Chicago Bears: Justin Fields must be top target in 2021 NFL Draft
By Usayd Koshul
Why should Ohio State Quarterback Justin Fields be the Chicago Bears’ top target in the 2021 NFL Draft?
If you watched the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Saturday night, the major headlines revolved around 2021 NFL Draft quarterback prospects. Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trevor Lawrence from Clemson. For many, it seemed from the start that Clemson was going to head to another national championship game. For the Chicago Bears, these are two quarterbacks worth watching as the team prepares for the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Bears aren’t getting Lawrence. That’s been set in stone since before the 2020 season even began. However, depending on who the team’s next general manager is, since we don’t know what the future of Ryan Pace looks like. However, even if Pace is picking and Matt Nagy is retained as head coach, Fields needs to be atop the Bears draft board.
What was on display Saturday night was Fields quickly quieting the critics. He was calm, poised, and showed why he deserves to be the second-ranked quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. While many would argue that BYU’s Zach Wilson should be ranked second, Fields’ performance on Saturday night should dictate otherwise.
Another aspect of Fields’ game that was on display was Fields’ toughness. After taking a big hit in the first half, which was him injure his ribs, he still managed to come back and throw a touchdown after being out for a few moments.
Additional aspects of his game that were on display were arm strength and mobility. While Fields doesn’t have the biggest arm, he did display the ability to hit deep balls, something which is crucial in Nagy’s offense. Fields ability to extend plays will be valuable as NFL teams value mobility in quarterbacks, especially with the way NFL offenses continue to evolve.
But here’s the issue: If Fields is going to be in a Bears jersey in 2021, the Bears have to make a few moves first. They need to move on from Mitch Trubisky and accept the fact that picking Trubisky was a major mistake. Second, they’ll need to plan to trade up for Fields, which could include giving up additional 2021 and 2022 NFL Draft capital.
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Overall, Fields performance on Saturday night which included 385 passing yards, six touchdowns, one interception, and a 78.6 completion percentage, wasn’t just a box score game. After struggling against teams like Northwestern and Indiana earlier in the season, Fields proved to us on all on Saturday night that for the Bears to not have him high on their draft boards would be a major mistake.