After months of speculation about where Justin Fields would end up going in the 2021 NFL Draft, we have our answer.
Fields was taken 11th overall by the Chicago Bears, who traded up to take him in what was one of the headline moves of the first round.
After transferring to Ohio State, Fields put up gaudy numbers in two seasons in Columbus, racking up 63 passing touchdowns to only nine picks. He added 15 more scores as a runner and has a drool-worthy all-around skill-set that gives him a sky-high ceiling in fantasy football.
Can Fields take the Bears to new heights?
Player Comparisons
numberFire's JJ Zachariason and Jim Sannes break down Fields' profile, and Jim gives his top comparison.
Why does @JimSannes compare Justin Fields to Russell Wilson?
Dynamic deep ball passer
Ability to make plays with his legs
Welcome to Chicago, @justnfields!#BearsDraft | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/UUWR4L5aSr
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) April 30, 2021
Brandon Gdula's draft database has found these 10 prior prospects to have the most similar statistical profiles to Fields. Keep in mind that these are based not on play style or traits but age, athleticism, draft equity, experience, efficiency, and production.
| Justin Fields Profile Comparisons | Similarity |
|---|---|
| Zach Wilson | 90.9% |
| Trey Lance | 89.8% |
| Joe Burrow | 88.1% |
| Patrick Mahomes | 88.0% |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 87.1% |
| Kyler Murray | 87.1% |
| Alex Smith | 86.8% |
| Robert Griffin III | 84.6% |
| Marcus Mariota | 84.5% |
| Mitchell Trubisky | 84.4% |
Gdula's Take: Fields is an elite prospect and comps very closely to Zach Wilson, though Wilson emerged entering the draft as the consensus number-two and Fields had to jockey with others. He has 98th-percentile efficiency as a passer and played a tough schedule at Ohio State. Via Pro Football Focus, he ranked 112th in screen yards gained but 20th in yards on deep passes. There's a lot to like here.
Fields' 2021 Fantasy Football Projection
With a 4.44 40-yard dash on his resume and elite deep-ball prowess, Fields offers plenty of fantasy football upside. He just might have to wait a little bit to realize it as the Bears could opt to start Andy Dalton early on.
With Dalton in mind, Zachariason's initial projections for Fields for 2021 include 3,553 passing yards and 21.5 passing touchdowns in addition to 367 rushing yards and 3.4 rushing scores. He's Zachariason's QB25 for the 17-game season, but there's room for more if Fields quickly wins the starting job.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bears are listed at +5000 to win the Super Bowl and +260 to win the NFC North.