Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is headed to the NFL.
The Buckeyes star announced he intends to forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft as an underclassman on Monday, which is the deadline for underclassmen to submit a petition to the league for early entry.
Fields, a junior, is considered one of the nation's top prospects. He led Ohio State to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, where the Buckeyes fell to Alabama after defeating Clemson in a semifinal victory sparked by the most impressive performance of Fields' OSU career. He outshined the Tigers' Trevor Lawrence while gutting out a painful injury, throwing six touchdown passes despite suffering what was diagnosed as a hip pointer, per Fields’ father.
The 6-foot-3, 228-pounder (school measurements) transferred from Georgia after his freshman season and went 20-2 as Ohio State's starter. He has all of the athletic tools NFL teams desire in a quarterback, and he proved his toughness in the Sugar Bowl win over CU. The 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist completed 68.4 percent of his passes, with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 63:9, in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. He also ran for 867 yards (4.0 per rush) and 15 TDs over that span.
Projections for how high Fields could be drafted will be a leading storyline in the months leading up to April's draft, with the QB-needy Jaguars and Jets holding the top two picks.
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