Washington Football Team: Five best QB prospects available in the 2021 NFL Draft

The most accurate passer in college football, with elite touch at all three levels of the passing game, Justin Fields is Washington’s best option, and the best QB not named Trevor Lawrence in this draft.

While many will look at this and say, “Another Ohio State quarterback? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” I say, scout the player, not the helmet.

Justin Fields can strike a bullseye from 100 yards away it seems, as he had an adjusted completion percentage of 80.8 percent. He’s an absolute stud. While he struggled to go through his progressions at times this season, the Ohio State offense was fully at his fingertips at a rate we’ve never seen before.

Fields had nearly 70 percent of his passing yards come through the air, as he didn’t run the prototypical Ohio State offense.

In an offense that relies simply on just getting guys the football by any means, Fields’ wideouts only counted for 86 screen yards this season, 86 out of his total 2,098 yards. It was these same air yards that ranked him No. 1 in his class in terms of big-time throws as he totaled 31 of them this season.

In addition to that, Fields was a menace when having no pressure in his face, completing 77.5 percent of his throws.

His accuracy seemingly improved as he threw the ball in intermediate and deep situations, averaging an adjusted NFL passer rating of 115.4. He threw 19 touchdowns to just five interceptions when throwing the ball down the field in the intermediate and deep passing games.

As exceptional as he is as an accurate thrower, he’s equally as effective as a runner.

Fields posted a run grade of 76.0 according to PFF, with 17 explosive runs of 10 or more yards through his eight games this season. Adding on to his elusiveness, Fields avoided 20 tackles after a rush in his eight games this year while totaling over 300 scramble yards on the season.

A fantastic dual-threat athlete, Justin Fields has a unique blend of accuracy and athleticism that makes him the prospect with the most upside in this draft outside of Trevor Lawrence, with proven skills on display over the course of his collegiate career.

While Fields is deadly accurate and a phenomenal athlete, he struggled a bit this season as well. Slow decision making while progressing throughout his reads and some woeful numbers against pressure that leads him to have a 41.7 percent completion percentage against said pressure. Fields will have his work cut out for him in the NFL.

His biggest question marks come when he faces pressure more than anything. The numbers do look worrisome, as he took 21 sacks out of his 84 drop-backs when facing pressure, and his play when facing pressure translates to an NFL passer rating of just 54.1.

It was evident this season that Fields plate was full this season when it comes to what head coach Ryan Day demanded of him as a second-year starter. He was looked at to read defenses from left to right, with much more emphasis on going through reads and playing with a much more open playbook.

There were times where it looked like Fields was overwhelmed with the responsibility, but ultimately he performed at a high-level throughout the year.

Nonetheless, the talent here is evident. Even if Fields isn’t up to NFL speed when it comes to reading defenses in year one, his accuracy and overall efficiency as a passer combined with his athletic ability make him a prospect that has a perennial Pro-Bowl ceiling.

Fields would be Washington’s best option, as he’s the best quarterback in this class outside of Trevor Lawrence. The ability to take care of the football, be efficient and accurate as a passer throughout all three levels, combined with being such a great athlete, is too good to pass up.

Should Washington be in a draft-day situation where it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to move up, they should trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Justin Fields.