It is admittedly quite difficult to find much fault in what GM Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears did during the 2021 NFL Draft. The front office, despite making the NFL playoffs twice in the past three seasons, has been endlessly panned following the selection of maligned quarterback Mitch Trubisky — who already has 10,000 career passing yards, a near 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, a Pro Bowl appearance and a lifetime 29-21 record in 50 starts.
But if everyone went back and redrafted the picks made in 2017, there are nine teams who don't let $400 million man and former Texas Tech star Patrick Mahomes fall all the way to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 10. Mistakes happen.
Bears' 2021 NFL Draft Mistakes:
No team ever nails its draft process, and no team ever will. But the Bears did two things in particular this year that could come back to haunt the historic franchise for a long time, if things don't work out as intended. And surprisingly, it wasn't the actual picks themselves.
Mistake No. 1: Chicago paid too much for Ohio State QB Justin Fields
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields hasn't thrown a single pass for the Chicago Bears, and already, fans are foaming at the mouth for him to take the football and run all the way to the Super Bowl.
Truth be told, maybe Fields is just the guy to do it. His athleticism — after finishing with 5,701 yards passing, 1,133 yards rushing, 67 passing touchdowns, 19 rushing touchdowns and just nine interceptions in 34 games with the Buckeyes and Georgia — isn't something Chicago has never had at the quarterback position. In fact, no quarterback who ever graced the locker room at Soldier Field has thrown for 4,000 yards and 30 passing touchdowns from 1978-2000, with Jay Cutler's Pro Bowl 2008 efforts (4,526 passing yards, 25 touchdowns) among the best in Bears history.
But the price GM Ryan Pace had to pay to draft Fields at No. 11 — the No. 20 and No. 164 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as the 2022 first- and fourth-round picks to the New York Giants — seems sincerely steep.
Between picks No. 11 and No. 20, only one quarterback was taken: Alabama's Mac Jones at No. 15 to the New England Patriots — a team that resigned veteran and former MVP/Pro Bowler Cam Newton in the offseason. GM Dave Gettleman and the Giants, meanwhile, used their step down back to No. 20 to select Florida's elite wide receiver, Kadarius Toney. It was a particularly shrewd move for the G-Men, as Gettleman is well-known for not falling back in a draft.
Of the teams that selected between No. 11 and No. 20, only the Patriots seemed to be truly in the market for a quarterback. Dallas, at No. 12, has the fourth-highest paid athlete in the world in Dak Prescott. The Los Angeles Chargers, at No. 13, have second-year star Justin Herbert at their disposal. The New York Jets, at No. 14, just shipped of Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers and taken BYU's Zach Wilson with the 2021 No. 2 overall pick.
The Arizona Cardinals, at No. 16, have elite dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray. The Las Vegas Raiders, at No. 17, not only have former Fresno State star Derek Carr at the helm, but also former Heisman trophy winner and Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota as one of the top backups in the league.
The Miami Dolphins, at No. 18, have given the keys to former Alabama star and Heisman trophy finalist Tua Tagovailoa. And the Washington Football Team, at No. 19, have 17-year journeyman Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick — but they opted to select Kentucky's elite linebacker Jamin Davis to shore up some defensive needs.
If the comfort of getting ahead of both New England and Washington, the only two QB-needy teams, was worth any price paid by the Bears front office…fine. Everyone in Chicago can sleep soundly now with the Fields of dreams. But it's somewhat plausible that either Fields or Mac Jones would have rolled right into the Bears' lap at No. 20 — just by sheer draft direction.
Chicago didn't want to take any chances, but the tea leaves were there to read. This criticism isn't a knock on Fields, or what he's likely going to do for the franchise. It's more of an indictment regarding the heft at which he cost.
Mistake No. 2: Chicago paid too much for Oklahoma State's OT Teven Jenkins
Again, this is more nitpicking, and an identical quandary the Bears put themselves in after paying handsomely to move up in the first round to select Fields.
But as Oklahoma State's offensive tackle Teven Jenkins worth losing a third-round pick for? In order to select Jenkins at No. 39, the Bears had to trade No. 52 (second), No. 83 (third) and No. 204 (sixth) of 2021 to the Carolina Panthers, getting No. 151 back in return.
From picks No. 39-59, five offensive tackles were taken (including Jenkins), with BYU's Brady Christensen (a graded second-third rounder) falling all the way to the Panthers at No. 70.
Jenkins was graded as a late first-rounder, early second-rounder type of talent as a fluid immediate starter at both the left and right tackle positions. And it's definitely a need position for Chicago, no matter who the starting quarterback is when the season begins in four months.
The 2021 NFL Draft, however, was replete and well-known for its offensive line depth — with 26 graded tackles in the mix, including 18 expected to go before the sixth round. Chicago was already without its 2021 fourth-round selection, too, after trading it to the Vikings in 2020 to eventually take linebacker Trevis Gipson (seven games played, five tackles).
In essence, Pace and the front office lost four future draft selections for the Fields/Jenkins combination. It's a big, big gamble, and one fans in Chicago — but more importantly, the bosses — hope pays off in the end.
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