Urban Meyer texted Justin Fields after the 2021 draft: 'My heart was pulling so hard for him'

Meyer also dismissed the pre-draft negativity surrounding Fields

Urban Meyer and Justin Fields are in similar positions as they enter the next phase of their football journeys. Following highly successful runs at Ohio State, the veteran coach and rookie quarterback are looking to make similar marks at the next level. 

The new coach of the Jaguars, Meyer used the No. 1 overall pick in the draft to select former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Fields, who initially was projected as a top three pick, was ultimately taken by the Bears, who traded up to select him with the 11th overall pick. 

"I talked a lot to Justin," Meyer recently told WSYX's Clay Hall. "Actually texted him after the draft. My heart was pulling hard for him. Obviously, the fact that I'm a Buckeye, my son-in-law (Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis) coached him. Ryan Day, who I think the world of, brought him in here; look at the two years he had."

Meyer weighed in on the pre-draft negativity surrounding Fields' work ethic, pointing to Fields' spearheading of the players' petition to relaunch the Big Ten's 2020 season as an example of his character and leadership ability. 

"I even called a few people and said, 'What are you talking about? That's not true,'" Meyer said. "But the fact what he did, when the Big Ten, said, 'Stand down. Season's over.' He said, 'No it's not.' And he did it the right way, with class and great leadership. And I'll always admire him for that." 

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Fields' intangibles were on clear display during his greatest moment as a Buckeye. Despite suffering an injury to his midsection during Ohio State's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Clemson, Fields stayed in the game and threw six touchdown passes, an Ohio State bowl game record. All told, Fields went 22-for-28 for 385 yards while leading the Buckeyes to a 49-28 win. 

As far as tangibles are concerned, Fields put together two solid pro day performances ahead of the draft. During his first pro day, the 6-foot-3, 228-pounder ran an impressive 4.43 in the 40-yard dash. He also threw an array of passes that included a 65-yard bomb that drew applause from seemingly everyone in attendance. Fields was happy to change a possible misconception about his speed. While he wanted to run faster, Fields believes he likely ran faster than most people expected. 

Fields did not shy away from questions regarding outside criticism leading up to the draft. 

"I saw something on social media. It was kind of a big thing [that] they were questioning that," Fields told Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN show "QB21". "I don't know if it's just a thing they were throwing out there or what, but I honestly take that personally. That's kind of a bigger insult to me than saying that I don't have a strong arm or saying I'm not accurate. Again, that's not going to do anything but make me work harder. I'm not worried about it one bit." 

With the 2021 draft behind him, Fields has hit the ground running in preparing for his rookie season. Fields, who recently worked out with Bears receiver Marquise Goodwin, feels that he ended up with the right team, even if he had to wait a little longer than expected. 

"I think I fit perfectly," Fields said of the Bears offense, via The Athletic. "If [Bears coach Matt Nagy] didn't think I fit well, he wouldn't have traded up. I think just talking to him, getting to know how he communicates with his quarterbacks and his learning style, I think that's going to make me a better quarterback, a better player because he's going to teach me a lot. So I'm just excited to get up there and learn."