Justin Fields on Wednesday held a workout for NFL teams for the second time in April. This session was attended by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, but it’s hard to take much away from the outing.
It matters some that Shanahan and Lynch were at the workout, although only in the sense that it confirms they’re at least doing due diligence on Fields, who’s expected to be available when San Francisco selects at No. 3 overall in this year’s draft.
Outside of that though, the session was closed to media, leaving the distribution of any footage from the workout to the Buckeyes social media team. They posted some clips on Instagram and some still shots on Twitter, but no amount of internet sleuthing is going to garner anything other than circumstantial evidence of the day’s impact on Fields’ draft stock in the eyes of the 49ers.
Where will @justnfields go? #GoBuckeyes #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/cdeWra23rZ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 14, 2021
The clips that did trickle out looked a lot like Fields’ first Pro Day. He’s a fluid athlete with a Howitzer attached to his right shoulder. The 60-plus yard throw on the move while rolling left during his first Pro Day on March 30 has become this draft season’s favorite viral moment. Indications are from the Ohio State Instagram post that he did it again in front of 49ers’ brass.
Chances are the 49ers knew who they wanted when they made the trade up to No. 3 overall, and were willing to have their minds changed during the draft process. Fields was an already extremely talented prospect with a ton of good tape and productivity against top programs. An in-person workout with him might’ve been useful in confirming things they already knew, but it’s difficult to believe the session actually did much to change Shanahan and the 49ers’ minds one way or the other.
Justin Fields showed out again for his second Pro Day. (via @OhioStateFB)@justnfields | @NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/VL5amaKoZR
— NFL (@NFL) April 14, 2021