The Chicago Bears were lucky to land quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Because Fields certainly shouldn’t have fallen outside the top 10.
Fields was considered a top-two quarterback prospect by many, and there were some quarterback-needy teams that appeared primed to select him. A lot had to happen for Fields to wind up with the Bears, whether it was the San Francisco 49ers taking Trey Lance at No. 3 overall, the Atlanta Falcons going with tight end Kyle Pitts and the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers passing on Fields.
There are some that believe there are teams already regretting passing on Fields. And others, well, they’re trying to justify their decision, which might end up haunting them in the future.
According to Charles Robinson, the Broncos passed on Fields due to medical concerns about his epilepsy diagnosis.
"I did think it was interesting to know that the medical did play into Denver bypassing [Justin Fields]."
That's @CharlesRobinson on this week's You Pod To Win The Game, where he's joined by @Eric_Edholm.
On Apple: https://t.co/Khr0B3yNM6
On Spotify: https://t.co/it3bbQpvNR pic.twitter.com/Cdrgkrfo2S— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 19, 2021
Here’s what someone from the Broncos told Robinson about the concern with Fields’ epilepsy:
“It wasn’t the talent, we really liked the talent a lot. It was the medical. Look, the epilepsy…the concern about it was…the amount of risk that is there the day you draft him, versus what’s there 10 years down the line is the same. It never dissipates.”
For what it’s worth, Fields’ epilepsy hasn’t impacted his football career. He had a seizure in ninth grade, which is when he was diagnosed. He takes medication for it and hasn’t had a seizure since.
“I mean, it’s pretty simple for me to manage it,” Fields said. “I just have to take three to four pills a night, every night. It’s nothing crazy. It’s a thing that’s been there for the past seven or eight years, so I’m used to it, and I’m just going to continue to deal with it and continue to play the game that I love.”
Fields revealed his epilepsy diagnosis during the pre-draft process, where NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said, “It has not affected football and doctors believe he’ll outgrow it as his other family members have.”
While Fields has yet to take a regular-season snap, there’s no denying Fields’ star potential. The Broncos, and others, might wind up regretting the decision to pass on Fields down the line.
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