Who will be drafted 3rd overall: Justin Fields or Mac Jones?
Clemson's Trevor Lawrence has been locked into the No. 1 overall draft pick for quite some time. BYU's Zach Wilson, who fits the current mold of NFL quarterbacks, is becoming more and more of a lock to go second as the clock ticks.
The No. 3 pick is where things start to get interesting.
The 49ers shook up the first-round order in late March, acquiring the third selection from the Dolphins. While the market's pretty certain which direction San Francisco's leaning, there's less clarity regarding who the franchise will pluck.
Third player selected in the 2021 NFL Draft
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Fields (Ohio State) | -125 |
| Mac Jones (Alabama) | +125 |
| Trey Lance (North Dakota State) | +350 |
| Zach Wilson (BYU) | +2500 |
| Kyle Pitts (Florida) | +4000 |
| Penei Sewell (Oregon) | +10000 |
| Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) | +10000 |
Jones on the rise
Jones posted the best PFF grade for any quarterback in college football history and led the Crimson Tide to a national title in 2020, yet he was still regarded as a mid-to-late first-round pick following the season.
Now, the hype train's chugging at full speed.
With the draft a few weeks away, the Jacksonville native's floor is now roughly pick No. 7 or 8. Jones has good size at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, he won at the top level in the country, and the 22-year-old would fit seamlessly in Kyle Shanahan's offense around plenty of playmakers.
However, that's not where the money's at.
Best bet - Fields (-125)
I wouldn't get in the habit of laying a lot of chalk in the draft markets, but this price is good enough to play.
It wasn't long ago Fields was the consensus No. 2 quarterback in this class behind Lawrence. Wilson deservedly jumped Fields after months of evaluating, but has the market over-corrected its stance on the Ohio State product? Fields' athleticism is through the roof, with traits that would be a breath of fresh air in San Francisco.
I'm nowhere close to managing a professional football roster, but count me as someone who doesn't think the 49ers would have made the drastic move that they did to draft Jones with Fields still available. Shanahan's the best quarterback whisperer in football, and leaving the top dual-threat option on the board for a glorified Jimmy Garoppolo would set the franchise back an entire decade considering the quarterback competition in the NFC West.
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.