft a quarterback this year. Matt Ryan is still under contract for three more seasons, and they’d take a significant salary cap hit if they cut or trade him this year. With Fields likely to still on the board at the No. 4 overall pick, though, they might have to consider it.

Ryan will be 36 years old next month, and the Falcons are a team that needs to build for the future after going 4-12 last season. With the fourth pick in the draft, can they really pass up a quarterback as talented as Fields, who grew up in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw and would be a very popular pick among Falcons fans?

Drafting a playmaker like Florida tight end Kyle Pitts or trading the No. 4 pick to the highest bidder might make more sense for the Falcons’ immediate needs than drafting Fields, who would potentially begin his career backing up Ryan rather than starting right away. But the Falcons were in Columbus for Fields’ second pro day, as well as Trey Lance’s second pro day, which suggests they’re at least weighing the possibility of drafting a quarterback for themselves.

RELATED Watch Justin Fields Throw to Jeremy Ruckert, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming and More Ohio State Receivers at His Second Pro Day

Detroit Lions

If the 49ers and Falcons don’t draft Fields and no one else trades up into the top six, the Lions could be the next potential landing spot at the No. 7 overall pick, given that the Cincinnati Bengals (who have the 5th pick) and Miami Dolphins (who hold the 6th) both drafted quarterbacks with top-five picks last year (Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa).

Whether the Lions are actually in the market for a quarterback is uncertain. They traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, but they got Jared Goff in return, and they’re likely tied to him for at least the next two years since they’d take on significant dead money if they release Goff.

Still, it’s questionable whether the Lions actually view Goff as their long-term answer at quarterback or if they just took on his contract to get the two first-round picks they received from the Rams. If they don’t view Goff as their long-term quarterback, they might not be able to pass upon the chance to make Fields their quarterback of the future if he falls to the seventh pick. That said, they’re also viewed as a prime candidate to trade down to a team looking to trade up for a quarterback, given that the teams with the next two picks could both be in the QB market.

Carolina Panthers

Like the Lions, the Panthers are another team that already acquired a quarterback through trade this offseason yet could still consider using their top-eight pick to draft a quarterback – especially if Fields is still on the board.

It seems unlikely Carolina would have traded three draft picks, including a second-round pick in 2022, for Sam Darnold if it didn’t expect Darnold to be its starting quarterback for years to come. That said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that the Panthers have a “high grade on Fields” and that “they could at least think twice” about drafting Fields if he’s available at their No. 8 overall pick.

As Fowler also noted, that could just be information they’re floating to try to entice another team to trade up for their pick. But if they believe Fields is a future NFL star and he falls into their lap, they’ll have to decide whether they have enough faith in Darnold to justify passing on Fields’ potential.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are yet another team with a decision to make about whether to stick with their current quarterback (Drew Lock) or try to upgrade in the draft, but they certainly seem to be considering the latter possibility. Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was among those who came to Columbus to watch Fields’ second pro day, and new general manager George Paton said last week that the Broncos “want to bring in competition” at quarterback.

Simply put, Lock hasn’t performed nearly well enough in his first two NFL seasons for the Broncos not to consider a quarterback like Fields if he falls to them at the No. 9 overall pick. That’s why the Broncos have been a popular mock draft destination for Fields, with some NFL draft prognosticators predicting that they’ll even trade up for the chance to select him.

Out of all the teams who could draft Fields, Denver might be the place where he’d be most likely to start immediately, too. Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing for Fields is debatable, but it’s unlikely he’d have to wait long to surpass Lock on the depth chart.

New England Patriots

If Fields slides out of the top 10, the absolute floor for his draft stock should be the No. 15 overall pick, where I believe the Patriots would leap at the opportunity to draft Fields. It would come as a surprise if Fields actually falls that far, but New England is a prime candidate to trade up for Fields, especially if he gets out of the top five.

Although the Patriots have been known more for trading down than trading up in the first round of the draft, they’ve been unusually aggressive this offseason. And by addressing just about all of their other needs with a barrage of free-agent signings, they’ve set themselves up to make a move up the board to draft the franchise quarterback they need.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday that the Patriots have been making calls about trading up into the top 10 and that other teams around the league believe their target is Fields.

Cam Newton resigned with the Patriots in March, but he’s only on a one-year contract and played poorly enough last year that Fields would likely have a chance to compete for the starting job right away. Or it could be an ideal situation for Fields’ development to spend 2021 learning behind Newton, who he’s known since playing for Newton’s 7-on-7 team in high school, before taking over as New England’s starting quarterback in 2022.

Washington Football Team

We’re now firmly into the territory of teams that would almost certainly need to trade up for a chance to draft Fields, but the Washington Football Team – who holds the No. 19 overall pick in the first round – should consider it if Fields starts to slide down the board.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is in line to start for Washington this year after signing a one-year contract with the Football Team, but he’s 38 years old, and there aren’t any other quarterbacks on the roster in D.C. who project as long-term starters, either.

Some Washington fans might be leery of drafting another Ohio State quarterback after Dwayne Haskins lasted less than two seasons – which is why the WFT is in the position of needing to draft another quarterback now – but as we’ve written about before, the struggles of past Ohio State quarterbacks in the NFL really shouldn’t be a reason for a team to not draft Fields.

Chicago Bears

The Bears, who sit one spot behind Washington in the current draft order with the No. 20 overall pick, are another team that could make a move up the board to get Fields if they can put together a package that entices someone to trade down with them.

Chicago has suffered from below-average quarterback play since it made the mistake of drafting Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017, and signing Andy Dalton probably isn’t going to save the Bears from quarterback mediocrity, so they certainly have reason to try to trade up for a signal-caller if they can.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy was among those who attended Fields’ second pro day, so they appear to at least be exploring the possibility of drafting him if they can get into position to do so.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger is now 39 years old, so the Steelers are going to need a new starting quarterback soon. If they have a chance to draft Fields, they’ll likely be interested – but actually landing him is probably a long shot.

While NFL.com’s Charley Casserly has twice mocked Fields falling to the Steelers’ No. 24 overall pick, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone else who thinks that’s going to happen. They’d more likely have to make a huge jump up the board to have a chance to get him, and they have more immediate needs like running back and offensive line that they need to address in this year’s draft.

Unless Fields falls much further down the board than expected, Haskins will likely be the only former Ohio State quarterback in Pittsburgh this year.

New Orleans Saints

Following Drew Brees’ retirement earlier this offseason, the Saints are another team with long-term question marks at quarterback – but as they’re currently slated to pick 28th, they’re an even bigger long shot to have a chance to draft Fields.

With Jameis Winston only on a one-year contract, one would think Sean Payton would love the idea of Fields throwing passes to Michael Thomas as his quarterback of the future. New Orleans has been a popular destination for NFL Buckeyes in recent years, and Fields would give the Saints the potential to continue to be the offensive force they were with Brees. 

Because they’re picking so low in the first round, though, they’d likely need to give up a king’s ransom to have any chance at moving up high enough to draft him.