Bear Digest

Report Focuses Bears on Using First Pick

Analysis: It's not new but a Tribune report about the Bears planning to use the top pick can't be of comfort to backers of Justin Fields.
Gene Chamberlain|
Report Focuses Bears on Using First Pick
Report Focuses Bears on Using First Pick

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Chicago Bears

There is the conjecture stage and then there is the reporting stage to all great NFL offseason debates.

Adam Schefter of ESPN on the weekend reported the Bears had considered keeping both Justin Fields and Caleb Williams, although he didn't report their ultimate decision.

Another fact reported is by the Tribune's Brad Biggs. He was told by five general managers they were certain the Bears would not be trading the first pick of the draft.

Now, five out of 32 is not a majority or even close to it. It's 15.6%.

However, it's a decent enough cross section to say that if they answered honestly—and there's no reason to think they wouldn't because their names were not used—other general managers are pretty convinced Ryan Poles is using the first pick.

After all, what are the odds against asking five different current NFL general managers and getting the five who think the Bears will try to use the first pick but the 27 or however many who don't believe this were not asked?

You'd expect at least one or two would think otherwise but 5 of 5 is pretty convincing.

What the comment did not say was they are using the pick to take Williams. 

The other aspect of this is this particular report was made right after the Senior Bowl and not right after the Super Bowl. It was simply tweeted up out of the past on Monday by the "draft Williams" people to stir things up on their side after Biggs made reference to his earlier report on AM-670 the Score. 

The report was made Feb. 3. It isn't any less valid, just not new or talked about enough earlier. 

If they were taking a QB No. 1 at this point, it's safe to assume it would be Williams. After everyone gets a good look at all the quarterbacks in this draft class at the combine, in pro days and in their 30-visits, then perhaps there eventually is a shift in thinking. 

They can learn a lot actually talking to the participants. Some people can't interview well, apparently. Ask Eric Bieniemy. Maybe things change. Then again, maybe they become more resolute in their opinion.

Biggs doubled down on his earlier report about the Bears being past Fields when talking on WSCR Monday.

"It's not a question of are they going to draft a quarterback or build around Justin," Biggs told David Haugh on Mully & Haugh. "The question now is it's very clear: Which quarterback are they going to draft? Like, the Fields thing has run its course. "But you watch that (Super Bowl) game and it's going to be difficult for them, for all the teams that are looking fo their own Patrick Mahomes, to get that guy that's near that level. But you've got to have that player if you want to annually chase a championship."

Biggs insisted the trade Fields movement has taken full hold.

"You know, we've seen the reports that it would take, what was the term? It would take an 'historic haul' for the Bears to trade the pick," Biggs told Haugh. "Well here's my interpretation: 'Hey guys you know we're not going to trade (the first pick), but Justin is available. We have operators standing by at Halas Hall right now. So call now if you're interested in Justin."

This isn't saying Williams is the player the Bears will pick. It is one very damaging report for the Fields backers, though.

That is, unless the Bears have simply convinced everyone they will use the draft's first pick instead of trading it. 

Wouldn't this be a perfect way to drive up the asking price for the pick?

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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