No prominent Chicago Bears member made the trip to the first Ohio State pro day. A somewhat unusual revelation given how prominent that program is at churning out future NFL starters. However, it appears one of them wasn’t going to miss out on a second chance. Top quarterback Justin Fields held another throwing session in order to give teams one last look at him with the NFL draft just two weeks away. Matt Nagy made sure he in attendance.
School photographers caught the Bears head coach watching the young man throw. This makes the second of the top five quarterbacks that he was confirmed to have seen live. The other being Trey Lance of North Dakota State. This inevitably leads to questions. Are the Bears just doing their due diligence or does it mean something more. Why would Nagy bother attending those sessions in person unless he had a serious idea of coaching one of them?
Where will @justnfields go? 🤔#GoBuckeyes #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/cdeWra23rZ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 14, 2021
It feels like things have started to line up.
Brad Biggs stated in his recent mailbag that he feels confident the Bears are serious about drafting a quarterback in the 1st round. It comes down to whether one they covet happens to fall enough to where they feel comfortable moving up to get him. Is Fields that guy? Last month a source informed SM that the team was keeping a close eye on the Ohio State star. There’s been a recent undercurrent of belief that he could slip to the bottom of the top 10.
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If that were to happen, it might convince Nagy and GM Ryan Pace to jump up for him. In terms of pure talent, Fields has a case for being the best in the entire class. He’s big, strong, athletic, and fast. He throws with accuracy at all levels of the field, showcasing plenty of toughness and grit as well. The sticking point with him for many was his slower processor and tendency to linger too long on his first reads.
Perhaps the Bears feel he could benefit from sitting behind a veteran like Andy Dalton for a year, giving themselves a chance to win now and in the future.
Matt Nagy isn’t afraid to aim high
If the sources are to be believed, Nagy had Patrick Mahomes #1 on his personal board of quarterbacks back in 2017. He felt despite the misgivings about the Texas Tech standout that he had the sort of ability that could make him a generational talent. It took some time but Mahomes is now the undisputed best quarterback in the NFL with an MVP and a Super Bowl ring before the age of 25.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Matt Nagy saw the same thing with Fields. He too has that unique blend of high-end athleticism mixed with a strong arm and accuracy. His numbers the past two years are comparable to Mahomes and he actually won more games in a tougher conference. Does he have the same instincts for the game or the same natural leadership? That is something people can’t answer.
This is why Nagy is getting as many looks at him as possible.
The physical talent is there. The much harder part to gauge is what’s between the ears. Fields has heart. His game against Clemson in which he took a brutal shot to the ribs and played through it was impressive. Can he master the endlessly complex intricacies of the pro game? Can he learn to digest boatloads of information at a rapid speed before and after the snap? These are the things that separate the good quarterbacks from the rest. If Fields can, he’s going to be a star.