A Very (and Maybe Too?) Detailed Comparison of Trey Lance and Justin Fields

A mega-detailed comparison between Trey Lance and Justin Fields originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

NFL Draft season is truly the best, because it leads to stories such as this one that compares a pair of quarterbacks that 1) the Washington Football Team may or may not be interested in and 2) the Washington Football Team may or may not have to trade up for to even have a chance of selecting.

However, until Trey Lance and Justin Fields are selected by someone other than the Burgundy and Gold later this month, discussing them as options for the Burgundy and Gold is a relevant exercise.

Below, you'll find a hopefully useful and potentially way more detailed than you'd ever need comparison of the two first-round prospects... 

Who played more games in college?

Lance appeared in 19 contests (17 starts) at North Dakota State, with two of those starts coming in the postseason. Fields, meanwhile, saw action across 34 matchups with Georgia and then, more notably, at Ohio State (where he started 22 times), with three of those starts happening in the College Football Playoff as a Buckeye.

How do their pass attempts stack up?

Because Lance took the field about half as many times as Fields did in school, his number of attempts (318) is 300 less than Fields' (618). If you go by a per-game average, Lance checks in at 16.7 and Fields sits at 18.2, but that total includes all of their work and not just their starts.

What about passing yards?

Lance racked up 2,947 yards through the air for the Bison. Fields, on the other hand, compiled 5,701 yards with his arm in Athens and Columbus. 

And passing touchdowns?

Lance tossed 30 scores in his collegiate career (and just one interception, mind you), while Fields chucked 67 six-pointers (against nine picks) in his. Both of those TD:INT ratios are — what's the phrase? — freaking unreal.

Let's move to their rushing stats. Who's more of a threat in that area, based off of what they showed in college?

Because Fields has such an advantage in playing time over Lance (and because he's largely regarded as the better throwing quarterback of the two), he far outpaces Lance in all of the above categories. When it comes to running, though, Lance is right there with Fields, even with the wide differential in snaps.

Fields produced 19 touchdowns with his legs, which is just one more than Lance's 18. In terms of rushing yards, Lance's 1,325 bests Fields' 1,133. And, lastly, Lance is superior in yards-per-attempt as well — a typical Lance rush spanned 6.9 yards, which is greater than Fields' average of 4.4.

Who has more letters in their name?

T-R-E-Y L-A-N-C-E = Nine letters.

J-U-S-T-I-N F-I-E-L-D-S = 12 letters.

M-I-N-D-B-L-O-W-I-N-G = 11 letters.

You're welcome.

Who's younger?

For those who connect youth with upside, Lance is your guy. He was born on May 9, 2000, which means he's about to turn 21. Fields, who was born on March 5, 1999, just turned 22. Both are almost two decades younger than Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Who has more Instagram followers?

Fields captures this prestigious title, as his follower count (643K) is almost 10 times the size of Lance's (66K). Scouts surely, definitely, obviously, undoubtedly take this into account when assembling their draft board. 

Who has been at the center of more Netflix shows?

Fields was featured on Netflix's QB 1: Beyond the Lights series during his senior campaign at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. Lance, according to surface-level Internet research, has yet to get a similar big break in terms of coverage from a show.

Who has bigger hands?

Quarterback hand size has garnered a lot of attention as of late, but per NFL.com, these two signal-callers are tied at a measurement of 9.125 inches. Therefore, that trait can't be used to swing an argument one way or another. Feel free to implement the Netflix thing as your tiebreaker if need be.

Who is still reading this thing?

Hopefully, like, four of you. Thanks for sticking it out.