Wednesday marked the second pro day for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, and hours before it started, Fields received an inspirational message from San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice.
“Justin Fields, hey man, don’t worry about what they’re saying about you, brother,” Rice said. “We know that you’re a hard worker and you enjoy what you’re doing on the football field. You inspire your teammates to be better. Hey, they said the same thing about me. They said I couldn’t run a 40. Yeah, I might have ran a 4.5, 4.6. I’m not even sure. But for one thing, they didn’t clock me on my way to the end zone.”
Fields was widely considered the draft’s second-best quarterback prospect behind only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence going into the 2020 season, but uneven games vs. Northwestern and Indiana coupled with the rise of BYU quarterback Zach Wilson means Fields will likely be available for the 49ers at pick No. 3.
“Just let that stuff blow over your head, man,” Rice said to Fields. “Congratulations, I’m sure you’re looking forward to the draft. And hopefully, you go high.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were present at Fields’s pro day, and Shanahan was photographed sharing a laugh with the Ohio State passer.
The team has been most closely linked to Mac Jones during the pre-draft process, but it seems national NFL media figures are starting to walk back their Mac-Jones-to-the-49ers proclamations.
Shanahan and Lynch are also attending the second pro day of North Dakota State’s Trey Lance on Monday of next week. The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is scheduled for Thursday, April 29.
