Here's why Justin Fields might be worth the Broncos making a bold draft move

Tuesday, Broncos quarterbacks coach Mike Shula stood on the field at Ohio State’s indoor practice facility in Columbus, Ohio., observing the school’s Pro Day workouts.

A handful of other NFL coaches, including Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and a few others shared the up-close view of the work — specifically, of quarterback Justin Fields.

So, when Fields set NFL Twitter ablaze by hitting Buckeyes wide receiver C.J. Sanders on a deep route after rolling out to the left, Shula had one of the best views.

But this was only the final piece of a puzzle that has been coming together since he starred at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., where he began showing the intelligence to to handle the cerebral demands placed on a quarterback in the modern game. Look no further than the offers he got from Harvard and Yale as proof — a bullet point noted by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer in 2019.

Fields could have gone to virtually any school he wanted. But he wanted football above all.

“Harvard was one of the first offers that [Fields] had,” his mother, Gina Tobey, told ESPN.com in 2017. “I wanted him to go to Harvard, but he said, ‘Mom that’s not enough football for me,’ so I said, OK what about Duke? That still wasn’t enough football for him.”

Ohio State proved to be the answer. However, there are some who believe it is also the biggest question for Fields.

That is because a lingering critique of Fields in some media circles remains the relative paucity of success for OSU quarterbacks in the NFL. Dwayne Haskins’ recent struggles for Washington as a 2019 first-round pick provided another log for the fire of those who focus on this as an issue. The most successful Buckeyes quarterback in the league is Mike Tomczak, whose NFL career ended after the 1999 season after 15 seasons spent as an occasional starter and trustworthy backup. Thus, the bar for Fields to become the best Buckeyes quarterback in modern NFL annals isn’t high.

But he isn’t buying the notion that the struggles of past Buckeyes have any impact on him.

“In all honesty, I think I’m different from those guys,” Fields said in a video conference with national media this week. “I know my work ethic is unmatched and just my dedication and my passion to wanting to be great is just another level. In terms of the past quarterbacks, I can’t control that.

“Of course, the only similarity that me and those guys (the other OSU quarterbacks) have is that we wore the same uniforms. If they want to say that, then that’s on them. I’m going to focus on myself and focus on continuing to get better in every aspect of the game.”

One should always use caution before dismissing a prospect because of his alma mater. If one applied the same logic to Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, one might have shrugged at his resume because Texas Tech’s last decent NFL quarterback was Billy Joe Tolliver, who spent 11 seasons with five different teams after being a second-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1989. One could make a similar argument regarding Seattle’s Russell Wilson; Wilson matriculated at Wisconsin, a school that had never produced an NFL quarterback more successful than the forgettable Randy Wright prior to Wilson.

So, focus on Fields’ body of work in two seasons as the Buckeyes’ starter. That reveals ample toughness and more plays on which he got to the second and third read than one might expect, defusing that particular critique of his play.

“We have different reads,” Fields explained in a video conference with media. “We have a lot of reads where they’re pure progressions where they’re across the board reads where I’m going 1 to 2 to 3 to 4.

“What I have to say to that is — to be honest with you — (I’m throwing to) some of the best receivers in the country so if my first or second read is there, I’m not going to pass up that first or second read to get to the three, four, fifth read to prove that I can read past my first or second read. I’m going to put my team in the best position to win.”

The film also reveals that Northwestern’s myriad coverages and disguised pre-snap looks caused Fields problems in the Big Ten Championship last December, when he posted the lowest passer rating of his two years as OSU’s starter. It was also the only game he started without throwing at least one touchdown pass.

But that game is a teachable moment, the kind that every young quarterback endures. Fields’ intelligence allows him to learn from that day — and to keep ingesting and applying further knowledge at the next level.

The Broncos would be wise to give strong consideration to Fields — even if it means moving up a few picks to get him in orange and blue.

They can continue developing Drew Lock, with the two young passers dueling. If both blossom, they can trade the surplus quarterback — a great problem to have.

Furthermore, the Broncos are unlikely to be in position to move into the top 5 in next year’s draft. There are two reasons for this. First, you have the expected proficiency of a mature, talented Broncos defense in 2021; if Denver boasts a top-5 defense, the Broncos’ floor rises considerably. Then you have a schedule that features just five games against teams that were above .500 last year — and four games against the NFC East. Barring an unexpected collective rise from the NFC East, the Broncos’ slate shouldn’t be as demanding as others of recent vintage.

So, if the Broncos go 9-8 or 10-7, they are likely to pick between selections 18 and 22 — from which point it would be more difficult to move into the draft’s top five selections than it is now.

This is why the time to leap for a quarterback may be today. Fields’ potential could make him worthy of such a bold gambit.