Justin Fields of Ohio State. Trey Lance of North Dakota State. Mac Jones of Alabama. Who will it be for the San Francisco 49ers at the No. 3 spot in the upcoming draft? Everyone seems to have an opinion.
While Fields remains the betting favorite to be the pick, many "experts" are still projecting Jones to the 49ers. That includes Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football, who released his latest mock draft on NFL.com on Tuesday morning.
Schrager has Trevor Lawrence of Clemson going No. 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Zach Wilson of BYU going No. 2 to the New York Jets, as most mock drafts do. He has Jones as the 49ers' pick, despite acknowledging that the decision in Santa Clara may not be finalized.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello were in Columbus, Ohio, last week to watch Fields throw in person. On Monday, they were in Fargo, North Dakota, to see Lance. Both are seen as more athletic and having higher ceilings than Jones. However, the Alabama quarterback is viewed by many as more pro-ready right now.
"We're less than two weeks away and I'm still feeling Mac Jones is the guy," Schrager wrote. "I'm told the 49ers still have not made a decision and continue to do their work on all three quarterback prospects who would be available: Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Jones had one of the greatest college football seasons we've seen in recent years, and pro scouts like him a lot -- even if the pundits do not."
Schrager has Fields falling to the Carolina Panthers at No. 8, and Lance going to the Denver Broncos at No. 9.
The 2021 NFL Draft begins on April 29 from Cleveland, Ohio. The 49ers surrendered four draft picks, including their first-rounders in the next three drafts, to move up nine spots from No. 12 overall.