Why MJD believes Fields will be 49ers' pick at No. 3

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The nauseating 24/7 NFL draft analysis will continue for two more weeks, with the 49ers being the center of attention as they prepare to make their selection at No. 3 overall.

While most of the pre-draft noise is pointing to the 49ers selecting Alabama's Mac Jones, former NFL star and current NFL Media analyst Maurice Jones-Drew has Ohio State's Justin Fields ranked at the top QB in the class and believes he will be the perfect QB for Kyle Shanahan.

"If San Fran is in win-now mode and Jimmy Garoppolo can't get you over the hump, why not go get a guy who has played in multiple big games, has multiple starts and has been the top quarterback since high school," Jones-Drew said Tuesday on NFL Network. "So he has the pedigree of being a five-star recruit in high school. Goes to Georgia, it doesn't work out. Goes to Ohio State, takes his team to the national championship game and he plays in the big game.

"To me, this only makes sense that Justin Fields is the guy for the Niners."

Fields has all the tools to elevate the 49ers' offense to new heights. He's got top-level arm talent, is extremely accurate and is an elite athlete who can extend plays outside the pocket, make second-reaction throws and move the sticks with his legs. All the pre-draft criticism of Fields is unfounded. Questions about his processing speed and the idea he's a "one-read QB" are dismissed by the fact that he threw past his first read 19 percent of the time, the most of any QB in the class, and that Ohio State's complex passing game contains a number of option routes that naturally force the quarterback to hold onto the ball a longer.

The Ohio State star held his second pro day Wednesday with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in attendance. Shanahan and Lynch missed Fields' first throwing session because they were in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to watch Jones throw.

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The 49ers' power brokers will watch North Dakota State's Trey Lance throw Monday, and then will retreat into their cave in Santa Clara to make the final decision that will define their era as leaders of the 49ers.

Jones-Drew believes that should and will be Fields. In 15 days, we'll find out.

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