The San Francisco 49ers have seemingly eliminated Justin Fields of Ohio State from contention when it comes to the No. 3 overall pick, if a Sunday-night report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is to be believed. The NFL insider says head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have narrowed their choices down to Mac Jones of Alabama and Trey Lance of North Dakota State.
Shanahan reportedly wants Jones while the 49ers' personnel department has been pushing for Lance.
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How far could Fields fall if the 49ers don't select him? He'll likely still be a top-10 pick, and with the news of the former Buckeye likely making it past the No. 3 spot, NFL clubs have started calling other teams in the top 10 to inquire about a potential trade.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the New England Patriots are among those teams, and they are reportedly targeting Fields. They might be seeking a move to acquire the quarterback San Francisco no longer seems interested in. Both the 49ers and the Patriots were in attendance for Fields' second pro day in Columbus, Ohio, on April 14.
New England currently sits at No. 15.
"Specifically, there have been a lot of calls to the Lions at seven, as well as the Panthers at eight, which makes sense," Pelissero said on Good Morning Football. "You look at Carolina at eight and the Broncos at nine; both those teams are threats to take an offensive tackle or perhaps a quarterback. So, if you want to target one of those positions, you better get ahead of those teams.
"So, who wants to come up? I can tell you the Eagles have made a ton of calls. Although, that's (GM) Howie Roseman. He does this every year; calls about every pick just to see what it would take. The Vikings have also been active making calls. That's probably if an offensive lineman might slip.
"And this is interesting. The Patriots have been calling around in the top 10, and the teams that have gotten those calls, believe New England's target could be Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields."
That could be big for San Francisco. New England has long been viewed as a potential destination for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, should the 49ers seek to trade him either before the upcoming season or next offseason. However, the Niners have repeatedly stated that the veteran quarterback remains in their plans for 2021.
The NFL Draft begins on Thursday from Cleveland, Ohio.