Latest NFL audition goes undercover
Shanahan reunites with Fields ahead of critical draft pick for San Francisco
Justin Fields’ encore audition for the NFL draft — and the 49ers’ No. 3 overall pick — was cloaked in secrecy on 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 livetelevision peek at Fields. There was no media access or a Zoom room afterward with reporters, unlike his very public and very spectacular pro day on 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.
Oh, and there also was a picture of 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 in Fargo, school officials said. That’s OK. Really.
Shanahan and 49ers general manager John Lynch covet film study, but these pro days let them see whatever concepts they’ve personally requested 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 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 firstround 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 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 on-field 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 at 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 on-field activities this spring as it transitions under new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.