Things couldn’t have worked out better for the Chicago Bears during Round 1 of the 2021 NFL draft. As quarterbacks went 1-2-3 (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance) as expected, the impossible started to happen — Justin Fields began to fall in the draft.
Bears GM Ryan Pace remained patient as team after team choose someone other than Fields, including a couple of teams that could’ve used a quarterback, until the perfect trade opportunity presented itself with the New York Giants at No. 11.
Chicago swapped first-round picks with New York and gave up their fifth-round pick this year, as well as first-round and fourth-round picks in 2022. When all is said and done, it was a good deal considering what the San Francisco 49ers had given up for Lance.
Pace took a swing at another franchise quarterback. But exactly why did the Bears make the trade to go up and draft Fields? The reasoning is simple.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the fact that Fields is a “generational talent” combined with his football intelligence made it an easy decision for Pace.
From our Draft Kickoff Show: Why did the #Bears trade up for #OSU Justin Fields? Simple. His "generational talent" and his intelligence. A look at how it went down 👇🏻 👇🏻 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/RTVMBLgvty
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2021
While Pace ultimately made the Fields pick, this selection has Matt Nagy written all over it. Nagy’s connection with Ohio State coach Ryan Day was mentioned by Rapoport, and it’s clear Nagy was enamored by Fields’ talent and intelligence.
Rapoport recalled an exchange between Fields and Nagy last night after he was drafted, where Nagy brought up a formation that the two discussed during a pre-draft meeting, and “Fields spit it back perfectly, remembered everything about it.” It was another indication of his football intelligence, which the Bears really like.
For the first time in a long time, we have hope with the Bears. And we can thank Pace for taking a swing.
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