NFL Draft Rumor: Justin Fields' Stock Falling

It's not too long ago that Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft.

He was the Robert Griffin III to Trevor Lawrence's Andrew Luck. The Marcus Mariota to his Jameis Winston. There were no doubts that he'd be going No. 2.

Then the Zach Wilson hype emerged. Then Mac Jones took off. Now, Wilson is considered all but a lock to go to the New York Jets at No. 2 and Jones seems destined to the 49ers at 3. Fields' draft stock hasn't stopped tumbling there.

Justin Fields Draft Projection

The latest NFL Draft odds from WynnBET have the over/under for Fields' draft position set at 4.5. A bet on the "over" (i.e. he goes pick 5 or later) is a significant favorite, at -140, while the under is a -105 underdog.

That suggests that Fields has not only fallen behind Wilson, but also behind Jones. Jones, who is the rumored target for the San Francisco 49ers after they traded up to No. 3, has an over/under set at 3.5, with that "under" being a heavy -348 favorite, meaning Vegas strongly believes Jones will be the No. 3 pick.

The highly public nature of the Jones-to-San Francisco rumors are curious, however. NFL Draft season is notoriously full of misdirection and smokescreens, and the current 49ers front office has been incredibly good at preventing leaks since taking over.

There are also reports that the Atlanta Falcons are shopping the No. 4 overall pick, and a QB-needy team jump to that spot and take Fields.

The NFL Draft is never short on surprises, and if you think Fields is still a top pick, it's easy to like getting underdog odds on the possibility.