On Wednesday, Justin Fields worked out in front of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. Was it enough to convince the trio that he — not Mac Jones nor Trey Lance — should be the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft? We may not know the answer to that until April 29.
Former cornerback Richard Sherman already explained why drafting Fields made sense for his former squad.
"He's been at a program that competes at a high level year in and year out," Sherman said last week on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast, which he co-hosts, "always in a championship, always in the big games, and he's played well. And he's managed those situations really well. And I think that his athleticism just adds another layer of elite ability that makes him a difference-maker."
A week later, nothing has changed in Sherman's mind. Fields remains the obvious choice for San Francisco. Although, the veteran cornerback admits to not having any inside knowledge regarding the 49ers' draft plan.
"I still think that Justin Fields is the pick," Sherman told Collinsworth on the latest episode. "I don't know what they're thinking. I don't think Kyle and John ever show their hand, and I think speculation -- I mean, I've never seen speculation to the point that it is right now. I mean, this is a feverous pitch of speculation. It's just ridiculous. And then it's almost like a smokescreen because every mock has Mac Jones. It's like, c'mon now, you guys. Every single mock has Mac Jones.
"But it's interesting. It's gonna be interesting, and San Francisco's going to pretty much control the draft and control what everybody else does because everything kind of dominos off what they do."
By next week, Shanahan and Lynch will have seen Jones, Fields, and Lance in person. In a typical offseason, they would have been able to arrange private workouts for all three. Those aren't allowed this offseason due to COVID-19, so Shanahan and Lynch went to Jones' second pro day and arranged additional workouts for Fields and Lance, which are open to other NFL teams.
"I think the second pro day is one where it would have been a private workout any other time," Sherman continued. "This year, it has to be a Pro Day 2, I guess is what they are calling it. And I think they're going to have him run through more specific stuff. It's just all in the public eye, this time."
You can listen to the entire podcast below.