With the 2021 NFL draft rapidly approaching, all the eyes of Indianapolis Colts fans are focused under center to see who will be the new starting quarterback in the Circle City.
The rumor mill has been running hot since even before the end of last season and shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. After the retirement of veteran Philip Rivers, every quarterback option from Carson Wentz and Sam Darnold to seemingly every option in this upcoming draft has been connected to the Colts in some form or another.
While the reported connections to Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz seem to have the most smoke to them at the moment, there appears to be a disconnect in terms of value when it comes to a trade which may lead to the Colts looking elsewhere for their field general of the future. If that is the case, one could see Ohio State junior quarterback Justin Fields as a top-tier option to target in the upcoming draft.
Fields, a 6-foot-2 former Heisman finalist in 2019, is widely considered by many to be the second-best option at the position behind Clemson star QB and likely No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
Most mock drafts so far this offseason have projected Fields to be drafted as high as the No. 2 spot, which makes a trade up from the Colts’ current spot at No. 21 overall a very difficult task to pull off. If he is indeed who Colts general manager Chris Ballard and staff want to target, it would take at least two first-round picks and most likely more to move up and get him, but is that a wise decision for the future given the risk?
Throughout the history of the NFL, there are many cautionary tales when it comes to trading up in the draft for a quarterback. From the Ryan Leaf trade in 1999 to the recent success of the trade-up for Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes, there is no exact science when it comes to gambling for a quarterback.
One example a little closer to home in Indianapolis comes to mind from 1990, when the Colts traded up to the No. 1 overall pick to select Illinois quarterback Jeff George. Unfortunately, the trade was a dud for the Colts with George leading the team to a 1-15 record in 1991 and not much else before leaving the team a few years later.
With George and so many failed trades like his throughout the history of the NFL, is Fields the kind of next-level player worth that kind of gamble like Mahomes in 2017? Many would agree that he is with everything he brings to the table both as an athlete, and as a leader for one of the top college football programs in the nation at Ohio State playing at the highest level his entire college career.
Fields would fit perfectly in Colts head coach Frank Reich’s run-heavy offensive system as not just a talented running option, but a deep threat in the passing game as he’s shown time and again he can make all the pro-level throws.
It would be easy for anyone to get excited at the prospect of Fields adding his talents alongside one of the top offensive lines in the league, led by All-Pro Quenton Nelson, as well as second-year bell-cow running back Jonathan Taylor in Indy.
So if for any reason Fields could find his way even to the bottom of the top 10 this year, it would be hard to pass on a high-level talent that brings most everything this Colts offense has lacked in recent years.
If the cards are played right, Fields could be that missing piece Ballard needs to take this great foundation of a football team to the next level, and possibly to a Colts Super Bowl victory in the near future.