Why Justin Fields Will Buck the QB Trend for the Buckeyes

Like any quarterback prospect, Fields has room to develop, but a lot has been said about his pedigree as an Ohio St. quarterback.

After watching the 49ers press conference, one thing was for sure. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are picking a quarterback in the first round. 

Now the fun begins! We get to analyze every throw that is made on film and at pro days. Every blank stare reaction of Shanahan becomes breaking news. Most of all, we get to overanalyze every piece of information as to whom they will pick. With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson presumably off the board by the time the 49ers pick, the focus is whether they should select Justin Fields out of Ohio State. 

Like any quarterback prospect, Fields has room to develop, but a lot has been said about his pedigree as an Ohio St. quarterback. There are fans who are wary of selecting Fields strictly because he is an Ohio St. product, and here is the case as to why Fields will not be a bust.

Saying a QB will not succeed because of a certain school he came out of, is like saying QB will not be successful because he came out of college. It is a lazy argument and can be true of any college in the U.S. The truth is, there are only 32 starting jobs in the NFL, and anywhere from six to eight true prospects available every year. The importance of the position, and the nature of the NFL makes for the quarterback position to be the most scrutinized. By sheer numbers, most QBs drafted will more likely underachieve than become All Pros. However, Fields has all the potential to buck the trend for Ohio St.

What you might not know, is although Ohio St. has been a perennial powerhouse in the BCS, they have never been known for their QBs. Dwayne Haskins was taken with the 15th pick in the 2019 draft, but you would have to go back to Art Schlichter in 1982 for the last Ohio St. quarterback who had a first-round draft grade. So, to say that Ohio St. is a school that produces nothing but QB busts is a stretch, because a QB picked outside of the first round is not expected to be anything other than a project. So, people are concluding that Fields will be a bust strictly because they are comparing him to Dwayne Haskins. If you are, you are wrong.

Dwayne Haskins up until this point is nothing other than a bust. Due to a combination of poor on field play and off the field antics, Haskins was cut in Year 2 of his rookie deal. Though Haskins and Fields have some similarities when it comes to their passing numbers, they are completely different people and players overall.

To start off, Haskins and Fields putting up similar numbers at Ohio St. is only partially true. In 2018, Haskins threw for 4,800 yards, with a 50-8 TD-INT ratio completing 70 percent of his passes. In 2019 Fields threw for 3,300 yards, with a 41-3 TD-INT ratio completing 67 percent of his passes. Those number do look similar, but it is only half of the story. 

There is another aspect of their games that isn't being mentioned. Justin Fields more than doubled the amount of both yards and touchdowns when it came to rushing over Haskins. To only compare Fields and Haskins passing game, and then project Fields' potential in the NFL, is like projecting Lebron James' future in the NBA based off of him having a similar shooting percentage as someone, it is only part of how they impact the game. In the past, nobody paid attention to what a quarterbacd can do with his legs. Now, with Defensive ends running 4.5 40s, having a QB who is a weapon with his feet is a must.

What is also ignored is Haskins only had one year of success before he was drafted. Fields in his second season started 8 games, threw for 2,100 yards with a 22-6 TD-INT ratio and completed 70 percept of his passes. He also added another 400 yards rushing, and 5 touchdowns. If you adjust for a 14-game season like the previous years, Justin Fields was on pace to throw and rush for more yards, more touchdowns and be slightly more accurate. The ability to show consistency and even growth from year to year is something most QBs being drafted do not show. Justin Fields is not a one-year wonder. The stability of Fields production shows he is not just a flash in the pan, but someone who is consistent and working at the most important parts of his game.

Another contrast between Haskins and Fields are their intangibles. Coming into the draft, Urban Meyer, Haskins coach at Ohio St., made it clear that Haskins needed to mature before he could lead an NFL football team. That criticism bore true on many occasions, one example being in Haskins' first win with the now Washington Football Team. The back-up was sent out for the final victory formation because Haskin felt it was more important to take selfies with the fans than finish the game with his team. Haskins seems to enjoy being in the NFL more than being a great football player.

Meyer when speaking about Fields had a completely different take. He harps on Fields' competitiveness, toughness, and leadership. Fields leadership was shown this past offseason, as he was one of the main players who came out and lobbied for the Big 10 to have a season, which was in jeopardy due to Covid restrictions. Due to players like him putting pressure on the decision makers, they were able to have an abridged season, and he was able to lead his team to the BCS championship game. Thatt's the type of leadership that Haskins has never shown, which is also a staple of successful QBs in the NFL.

So comparing one year of Haskins and Fields passing numbers to project Fields success is unfair and intellectually dishonest. A more accurate picture will show that Fields is a much more consistent and effective weapon, as well as a far better leader and competitor than his predecessor.

A better comparison might be a player who played in the same conference with similar numbers -- Russel Wilson. In his one year with Wisconsin, he threw for 3,200 yards, with a 33-4 TD-INT ratio, completed 72 percent of his passes and added more than 300 yards rushing, and 6 rushing TDs. Wilson was also known as a leader, and as you can see had remarkably similar numbers to Fields. At the time, there had not been an All Pro QB drafted out of Wisconsin. Wilson was not selected until the third round in 2012 and it's safe to say that 80 percent of the teams in the league wish they would have used their first-round pick on Wilson instead of whomever they chose.

Picking a quarterback is not a full-proof science. Nobody has really shown the ability to successfully figure out how to pick the gems from the masses. I am not saying Fields is going to win the Super Bowl in his rookie year, or that he is going to end up being the best quarterback of this year’s draft. What I am saying though is if you believe he won't be successful because he is was a Buckeye, you'll lose out on a starting quarterback for your future.