Bear Digest

Mocking the Justin Fields Mock Trades

Unsubstantiated hype about Justin Fields trade continues with latest CBS Sports mock drafts.
Gene Chamberlain|
Mocking the Justin Fields Mock Trades
Mocking the Justin Fields Mock Trades

It seems CBS.com has joined the crowd of those websites hunting for clicks by suggesting in mock drafts that Justin Fields will be traded.

Fortunately, some of those venturing there in the past have come off of the idea now as mock drafting continues.

CBS' Kyle Stackpole mock-drafted the trade of Fields and offered as an explanation that Fields was 1) inherited and not necessarily wanted by Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus; 2) wasn't as good of a prospect coming out of Ohio State as Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud; 3) Hasn't produced in the NFL; 4) CBS' Jason La Canfora said two GMs at the Senior Bowl came away "fairly convinced" the Bears would trade Fields.

Let's discount the last one first for sheer comedic value.

"Fairly convinced." (choke, laugh, gag) And two GMs. Maybe they should be running the team, then. I'm fairly convinced they didn't know what they were talking about or care, or that this is all garbage.

Second, Fields needs some help and can't do it himself as anyone who actually follows the team realizes. That's what this draft and free agency are all about. They couldn't afford talent last year and he played with a lineup void of talent.

Third, who ascertained it's a consensus Stroud and Young are better prospects than Fields? It's the other way around. Mel Kiper doesn't think so. He said both are inferior to Fields. Calling them better is entirely a writer's opinion and not a factual basis for argument. In Young's case, we might know better how good he is if he could be seen. He's kind of tough to spot on the field at 5-10, 180. 

Finally, it is true Fields was inherited. They inherited Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney, Jaylon Johnson and haven't traded them, either.

Fields isn't going anywhere and all the trade garbage remains nothing but click bait.

In real mock drafting, CBS has a few new simulations out from Garrett Poddell, Chris Trapasso and Ryan Wilson that weren't tin foil hat efforts.

Wilson had the Bears taking Will Anderson No. 1, and in an expanded draft took Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott in Round 2.

Scott is popular rising slot receiver at 5-10, 181 but may not be a system fit for the Bears as a smaller, quicker type. They favor bigger receivers in their system, even in the slot.

Poddell heaped praise on Jalen Carter and designated him the top pick in the draft by the Bears.

"Watching him in person against TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, it was mind-blowing to see his fluidity as he smoothly moved Horned Frogs offensive linemen out of the way with ease," Poddell wrote.

Trapasso had the trade down everyone expects, and for good reason. He had the Bears at No. 4 after dealing with the Colts.

In return, the Bears took the fourth pick, the Colts' second-and fourth-round picks, as well as a real haul with first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 and a third-round pick in 2024.

CBS' Josh Edwards penned a story about options ahead for the Bears and in the end concluded this about the possibility the Bears would trade Fields:

"When all is said and done, the most likely outcome is the retention of Fields for at least one more year and a trade down. In that scenario, the franchise gets more time to evaluate the young quarterback. If that proves to be misguided, the Bears would presumably be in a position to draft a top quarterback next year when USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and others are expected to be available."

NFL.com draft veteran Daniel Jeremiah had the Bears selecting Jalen Carter in his latest mock draft, as well.

"The quarterback carousel is going to shake up the outlook for the draft, with some big-name veterans potentially on the move this offseason," Jeremiah wrote. "When the dust settles, I think we're going to see a heavy run on defensive linemen and cornerbacks in the first round."

The33rdteam.com, which seemed to spearhead this trade Fields movement a few weeks ago, is now off of it. 

In their latest mock draft they have the Bears selecting Will Anderson No. 1 and point out his 17 1/2 sacks last year were 2 1/2 less than the entire Bears roster achieved.

Sports Illustrated's last mock sent Jalen Carter to the Bears.

Kevin Hanson's draft didn't use trades and he acknowledged it's likely the Bears will be trading down. If they wind up with Carter or Anderson it doesn't matter, he said, because it's like 1A and 1B.

"Bears coach Matt Eberflus has talked about the importance of having a stud three-technique in his defense, and Carter is a game-wrecker from the interior," Hanson said.

True enough, and definitely a fact because Eberflus said it more than once.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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