As expected, pre-draft buzz starts trending toward Justin Fields-to-49ers

Probably much to the delight of most of The Faithful, the pre-draft buzz surrounding former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields landing with the San Francisco 49ers appears to be trending upwards. Of course, this wasn't unexpected. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were in Columbus yesterday with a handful of other teams to watch Fields throw. San Francisco owns the No. 3 overall pick.

The Mac Jones-to-49ers buzz kicked into high gear when reports revealed that Shanahan and Lynch would attend the former Alabama quarterback's second pro day instead of Fields' first workout. Both took place on March 30.

Of course, that decision was explained one day earlier, when Shanahan told reporters that the team was working with Fields' agent to set up another workout—the one yesterday. Jones was not going to have another workout.

With Fields' second pro day in the books, it looks like the former Buckeye's stock is rising. According to DraftKings Sportsbook (h/t to Patrick Tulini), Fields is now the favorite to go No. 3 overall to San Francisco, jumping past Jones, who now has the second-best odds.

Trey Lance of North Dakota State still has the third-best odds. We'll see if that changes after the former Bison works out in front of Shanahan and Lynch on Monday.

This is good news for 49ers fans, who have grown increasingly tired of hearing all of the rampant Jones-to-49ers speculation in recent weeks. The Alabama quarterback is the least popular among the three choices, with most fans pulling for Fields to be the team's quarterback of the future.

Both Fields and Lance are viewed as more athletic than Jones. While Jones is seen as more pro-ready now and having the highest floor among the three prospects, most analysts see Fields and Lance as having the higher ceilings.

The 2021 NFL Draft is scheduled to begin on April 29 and will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.