It's time for some NFL draft talk. I'm called Draftman Rick for a reason, LOL!
A lot of talk is being made about what the Bears should do with the number 1 pick in this year's NFL draft. The choices are to keep the pick and either take a dominant defensive player, like Georgia's Jalen Carter or Alabama's Will Anderson Jr., or take a quarterback, like Bryce Young, and trade current quarterback Justin Fields.
I've heard a lot of people on either side of the debate. Bryce Young has special skills. Some have compared him to Patrick Mahomes. C.J. Stroud is another quarterback who will go high in this draft. Some like him even better than Young. However, if the Bears trade the pick, they could get several picks/players back in return.
I've thought about all of this, and here's what I would do. While it's true that Justin Fields has not set the world on fire in his first two years, the Bears need to consider the history of Fields and the current condition of their team. When Fields was in high school, he slowly ascended to be the top prospect by his senior year. It's true that Trevor Lawrence was highly rated when he came out of high school, but he was not the top prospect by many services. Justin Fields was number one. When he went to college at Georgia, he was slow to get up to speed. Georgia decided to go with Jake Fromm over Fields even though Fromm had a much lower ceiling than Fields. So, Fields decided to transfer to Ohio State. Fields got better and better. So, his history is that it takes him awhile when he steps up in competition to get really good. If history repeats itself, Fields will continue to get better and better in the NFL. If the Bears keep him, they need to get him as much help as possible. Their overall team is weak right now, and they could get a decent pick for Justin Fields, probably a second round pick. But, what if they trade the first pick to the Colts? They could get the Colts first round pick which is number 4 in the draft, get the Colts first round pick next year, plus get another pick and maybe even a young Colts player. If the Colts have the top pick overall, I think they would take Young. The Texans draft next. They need a quarterback, so I expect them to take C.J. Stroud. The Cardinals are next. Their new head coach has already said he would not have signed up to come to Arizona if QB Kyler Murray was not there, so I expect them to take either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr. That leaves the Bears with whichever one of those two players the Cardinals don't take. The Bears get a player they covet. They get other picks to help them build a better team. They get to keep Justin Fields while he gets better and better without having to start over at quarterback and worrying if Bryce Young's slight build will lead to a lot of injuries. So, it's a win-win-win for the Bears. Chicago, trade that pick!
May God always be your number 1 draft pick!
Draftman Rick