Chicago Bears 2021 NFL Draft: 3 bold predictions for draft weekend
![Chicago Bears. [Kyle Robertson/Dispatch]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F776cb0d665c14b57e1adda3ead6d8613321c42970281f6227df28a1d1e5ccbbf.jpg "Chicago Bears. [Kyle Robertson/Dispatch]")
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have prioritized the quarterback position this off-season. Dating back to the press conference conducted by George McCaskey, Ryan Pace, Ted Phillips and Matt Nagy at the end of the season, it is clear that the Bears entered the off-season with the goal of improving at the quarterback position.
One thing is clear, the Bears first option in their efforts to improve the quarterback position was Russell Wilson. During the early stages of the off-season, there appeared to be a real chance that the Seattle Seahawks were going to trade Wilson. The Bears certainly pulled out all the stops in attempting to acquire Wilson as they reportedly offered Seattle a package that included three first round draft picks. Seattle opted against trading Wilson and the Bears had to move on to their next option.
The next option for the Bears was free agent quarterback Andy Dalton. While Dalton signed with the Bears with the assurance of being the team’s starting quarterback, there was certainly no assurance provided that he was the team’s long-term answer at the quarterback position.
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It goes without saying that Pace and Nagy did not present Phillips and McCaskey with Dalton as the answer at the quarterback position. Pace and Nagy need to present hope and progress to McCaskey and Phillips if they have any chance of saving their jobs. Hope and progress does not come in the form of selecting an offensive tackle with the 20th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Hope and progress comes in the form of Pace moving up in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and selecting Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Fields, who was projected to be the No. 2 overall selection after his National Title Game efforts against Alabama, has been projected to slide in the 2021 NFL Draft. The projections are based on loose speculation that Fields struggled in defense recognition and being a leader in the huddle. In other words, Fields is falling because there was too much time between the College Football National Title Game and the 2021 NFL Draft.
Pace is going to take advantage of that fact and that is the reason why Fields will be the new Bears’ quarterback by the end of Thursday night.