Epilepsy hasn’t slowed down former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields during his college career, and he’s not going to have it in the NFL.
Sources say teams became aware during the preparation process that Fields is managing epilepsy – a neurological condition that can cause seizures, but hasn’t affected Fields’ football career and doctors are confident he will grow just like his other family members. to have.
Diagnosed as a young person, Fields has seen his symptoms get shorter and less frequent over time, and he doesn’t have seizures as long as he’s taking his medicine, a source said. He is projected as a first-round pick in next week’s NFL Draft, starting with the first round on April 29.
Sources say the team’s medical staff discussed Fields’s treatment plan and whether events during his NFL career, such as a concussion, could put him at greater risk. But Fields has no documented absences from games during a college career in which he was a Heisman Trophy finalist and two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, leading the Buckeyes to a national championship game last January.
Fields wouldn’t be the first NFL player to excel with epilepsy. Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca took medication to control seizures throughout his career. In 2007, Baltimore Ravens’ striking safety, Samari Rolle, had three major seizures, getting him out of six games before the doctors corrected his medication and he returned to the team.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars widely expected to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson the favorite to go to the New York Jets at No. 2, Fields could be in the game, together with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones and North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, as high as the No. 3 pick of the San Francisco 49ers.