Mark Fields wanted to show the NFL coaches, scouts and general managers he is a complete corner at the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday morning.
He did exactly that.
The former Clemson cornerback, one of 11 former Tigers at the combine in Indianapolis, Ind, this past week, showed exactly what he was capable of. The 5-foot-10, 192-pound corner ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash, the second-best time of any defensive back at the combine.
He also showed off his skills, explosiveness, how he can cover the field and turn his hips during backpedal and individual drills.
“I want to show teams that I am a complete corner. That I can play inside and outside,” Fields said Sunday to The Clemson Insider and the rest of the media covering the combine. “I am competitor. I have good ball skills … everything, great feet, great hips, everything.”
NFL writer Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, wrote that Fields is a sleeper in this year’s NFL Draft, and the former Tiger used the combine to increase his stock.
CB Mark Fields is a big time sleeper. Played a very limited role at Clemson but has light feet, is aggressive playing the football in the air, and now we know he’s a 4.37 guy. Stock way up.
— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) March 4, 2019
“I have not been a true starter. It is what it is. I gamer,” Fields said.
Fields said he spoke with a lot of the NFL teams at the combine and he has a few formal interviews set up, but he did not indicate which teams he was going to meet with.
“They want to know who I am. They like my skills, but they really just want to get to know me as a person,” Fields said.
Outside of Clemson, few people know who Mark Fields is. He started just six games in his Clemson career, tough he played in 48 overall. He helped the Tigers win two national championships in his four seasons there, including two pass breakups in Clemson’s 44-16 victory over Alabama in the title game this past January.
Fields finished his Clemson career with 45 tackles, five tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 13 broken up passes and one interception.
“My ability to stay with it. My development over my time, I am very pleased with where I am at,” he said. “Now, I feel like that is already written and now God has me.”
This year, Fields is being told he could be picked anywhere from second to fifth round.
“It’s a wide range,” he said.
But he said by staying at Clemson and returning for his senior year, he improved his draft grade from last year. He said he if came out after his junior year, he likely would have been a fourth- to sixth-round pick or not drafted at all.
Fields and the rest of the Tigers will work out again in front of NFL teams at Clemson’s Pro Day, which is scheduled for March 14.
Move over Alabama, Clemson is the new King of College Football. In our new magazine “Little Ole Clemson”: The Best “Little” Dynasty Ever, we examine not just the 2018 team’s run to being “the best ever” but examine the last four seasons and how Dabo Swinney turned Clemson into the new dynasty of college football. We also take a look at the role former athletic director Terry Don Phillips played. We go behind the scenes at the Tigers’ run to a second national championship in three seasons and the previous three national championship runs. It also features stories on the Power Rangers, the 2018 senior class, high quality photos and much, much more.
We are pleased to announce that our latest magazine is ready for order. Get your order in today to make sure you get a copy of this collector’s edition.