Getty Justin Fields of the Ohio State Buckeyes
Could the Chicago Bears land one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft? It’s highly unlikely unless they decide to trade away future first round picks — again — but that hasn’t stopped Bears fans and a few analysts from hypothesizing about it.
On Saturday during the Big Ten Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Northwestern Wildcats, quarterback Justin Fields’ disappointing performance had some questioning whether it may hurt his draft stock. Fields had the worst performance in his two seasons as a starter with the Buckeyes, going 12-27 for 114 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 65.1.
The Buckeyes still won, and Fields revealed afterward that he had been playing through an injured thumb, and while it wasn’t serious, it may have hindered his game. “It kind of just bent backwards,” Fields said. “I think it’s just a sprain. I’ll get some ice on it and it should be good in a few days.”
Fields also was going up against the nation’s best pass defense in Northwestern, and his rating of 65.1 was an anomaly (his lowest rating previously through his last two seasons was 122.1), so those suggesting his draft stock may fall based on this one outlier of a game seem to be utilizing more wishful thinking than anything else … right?
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Bears Fans, Analysts Wonder Whether Justin Fields Could Fall in the Draft…
Some Bears fans couldn’t help but wonder if Fields’ less than stellar performance might cause the Jets — or whomever will be picking second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft — to press the pause button on the OSU quarterback. Fields is widely expected to be selected immediately following Trevor Lawrence next year, but a few analysts, including the folks at Bleacher Nation Bears, pondered how the poor showing “could drop Justin Fields to a spot where the Bears could hypothetically” draft him.
A live look at me thinking about how this game could drop Justin Fields to a spot where the Bears could hypothetically Draft him.
Pat Fitzgerald making Justin Fields look not so good so he falls to the #Bears once he takes the job.
If this game make Justin Fields drop to my Bears >>>>>>>>
Justin fields playing so bad he might slip to the bears for a mid first round pick 😁
Justin Fields might fall to the Bears, he has not been good today
While some tossed the idea of Fields’ stock falling, others were quick to remind them how steady the quarterback has been over the last two seasons.
@RossRead Yes Ross. Everyone over think him to the point he falls and the Bears can strike. Bears fans need to be pushing this.
“Did you see how bad Justin Fields played” wink wink
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Another Analyst Has Detailed Plan for Bears to Draft Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence
Coal Thompson of FanSided mapped out a way he could see Chicago moving up in the draft, a scenario in which the Bears would trade up to the No. 6-9 range before attempting to entice the Jets or Jaguars with a bundle of likely future first-round picks. They would also have to give up a “top-tier” player or two, as well. Here’s what Thompson suggested:
“Chicago should look to swing a trade with either Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, or the Chargers, teams without big enough quarterback questions to justify taking one in the Top 10. Pulling off a trade would probably require pairing the pick with a top-tier player tailored to the receiving team’s specific area of need, but being bold isn’t about doing things the easy way. From there, the best move would be to entice New York or Jacksonville to move back with a package of picks. According to the NFL Draft value chart, depending on which pick they landed in the No. 6-9 the Bears would need to make up anywhere between 1,000 to 1,250 value points to make a trade worth accepting for the Jaguars and would need 1,400 to 1,650 (and likely a ton of sweetener) to convince the Jets to move back.”
The Bears also had scouts in attendance at the Big Ten championship game, which set some fans off.
#Bears among the teams with a scout at today’s Big Ten Championship Game between Northwestern and Ohio State.
While scenarios like this are fun to entertain and toss around, Fields falling to the Bears is about as unlikely as it gets, and after trading the farm for Mitch Trubisky, in all probability, the Bears aren’t likely to trade up again for a quarterback. When you consider Lamar Jackson fell to 32 in the first round, behind the likes of Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold, though, anything is possible — regardless of how far-fetched it may seem.
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