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Could Justin Fields be the next Lamar Jackson?

As many of you know, Justin Fields is a phenomenal player. The best dual-threat (and some might argue the best overall) quarterback is set to join the Dawgs this spring. Fields will likely be in a backup role to Jake Fromm for at least two seasons unless he blows the coaches away before the season starts or something drastic happens such as this year's Eason situation.

What are the chances that Fields takes the job from Fromm? Well, I think Fromm is still a clear favorite to keep his starting position, especially after the season he had this year. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised to see Fields get significant minutes and potentially even a start or two during his freshman year. He has a certain "it factor" when you see him play. You can't quantify some of the things he does. Some of the tackles he avoids and some of the throws he makes will just leave you in awe.

Fields isn't your typical five-star dual-threat quarterback if there is such a thing as a typical five-star. I believe that by the time Fields is done with his college career, he'll be among the best in the nation. I saw this mostly because of the fact that he reminds me of 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson.

They both play very similarly, but Fields seems to have a much more bright in future. If you compare their junior and senior years of high school, Fields has been much more productive. Jackson, who was also recruited by Georgia, had an average of 242.9 yards per game over the course of those two years. Fields averaged 330.7. Fields scored a total of 28 touchdowns through the air and on the ground, while Jackson only accumulated 22. When it comes to passing, Fields had a higher passer rating (125.3) and completion percentage (65.8%) than Jackson did (102.7 QBR and completed 47.1% of passes). Fields threw fewer interceptions (8) on far more attempts (406) than Jackson did (9 on 261 attempts).

High school stats can be deceiving though. You could have a player with great talent that doesn't have very good players around him, or you could have a player that plays in a much easier or a much tougher league than another player and that will skew stats. You can't deny the measurables though. Justin Fields has a 40-yard dash time of 4.51 seconds. That is almost three-tenths of a second quicker than Lamar Jackson's 4.77-second 40-yard dash. The 20-yard shuttle tells a similar story with Fields clocking a 4.16 and Jackson coming in a little slower at 4.44 seconds. Fields' power throw also went five and a half feet further than Jackson's.

He has all the makings of a game-changer. The Dawgs offense won't be as dependent on Fields as Louisville's was on Jackson, so I don't know if you'll see Justin Fields thrown into a Heisman conversation in the coming years, but he definitely has the potential to be just as good as, if not better than, a recent winner of the prestigious award.


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