2021 NFL Draft stock up: Five players who stock is rising
By John Blair
A look at what prospects are rising their stock for the 2021 NFL Draft.
With almost all college football games behind us for the year, it will not be easy for 2021 NFL Draft prospects to raise their stocks in the coming months. That being said, there have certainly been prospects who have been able to improve their stocks in recent weeks and that is what we are going to look at here. Up first, one of the premier prospects in the entire class.
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
One of the most debated topics in draft circles is who is the second-best quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. Going into the new year, it looked like BYU’s Zach Wilson was starting to pull ahead in this race, especially after Fields struggled in the Big Ten Championship game. However, that all changed with Field’s performance against Clemson last week.
To say Fields was impressive in the first round of the College Football Playoffs is an understatement. On the day Fields completed 22-of-28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns. He did this despite playing most of the game hurt after taking a nasty shot from Clemson linebacker James Skalski.
What stood out about Fields’ talents in this game included being more decisive with his decisions and the overall toughness he showed. One of the biggest knocks on Fields going into this game was that he held onto the ball too long. That did not happen in this game as he was willing to take the check down route if something wasn’t open, and didn’t seem to second guess himself when throwing downfield.
What may have stood out the most though was the toughness he showed playing through an injury that clearly affected him on the field. The grit he showed to do this and how his team rallied around him shows the leadership skills needed to be a successful NFL quarterback.