Ranking 2021 NFL Draft Prospects By Chipotle Bowls

The magical day is nearly upon us, it’s nearly draft day. All those months of pouring into film, ranking, and grading players, all of it finally culminates in a weekend extravaganza in Cleveland. The hot topic this year has been the quarterbacks. Who is the best quarterback that should be taken after Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence? Legions of fans have argued their points until turning blue, but it seems we have forgotten the most important measurement for quarterbacks. We’ve focused too much on their arms, and not enough on their stomachs. We’ve paid too much attention to how they played against top defenses such as Northwestern and Coastal Carolina, and not how they dealt with their greatest opposition: hunger.

Fear not, football fans, Chipotle Mexican Grill has us covered. Chipotle worked with three of the top five quarterbacks in the draft to let fans try their favorite quarterback’s go-to dish at the fast-food Mexican restaurant. They created the Trey Lance Bowl, the Zach Wilson Bowl, and the Justin Fields bowl. In the name of science, I tried all three bowls and officially ranked them just for you the reader. Adjust your big boards accordingly.

3. Justin Fields Bowl.

The Justin Fields bowl was the dish I was least excited to try. Despite being one of my favorite players in the draft, his meal looked the least intriguing of the three. It turns out before the summer, the Ohio State junior became a vegan. His lifestyle is reflected in his dish: featuring Chipotle’s plant-based sofrito option. Also included in the bowl is: lettuce, brown rice, fajita veggies, and the always delightful guacamole.

I don’t agree with the criticisms of Justin Field going around about his decision-making on the field, but I do question his decision-making at the ordering counter. The sofrito wasn’t as bad as I expected, but they weren’t good either. They became a bit of a chore to get through by the end, and it’s disappointing because without the plant-based protein this bowl would’ve been a clear touchdown! After eating this bowl, you didn’t feel sluggish or too full. You felt really nice. The fajita veggies were really good and I’d love to add them to any of the other dishes, as I would the lettuce. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but it’s clear that Justin Fields gave up a #1 spot on this list to have the vegan superpowers from the world of Scott Pilgrim.

2. Zach Wilson Bowl

Zach Wilson’s bowl in a lot of ways isn’t better than Justin Field’s bowl as a whole. I missed having the peppers and romaine lettuce from Field’s bowl when I ate the BYU star’s inspired meal. There are some clear ways that Wilson’s bowl was superior though.

Wilson’s bowl consisted of white rice, black beans, tomatillo green chili salsa, the ever-so wonderful guac, and the big addition of chicken. The step-up from sofrito to Chipotle’s chicken was one only matched by Wilson’s improvement from 2019 to 2020. It’s just simply better in every way and it can’t be understated. The tomatillo green chili salsa was also one of the biggest hits of anything I tasted in the bowls, and as someone trying Chipotle for the first three times, it was an immediate highlight. It is the perfect complement to any of these items. I also liked the addition of the black beans. Ultimately I didn’t get bored with eating this as I did with Fields’. This is one you can keep going back to, and is a meal fit for the #2nd overall pick.

1. Trey Lance Bowl

This was a really tough decision to make. Just like on the field, it is so hard for me to put one of Lance or Wilson over the other. Both are just such good prospects, and both have elite go-to meals. Ultimately I went with Lance’s bowl that came with: brown rice, black beans, tomato salsa (they forgot to give me it), tomatillo green chili salsa, romaine lettuce, the always phenomenal guac, and steak.

For me, the ranking can almost depend on the location you go to because it all comes down to the steak. If you overcook this steak, the whole thing is ruined. For any steak lover out there, there’s nothing worse than an overcooked steak. The bowls are super similar (especially since they didn’t give me my regular salsa too) that it really comes down to the protein. For me, a good steak is better than anything else. It’s almost like Trey Lance the player. He has all of the tools to be the best, but if the situation around him isn’t great or they mishandle him, it’s a bust. In this situation, it was a great hit. Everything worked well together and this looks to be my go-to even after the promotion is done. The expected champion came out on top with a delicious meal.

Inside The Hashes is not affiliated or sponsored by Chiptole Mexican Grill Restaurant Company.

Writer

By: Jacob Keppen