My Two Cents: Worlds Collide With Bears' Selection of Ohio State QB Justin Fields
News and views from the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft.
NEWS: The Chicago Bears trade up to draft electric Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, and all is right with the world.
VIEWS: Pump. The. Brakes. I heard some talking heads in Chicago say that this was the greatest day in Bears history, but they're getting way ahead of themselves. Justin Fields has some talent, and he can make some plays, but there is a reason why three other quarterbacks were drafted ahead of him.
As a Region Rat kid from Northwest Indiana, I know all about the Bears' horrific history with quarterbacks. I also know even more about their horrific present. It still stuns me that general manager Ryan Pace still has a job after the 2017 mistake of taking Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes – and trading up to do it, no less. How does any general manager survive that? Mahomes and that Bears defense would have won a Super Bowl by now.
And now here comes Justin Fields, and the part of where my worlds collide, because my writing jobs the last three years had me watching EVERY game that Fields has played in college in the last three years, the first at Georgia and the last two at Ohio State.
And I was one of just a handful of people who actually watched this year's Indiana-Ohio State in person, and with my own eyes, I can tell all my Bears fans this terrible bit of bad news:
Justin Fields makes bad decisions when he's under pressure.
All Bears fans know that the offensive line is the biggest weakness of this current edition. It's downright horrible, certainly a bottom-five unit. So if you want your enthusiasm tempered a bit, watch these three interceptions in the game against Indiana, where Fields was the SECOND-BEST quarterback on the field that day. Let's not forget that Indiana's Michael Penix Jr. threw for 491 yards that day, not Fields.
Watch these three plays, and cringe:
I have always made the argument that quarterbacks at places like Ohio State and Alabama are often considered overrated and eventual NFL busts because they play on teams that are so loaded with talent that they dominate the college game too easily. They sit back in a secure pocket, untouched, and throw tofirst-round receivers who are always wide open.
The list of Ohio State quarterbacks who have flamed out in the NFL is a long one, with Dwayne Haskins being the latest. I'm not saying Fields will be a bust, but watch those interceptions again. Until the Bears can fix that offensive line, they should give Fields some time to learn the NFL game and fix all his flaws.
Just sayin'. I've seen it with my own eyes.
Cowboys finally get it right
NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys use their first-round pick on former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, who hasn't played a game since 2019.
VIEWS: There are a lot of Cowboys fans who don't know anything about football, and they questioned this pick. They're fools. You can't fault a kid for sitting out last year's Big Ten season because of COVID and all the uncertainty. Watch his tape, and then you'll know like I know. Let me be bold here. Micah Parsons is the best defensive player in this draft.
I'm not alone. Here's what our sharp NFL draft analyst Jim Mora Jr. said about Parsons:
"He's ready-made for the NFL," Mora said. "... His frame is NFL ready-made, with explosive speed, and I don't think he's a guy who has any physical limitations going to the next level. What I like about him is that he can play inside or outside. You can put him at the Will linebacker in a 4-3 defense, cover him up with the 3-technique, and let him run. And then on third down, you can put him on the edge, and he can get some work done as a pass-rusher."
In other words, he'll probably be a starting linebacker in Dallas for 10 years and will go to a bunch of Pro Bowls. He's that good.
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons (11) celebrates after sacking Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan. (Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports)
Streaks that make you smile
NEWS: Northwestern had two first-round picks for the first time ever, and Nebraska gets shut out again.
VIEWS: No one had to be happier about Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater going No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams and Greg Newsome going to Cleveland with the No. 26 pick that than ESPN draft host Mike Greenburg, who wears his Northwestern love proudly. He even wore a purple tie for Thursday's first-round broadcast.
It was a historic night for Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats program. It was the first time that they had two players chosen in the first round. Ever.
The flip side of that is that once-powerful Nebraska went another draft without an offensive player being taken in the first round. That's now 25 years in a row – since running back Lawrence Phillips in 1996 – that the Cornhuskers had a high pick on that side of the ball.
It's clear evidence of how badly that program has fallen through the years. They used to put offensive lineman and running backs into the first round all the time. Times do indeed change.
