The downside to Justin Fields
“Justin Fields doesn’t look past the first read” pic.twitter.com/oiE9F6KUgX
— Barstool OSU (@BarstoolOSU) March 5, 2021
While Fields has instances where he makes second and third reads, there are times he will stay on his first read a little too long. When things breakdown and he panics, he will not get to the next reads and look down for a lane to run. He has shown the ability to think he can fix this, but it is a knock some teams have for him. When he locks on and decides that is his primary play, he will sometimes force a throw due to his confidence in making the throw. It has worked for the most part in college, but he will need to do a little work in the NFL.
The other small con to Fields has been his footwork. At times he will rely on his arm talent and the footwork can get a touch sloppy. He has been able to push past it to this point, but some work to maintain his base on some throws (especially shorter throws) will be needed. Whichever team drafts him will need to have RPOs in their playbook to get the most out of him. The team will also need to make sure his progressions start in the middle of the field for the first year or two.
Fields is a franchise quarterback in the making provided the team drafting him knows he isn’t a guy to just sit in the pocket and throw. He will need to stay mobile and use his arm talent to create for the offense. Fields should hear his name early in the first round.