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UPDATE: On Monday afternoon, Kyle Shanahan said the team has been in touch with Justin Fields’ agent about the Ohio State QB’s workout schedule. Fields will have another pro day and Shanahan will attend.
The San Francisco 49ers made a huge move up the 2021 NFL Draft board last week when they climbed from No. 12 to No. 3 in the first round. They gave up two future first round picks to make it happen, and by all accounts are planning on drafting a quarterback with that pick.
Trevor Lawrence is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, but then it is a bunched up group of quarterbacks that includes Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones. The New York Jets are viewed as a likely landing spot for Wilson, but with a month to go until the draft, nothing seems certain.
Pro day workouts are underway across the country, and the 49ers will be attending quite a few. Tuesday is a big day with Jones and Fields both working out. Peter King is reporting 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch will attend Jones’ pro day in Tuscaloosa, while assistant GM Adam Peters will attend Fields’ pro day in Columbus.
The pre-draft process is filled with smoke-screens and misdirection, and that means it is time to overthink what this all means. 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows noted Shanahan does not generally attend Pro Days outside the Bay Area. There’s been chatter Mac Jones would fit what Shanahan likes in a quarterback, although film analysis suggests otherwise.
Whatever the case, we likely won’t know until Thursday, April 29th what direction the 49ers are headed in with the No. 3 pick. They likely have two quarterbacks they like given that the Jets remain a potential QB landing spot. We’ll hear combinations of all the different options between now and then, and at least some of it will be misdirection by one or more parties in this circus.