After leading Clemson to a national title as a true freshman last season, it was pretty much assumed that Trevor Lawrence would be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Two years before he was even eligible, we were anointing him as the best quarterback available.

Fast forward a few months, and it now seems like the Clemson quarterback may have a challenger. And it comes from Ohio State.

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According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Justin Fields is entering the conversation. He says that, right now, Lawrence is still the favorite, but that the Ohio State quarterback is closing the gap based on his performance this far into the season.

“Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence may have competition from Ohio State’s Justin Fields, based on how Fields is playing, to be the first pick in 2021,” Breer wrote. “I’d still say Lawrence is a heavy favorite, but that this is even a discussion is a huge complement to Fields.”

Through five games, Fields has been better than advertised. He’s thrown for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing passes at a 69.8 percent rate. He’s also rushed for 222 yards and seven scores. He has yet to throw an interception.

Because of his efforts, Ohio State sits 5-0 with blowout victories in all five games.

With the competition getting tougher — Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan are still on the schedule — Fields will have the opportunity to improve his stock even more over the next few weeks. He could make the gap even tighter by the end of the year.