Legendary NFL scout has a shockingly low Draft grade for Justin Fields
By Josh Hill
Justin Fields has been discussed as a potential No. 1 overall pick but legendary NFL scout Gil Brandt has a different idea.
The shockwaves of the gigantic trade that moved the 49ers up to the No. 3 overall spot in the draft are still rippling like those death screams from Superman in The Snyder Cut.
Now that San Francisco is in a position to draft one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, the question we’re all going to foam at the mouth over for the next month is which one of those quarterbacks will it be?
Trevor Lawrence is the sure-fire No. 1 pick and a since-deleted report from Ian Rapoport indicated that the Jets will be taking Zach Wilson No. 2.
That leaves a handful of guys for the 49ers to draft, but they have the pressure of needing to make the right decision.
Justin Fields has been talked about as a potential upset pick for the No. 1 selection. The Ohio State ties are there with Urban Meyer taking over in Jacksonville and his college tape is a sizzle reel of what NFL teams dream about having in a franchise quarterback.
But already there’s been talk of Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota’s Trey Lance being the guy that the 49ers traded up to draft. As fantastical as our thoughts of what Justin Fields would look like in a Kyle Shanahan offense and vice versa are, water is already being thrown on the fire.
More specifically, the draft stock of Fields is being assassinated in real-time.
NFL Draft: What grade is Justin Fields getting from scouts?
Hall of Fame scout and executive Gil Brandt chimed in on the trade chaos as it was happening and seemingly snuffed out the notion that Fields is who the Niners want. Not only that, but he passed along word that he’s heard about Fields having a grade as low as Round 4.
“Justin Fields is all over the place in terms of where teams have placed him on their boards. Highest I’ve heard is top 5, lowest: Round 4,” Brandt said on Friday. “My guess is 49ers aren’t moving up for him, but instead Trey Lance.”
GameStop stock is less volatile than that.
For the record, this isn’t Brandt’s grade on Fields. He’s merely passing along what he’s heard from executives and scouts in the league looking at this year’s draft class, so any angry Ohio State fans will want to direct their ire elsewhere.
Also, while we’re here, what are the chances it’s Urban Meyer who is saying Fields has a Round 4 grade in the hopes of tanking his draft stock. It’s so deviously on-brand, but also reeks of the type of tactic a guy assuming his first NFL head coaching job might try and think it’ll work.
Of course, we won’t know who gave that grade. We never know who gives grades like this on prospects that end up being great — no one wants to be known as the guy who talked his team out of drafting Patrick Mahomes or talked his team into drafting Blake Bortles.