Why Justin Fields' blazing 40 time could make the difference for the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan
We didn’t need to see Justin Fields’ pro day Tuesday to know he could move, but now we can put a number on his speed. According to reports, the Ohio State product ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.44 seconds.
Yeah, that'll do.
That’s obviously a fast time for a quarterback. If we’re treating the unofficial time as canon, would put him in the same speed range as Robert Griffin III. And based on past combine data going back to the turn of the century, which is a bit more reliable than pro day measurements, there are only a handful of quarterbacks who ran faster than Fields and all of those guys were undersized.
Fields is not undersized. He’s a big quarterback, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing nearly 230 pounds. That makes his 40 time even more impressive. Not only can Fields burn defenses with the ball in his hands, but he can also (presumably) withstand the beating he might take as a ball carrier.
Now, what does it mean for Fields’ draft prospects? It looks like Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are already locked into the top-two picks, so the 49ers, now drafting at No. 3 after swinging a trade with the Dolphins, could be a landing spot.
Kyle Shanahan will likely have the final say on the pick, and his past comments might explain why Fields could be his choice.
First, here’s Shanahan explaining how much stress the option run game puts on a defense:
So we know Shanahan recognizes the immense value that a run threat at quarterback can add to an offense. And we know he believes that the quarterback also needs to be able to beat defenses in the passing game to fully take advantage. And he also says that QB better have elite speed if he’s going to avoid hits.
Well … Justin Fields’ film confirms that he’s a threat on the ground and can make all the throws to punish defenses. And, now that he’s run a 4.4 40-yard-dash, we can confirm that he has the speed to turn the corner and punish defenses with his speed, which will help him avoid hits. Shanahan should like him a lot.
There’s been a lot of discourse this week about the ideal quarterback for Shanahan’s system and, for whatever reason, the less physically talented quarterbacks who thrived in his offense have been pointed to as the prototypes. But the two best offenses Shanahan has put together as a play-caller -- 2012 Washington and 2016 Falcons -- had top-3 picks behind center.
Sure, the offense works with a Matt Schaub or Kirk Cousins behind the center. But with top talent at quarterback, Shanahan can supercharge this scheme.
Mac Jones isn’t going to give him that. We shouldn’t have needed Fields’ 40 time to realize he could provide that boost, but now there shouldn’t be a question.