One thing about the NFL draft season is it’s unpredictable. Surprises happen all the time. Coming into the 2023 off-season, everybody believed the Chicago Bears would move forward with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback. However, some are starting to waver on that idea. GM Ryan Poles holds the #1 overall pick. He is free to take any player in the entire draft, including top quarterbacks. If he isn’t entirely sold on Fields, then this is his opportunity to make a change. ESPN draft insider Todd McShay thinks he should.
The Fields topic came up during a segment on Get Up. McShay was asked directly whether he thinks the Bears will stick with Fields or if they may consider pivoting to a new quarterback from this draft. The man didn’t hesitate. His personal belief is the Bears will move forward with Fields, choosing instead to trade down from #1 to accumulate more picks. That said, he also thinks such a move would be a mistake. Based on the tape he has watched for months, it’s his opinion that Alabama’s Bryce Young is an upgrade.
Todd McShay understands why Young is a difficult sell.
When it comes to playing the position, the kid can do everything. He’s accurate, poised, and has an excellent pocket presence. He can sense pressure and has enough mobility to make plays with his feet. Under normal circumstances, he’d be the obvious choice for the #1 pick. There is one problem. He’s small. Rumors suggest Young is around 5’10 and 195 lbs. Since 2000, only two quarterbacks ended up having long NFL careers who were that small. Both of them were backups. Kenny Moore and Seneca Wallace. Young would be a significant counter to the norm. Smaller players almost always struggle to stay healthy in the pros.
Would Poles be willing to wager his career on such a player? That seems unlikely. While Young has most of the mental tools for the position, he would need an excellent offensive line to function at his peak in the NFL. The Bears aren’t equipped with anything close to that right now. Perhaps he could overcome it as any great quarterback would. Still, it feels unlikely Poles would take such a gamble. Fields showed enough last season to justify more time. While the draft position might be ideal, the timing is not. If Young were bigger, it’d be an easy decision. Sadly, nothing in the draft is ever easy. Todd McShay should know that.
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Talk is cheap. Let’s see how the two careers play out.
2 words: RYAN LEAF! Why gamble on an unknown? Bears tried a smaller guy in Doug Flutie a few years ago…great guy, but even with an awesome o-line and defense, he wasn’t a success until he went to Canada.
Todd McShay’s opinion is just that and nothing else. All the current crop of college quarterbacks are unproven commodities and none of them are equal to Justin Fields.
Todd McShay’s opinion is just that and nothing else. All the current crop of college quarterbacks are unproven commodities and none of them are equal to Justin Fields.
1 in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.