© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oh, how we love a good pro day. It’s been a very silly few weeks since the 49ers traded up for the No. 3 overall pick. All we had heard for weeks is that the 49ers were leaning towards Alabama’s Mac Jones, but simultaneously, it came with no cut-and-dry confirmation. Much, if not all of it, was speculation, with sourcing on reports coming from NFL executives speculating on who they thought the 49ers would draft.
That all came after Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch attended Jones’ pro day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
And what do you know, they attended Justin Fields’ pro day in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday and all of a sudden, the odds are a little lighter on Jones to the 49ers, and shifting in favor of Fields. Maybe all it took was this very chummy exchange?
Justin Fields’ second pro day: Plenty of ? and face time with Kyle Shanahan ? pic.twitter.com/Novyy0EdRA
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 15, 2021
Whatever it is, there’s been a shift. Oddsmakers DraftKings and FanDuel both have Jones as more likely to be drafted fourth or later than before, and they have Fields as the likeliest quarterback to be drafted by San Francisco.
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
There’s also this from Benjamin Allbright. It seems crazy that all it took was a second pro day for folks to come around to the idea of arguably the best or second-best quarterback in the NFL Draft being selected third overall. Wild times.
LOT of buzz connecting Fields to 3/SF in last 24 hours.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 15, 2021
While there are plenty of oddsmakers who still list Jones as the favorite, Fields has clearly jumped to second, and the margin is no longer chasmic. BetOnline has Jones at -175 and Fields at +105 at the time of posting.
UPDATE: BetOnline’s odds have completely flipped as of 3:56 PDT, with Fields listed as the favorite at -180 and Jones at +120. Hmm.