Chicago Bears 2021 Draft: Ryan Pace Gets Aggressive And Finds His Quarterback

After an offseason full of frustration, the Chicago Bears actually make their fans happy and get their quarterback. They move up from 20 to 11 and select former Ohio State Buckeye Justin Fields.

Everyone predicted the Chicago Bears would get a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. The question was whether they made a huge trade to move up in the first round or wait until the third round.

Well, that question was answered. They moved up from the 20th overall pick to the 11th overall pick. Two of their targets, Alabama’s Mac Jones and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, were available. General manager Ryan Pace wanted to move up ahead of the New England Patriots, another team looking for a quarterback, so he could make the pick and not get the leftover.

Pace and the Bears traded their first and fifth-round picks this year and their first and fourth-round pick next year to move up and select Fields. They now hope that Fields becomes the franchise quarterback Chicago has been lacking for decades. This is a franchise that hasn’t had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or more. They hope that changes with Fields.

Fields is a dual-threat quarterback. In the last two seasons, he completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns. He also ran for 867 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground (he averaged about 4 yards per rush). He measures in at 6-foot-3 and weighs 228 pounds.

Fields owned the Big Ten Conference. He compiled a 20-2 overall record and was undefeated in the Big Ten. He led the Buckeyes to consecutive Big Ten Championships in 2019 and 2020. Ohio State also earned two berths to the College Football Playoffs.

Fields gives Bears more options

Fields is a great fit for head coach Matt Nagy’s offensive system. He can use the Run-Pass Option more than he could with the previous starter Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky could also use his legs but had trouble making decisions quickly. Fields doesn’t have that problem.

In addition to his ability to move out of the pocket and run when needed, Fields’ strength makes it tough to get him down. When he picks up a head of steam downfield it’ll be tough to stop him.

One of the problems Trubisky had was his bad mechanics. No matter what the coaches told him, when he got on the field he continued to use bd mechanics. That made it difficult for him to throw accurately, especially on deep throws. Fields uses great mechanics. He steps into the throw well and that allows his to throw with zip on the ball. The ball doesn’t float on him when he throws it.

Fields’ leadership will be great for the Bears as well. His coaches and teammates loved him. He has a great work ethic and gets the best out of his teammates. During the pandemic, he was able to get his offense to practice together and work on whatever they had to work on. He’ll be able to step into the locker room and command the respect a quarterback deserves.

The question now will be how long Fields sits before he becomes the starter. The Bears have Andy Dalton slated as the starter but he is only on a one-year contract. If he starts struggling the fans will call for Fields. Will the Bears stick to their probable plan to groom Fields for 2022? We shall see. For now, however, Chicago Bears fans are ecstatic that they might finally have their franchise quarterback.