Fields goes stealth in his final audition
Follow-up draft workouts proved pivotal in 49ers’ history of drafting QBs
Justin Fields’ encore audition for the NFL Draft — and the 49ers’ No. 3 overall pick — was cloaked in secrecy Wednesday.
That’s OK. Really. The greatest quarterback hunts in 49ers history also took place in the shadows — or didn’t take place at all in an infamous case. There is historical significance to these workouts.
But no need for another live television peek at Fields. Nor was there was media access or a Zoom room afterward with reporters, unlike his very public and very spectacular pro day March 30 at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes, however, did post videos of Fields’ throws on
Instagram, and they tweeted pictures of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan watching alongside Ohio State coach Ryan Day, as well as with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The most telling picture: Fields and Shanahan together, both smiling. It was a reunion for a relationship dating to at least 2017, when they were at a QB Collective summer clinic in Thousand Oaks.
More pro day privacy will unfold Monday, when North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance holds his second pro day without fanfare in Fargo, school officials said. That’s OK. Really.
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch covet film study, but these pro days let them see whatever concepts they’ve personally re
quested through Fields’ and Lance’s private coach, John Beck. Shanahan, Lynch and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello attended Wednesday’s workout, NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco reported.
Shanahan had stoically watched Alabama’s Mac Jones two weeks ago, fueling speculation he’d be the pick … until Fields and Lance state their case, publicly or not, to gain momentum.
The NFL Draft is decided behind closed doors, not by outsiders’ mock drafts that merely feed fans’ appetite. To wit:
• Joe Montana threw for Bill Walsh in Los Angeles in a follow-up audition just before the 1979 draft. “Joe Montana had the same quickness, agility and fluid movement that (Joe) Namath had, and he threw the ball fine in our drills,” Walsh recalled in a 2004 interview with me. “There wasn’t any question when Sam (Wyche) and I got on the plane to come back that Joe was in our plans.”
• Alex Smith, the 2005 No. 1 pick, won over Mike Nolan in a second workout by obeying orders, as bizarre as they were, such as rolling a football between his legs and jumping over bags. “I wanted to see if he was ready to go do what we told him to do,” Nolan said on draft day.
• Colin Kaepernick had an impromptu passing competition — best spiral and target practice through goalposts — with coach Jim Harbaugh in Reno prior to the 2011 draft. That would have made for great TV, and even more so now. (A year later, Harbaugh covertly flew cross country, disguised himself in a hoodie and “evaluated” Peyton Manning‘s workout from afar at Duke).
• C.J. Beathard’s 2017 workout brought with it an Iowa teammate named George Kittle, who snuck through the draft until the 49ers made their overdue move in the fifth round. (That’s reminiscent of Walsh discovering Dwight Clark while working out Steve Fuller at Clemson in ’79.)
• And what about the workout for 1997 first-round draft bust Jim Druckenmiller? The 49ers did not work him out. Vinny Cerrato took the strong-armed Virginia Tech QB after he unexpectedly fell to No. 26; coach Steve Mariucci had auditioned Bill Walsh-favorite Jake Plummer in Phoenix.
It’s a great reminder this isn’t a foolproof process, and to watch as much as you (or actual decision-makers) can before the pick. OFFSEASON BOYCOTT? >> Nothing’s official yet on whether the 49ers will join players from multiple teams who’ve announced plans to, well, voluntarily sit out the voluntary inperson workouts. The offseason program is slated to open Monday, but no onfield drills are allowed until May 17, and with only a minicamp mandatory before June 18.
If the 49ers training facility goes dormant a second straight spring, they can only hope for better results than a year ago. A devastating string of injuries began once training camp opened and that did not end until 84 players suited up in a 6-10 trainwreck.
No on-field tutelage will hurt whatever quarterback they draft No. 3. Then again, Jimmy Garoppolo remains in place to lead a familiar offensive cast that includes only one new starter in center Alex Mack. The defense could be impacted more by no onfield activities this spring as it transitions under new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
ODE TO JULIAN EDELMAN >> Wide receiver Julian Edelman retired Tuesday from the New England Patriots with a “Foxboro forever” video, seemingly ending a playing career that began as a “49er Faithful.” Edelman grew up on the Peninsula rooting for the 49ers, including his Pop Warner days on the Redwood City 49ers. He went on to Woodside High and College of San Mateo before eventually carving a 12-year, playoff-clutch career with the Patriots.
A young Edelman had dogs named “Dwight” and “Montana.” He went from being a teenager dating Jerry Rice’s daughter, Jaqui, to ranking alongside the NFL’s most prolific receiver in playoff stats. (Playoff receptions: 1. Rice 151, 2. Edelman 118; playoff receiving yards: 1. Rice 2,245; 2. Edelman 1,442.)
Edelman was a seventhround pick (No. 232 of 256) in 2009. The 49ers’ picks ahead of him: Michael Crabtree (first round), Glen Coffee (third), linebacker Scott McKillop (fifth), quarterback Nate Davis (fifth), tight end Bear Pascoe (sixth) and safety Curtis Taylor (seventh; No. 219).
JOSH ALLEN ON LANCE >> Lance is getting a pep talk from Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills quarterback who grew up in Firebaugh, some two hours from the 49ers’ facility. “Let me tell you something, you’re always going to have doubters,” Allen said in the NFL Network’s ‘Taking The Stage’ draft commercial.
Allen was the third quarterback drafted in 2018, as will be whoever goes April 29 to his childhood team, the 49ers.
RUNNING BACK HUNT >> It wasn’t surprising to see running back Giovani Bernard linked to the 49ers, once he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as ESPN reported. The 49ers should want a multifaceted veteran and/or a speedy rookie as insurance behind Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., a formidable tandem if healthy, which wasn’t the case enough last year.
Running backs coach Bobby Turner is a master at unearthing talent and is renowned for pre-draft calls to prospects. Check back May 1 to see which rookie, drafted or otherwise, arrives next. JaMycal Hasty was last year’s find; Wilson was 2018’s.
Extra points
• Go back to the 2019 Ohio State pro day and here is what Nick Bosa said about getting fully healthy: “It feels like I can do some serious damage to some offenses.” The 49ers are banking on the same to hold true in his 2021 comeback from knee reconstruction.