Is Justin Fields the next coming of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes?
One Hall of Fame wide receiver and NFL analyst believes he sees a little bit of the star quarterback in Fields.
"You know what he [Fields] has that I just picked up on?" Keyshawn Johnson said Keyshawn, JWill and Max. "Does he got a little Patrick Mahomes in him? I'm just talking about his ability to move around and throw the football."
Fields' ability to get out of the pocket impressed Johnson enough to deem him the skill Mahomes' possesses. Mahomes is notorious for creating time in the pocket and improvising broken plays.
Last season, Fields showed off the skill. He scrambled out of a blitzing mess on fourth down against the San Francisco 49ers and scored a touchdown from 22 yards out. In the same game, Fields ran the ball 10 times for 103 yards and the touchdown.
The Bears' second-year quarterback flashed the same abilities in Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. There are multiple instances of Fields' scrambling out of the pocket to make plays, including those on Saturday.
"It just dawned on me right here on this play," Johnson said. "Bam! He's out. Eyes down the field, he throws a ball to his left down the sideline. That's Patrick Mahomes."
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Fields still has a long way in his development before the comparisons to Patrick Mahomes become accurate. However, Johnson makes a great point in noticing Fields' improvement in escaping the pocket.
Last year, Fields was sacked 36 times and was part of the duo (Fields and Andy Dalton) who were sacked the most times in the NFL (58). Pocket awareness and scrambling are essential skills for the young quarterback since the Bears' offensive line is far from a finished product.
He will have another opportunity to create similar highlight reel plays against the 49ers in week one when the Bears host them at Soldier Field for their season opener.