When the San Francisco 49ers traded up to the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft, most of the talk was about Ohio State‘s Justin Fields, with some thinking that the team could surprise and go with North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
Just a day or two later, the script flipped. All of a sudden, all of the momentum in the NFL intelligentsia circles was with Alabama’s Mac Jones. The Crimson Tide signal caller had one of the best seasons in college football history, but isn’t the same kind of big-armed freak athlete that Fields is. While he resembles quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins—the relatively safe pocket-passers that head coach Kyle Shanahan has won with in the past—most had him going at the back end of the Top 10 or into the middle of the first round.
A trade up for Jones felt very aggressive, but for weeks, that has been where the rumors lie. And, just as quickly as the Mac-mentum came, things are now swinging in the other direction.
Justin Fields participated in a second Ohio State Pro Day this week, after his first event clashed with Jones and Alabama’s. This time, Shanahan was present for the event. Now, Fields has reemerged as the betting favorite to be the No. 3 pick.
LOT of buzz connecting Fields to 3/SF in last 24 hours.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 15, 2021
Updated odds for the 49ers’ 3rd overall pick (via @DKSportsbook)
1. Justin Fields (-121)
2. Mac Jones (+100)
3. Trey Lance (+300)Will San Francisco draft Fields? 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/vSUTEftQO5
— PFF (@PFF) April 15, 2021
At Draftkings, bettors must wager $121 to win $100 on Fields being the No. 3 pick to the San Francisco 49ers. For Mac Jones, it is a $100 wager to win an additional $100.
Things remain pretty close, but it is a big swing. Of course, there is all kinds of misdirection that goes on during NFL Draft season, and the 49ers may want to throw everyone off the scent of who they will take.
Before their trade, Mac Jones wasn’t really considered as a major option to go that high in the first round, while Fields has been floated as an option to his hometown Atlanta Falcons at No. 4. Considering the Philadelphia Eagles were open for business at No. 6, a move with them would’ve made more sense if Jones was the selection. Instead, they paid a giant price to get to No. 3.
We’ll see where this all shakes out on April 29, when the NFL Draft begins.
The post There’s A New Favorite To Go No. 3 Overall To San Francisco appeared first on The Spun.
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