Mel Kiper picks Justin Fields with the very last pick at No. 44
What Kiper and McShay say about the pick
At the start of the draft after McShay pulled the string on Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, and with Kiper taking Florida tight end Kyle Pitts as his first pick.
Kiper: “You know, I’m going to follow some advice from a draft consultant here. There’s no reason I need to take my quarterback now. I’ll get him at the end. We don’t build one-man teams.”
After the selection of Fields to close everything out
Kiper: “Surprised that I picked Fields over Zach Wilson? You shouldn’t be. I’ve had Fields as my No. 2 quarterback all along, and I’m not changing now.”
McShay: “Wow. Still? There’s no way I’d go Fields over Wilson. I guess Fields beat Lawrence head-to-head in the College Football Playoff, but it isn’t happening again here. You’re getting the fourth- or fifth-best quarterback in the class to run your squad. I’ll give you a mulligan if you want, Mel.”
That’s it. That is the lone Buckeye the two pulled the trigger on among fourteen OSU players eligible for the draft. No Shaun Wade at corner, no Wyatt Davis on the offensive line, and none of the OSU linebackers.