49ers take Justin Fields, trade around in final mock NFL Draft

Niner Noise’s final mock 2021 NFL Draft has the 49ers grabbing Justin Fields at No. 3 overall, then trading around in the later rounds.

This time next week, we’ll fully know what the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2021 NFL Draft class will look like.

All the weeks and months of speculation about which prospect general manager John Lynch and Co. take with the No. 3 overall pick will finally turn into reality. One group will be wrong about their predicted pick for a quarterback, while the other will be right in the thinking it was Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones or North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance.

Heck, maybe even BYU signal-caller Zach Wilson would be the name called if the New York Jets pass on him at No. 2 overall.

Yet the chances of that happening are slim, leaving San Francisco with a likely choice of the other three with its first pick.

But that’s only one of nine total selections Lynch has at his disposal between Rounds 1 and 7. And with the draft now just days away, Niner Noise offers up our final seven-round mock for the 49ers, which includes the should-be move at No. 3 overall as well as some wheeling and dealing in the later rounds.

Let’s kick this final mock off. The Niners are now on the clock.

Note: Mock draft created with Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator tool.

Round 1, Pick No. 3 Overall: 49ers select quarterback Justin Fields, Ohio State

It’s a bit sad the discussion about San Francisco’s first pick has centered more around why drafting Jones would be a mistake and less about why Fields would be an excellent pick.

Not only does Fields possess the athletic playmaking prowess Jones lacks, but the former does so with an excellent arm and with accuracy, too. If analysts are so enamored with Jones’ fit within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense and the kind of quarterbacks Shanahan has had previously, how is it so difficult to see why Fields can offer up many of those traits with the higher upside of being a true playmaking quarterback?

At any rate, Fields’ 70.2 completion percentage last year against top-end competition speaks for itself. There are plenty of other tangible and intangible traits worth breaking down — and we’ve already done so here — and Fields would be an excellent add for Shanahan.

The 49ers swung big by trading up to No. 3 overall while giving up two future first-round draft picks.

It’s time to complete the process by going with a home-run pick in the Ohio State quarterback.