In Ohio State’s Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears are getting a quarterback who says his top strength is ‘showing up in big moments’
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As the minutes and picks ticked by Thursday night, Justin Fields figured his family members sitting around him on his couch in Kennesaw, Ga., were more nervous than he was.
Like most of the rest of the NFL, Fields didn’t have any hints the draft board would fall just right so Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace could swoop in with an offer of four draft picks to obtain the New York Giants’ No. 11 selection.
But when coach Matt Nagy called to ask if the Ohio State quarterback was ready to be a Bear, he took it in stride, replying, “Of course.” It’s one of the things Pace likes about him — a readiness for the big moments.
“I was confident in myself, I guess, that wherever I ended up I was going to be in the right place for me,” Fields said. “So I’m excited.”
Of course, so is Pace, who said Halas Hall radiated with energy because of what Fields is “going to do for the future of our organization.”
The trade came after Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence went to the Jacksonville Jaguars, BYU’s Zach Wilson went to the New York Jets and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance went to the San Francisco 49ers with the first three picks.
When Fields still was on the board after the top 10, Pace and the Giants came to an agreement Pace thought was fair — the Bears’ first- and fifth-round picks this year and first- and fourth-round picks in 2022. In return, Pace and Nagy get a quarterback prospect on whom they will stake their futures in Chicago.
“It’s the arm talent. It’s the accuracy. It’s the athleticism,” Pace said. “When you see a guy with that kind of arm talent, with that kind of quarterback makeup that he has, with that kind of work ethic, that’s played in really big games and really big moments and performed in big moments, that’s extremely tough.
“This guy’s toughness on a scale of 1-10 is an 11. And you just love that about him. Oh, and by the way, he runs a 4.44. You throw that all in together, and it just feels good.”
Fields, a five-star recruit out of high school, began his collegiate career at Georgia, where he played in 12 games as a true freshman before transferring to Ohio State. Over 22 games in two seasons in Columbus, Ohio, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound Fields threw for 5,373 yards with 63 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushed for 867 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“The kind of player the Bears are getting is a versatile player, a player that can make plays both with my arm and also with my legs and of course a smart player,” Fields said. “A player that’s going to make smart decisions and a player that wants to win, that’s willing to do whatever to win.
“My No. 1 strength I would say (is) just showing up in big moments. When big moments present themselves, I feel like there’s just another thing that kicks inside of me.”
NFL Network analysts used the word “juice” multiple times as they analyzed the Bears’ pick on the broadcast. Daniel Jeremiah lauded Fields’ arm strength, explosiveness and big-play ability, while Stanford coach David Shaw praised his energy, passion and ability to rise to important moments, including when he threw for six touchdowns while playing after a massive hit in the College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Clemson.
Fields also faced his fair share of criticism in the months leading up to the draft, with analysts suggesting he needs to improve his reads and processing. He also had two of his least successful games statistically in the Big Ten championship win over Northwestern and the national championship loss to Alabama. However, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit shot down criticism about Fields’ commitment, saying he heard the opposite from Ohio State coaches and teammates.
Earlier this week, NFL Network also reported Fields is managing epilepsy, but Pace said the Bears are comfortable with how he handles the neurological disorder, which hasn’t affected his career.
ESPN analyst Matt Bowen told the Tribune earlier this month that he compares Fields to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
“And there were some legitimate concerns on Herbert’s college film. But what did L.A. do? They bet on the traits,” Bowen said. “The physical traits and those physical tools that Herbert brings to the field, you see a lot of similarities with Justin Fields. He has the arm talent to attack all three levels of the field. He’s a very accurate deep-ball thrower. … And what he also gives you are those dual-threat traits.”
The pick comes six weeks after the Bears introduced Andy Dalton as their new starter, signing the 10-year NFL veteran to a one-year contract. But it always made sense for Pace and Nagy to go after a quarterback prospect in the draft to try to develop to start beyond 2021.
Pace said Nagy called Dalton on Thursday to let him know he would remain the Bears starter. The plan for Fields, as it was for Mitch Trubisky in 2017, is to give him time to develop. Pace believes a support system that includes Dalton, veteran Nick Foles, Nagy, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and pass-game coordinator/quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo will help that development succeed.
“We just have to let it play out,” Pace said. “Let it play out. One of the best feelings in the world would be, hey, we’re rolling, we’re playing really good football, we’re winning. And we’re looking over there and we’re seeing this guy and we all know — everyone in the building knows — that hey, we got a guy.”
It is the sixth time in the Super Bowl era the Bears have drafted a quarterback in the first round, and the first time since 2017 when Pace traded up from No. 3 to 2 to take Mitch Trubisky, who signed a contract to be the Buffalo Bills backup this season. The Bears also selected Rex Grossman (No. 22 in 2003), Cade McNown (No. 12 in 1999), Jim Harbaugh (No. 26 in 1987) and Jim McMahon (No. 5 in 1982) in the first round since 1966.
Fields was asked on a videoconference call with reporters why he might be the quarterback to help the Bears out of years of mediocrity at the position.
“Just the way I carry myself, just the way I care about the game, the grit I have, the determination I have to be great,” Fields said. “Nobody has the story that I have. So just everything inside of me, just wanting to be a great quarterback, wanting to be a franchise quarterback.
“And just me dreaming for this moment my whole life. So all of those intangibles, my work ethic and all that together will of course be different for me.”
Steve Walsh played in 13 games for the Bears from 1994 to 1995.
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