Ever since the Chicago Bears secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, most mock drafts have had the franchise making one of two moves:
Sticking at No. 1 and drafting their top defensive-rated prospect (presumably Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr.).
Trading back with a QB-needy team to acquire more draft capital.
Today, we'll explore a third option -- one that many Bears fans surely won't be happy with: Trading Justin Fields and taking a QB with the first selection.
It's understandable to scoff at this notion after Fields' electric final 10 games of the 2022 campaign.
He established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL while making strides in the passing game despite an uninspiring cast of pass-catchers.
With another year of Chicago molding its offense to Fields' strengths, in addition to surrounding him with capable playmakers, who knows how good he could be in Year 3!
All of that makes sense. Now here's the other side of this equation:
The current Bears brass (general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus,
among others) were not around when Chicago traded up nine spots to select Fields with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He's not their guy.
Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud are both better prospects coming out of college than Fields was.
If they were in the same draft, they'd likely both be selected ahead of him.