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Justin Fields: 'It Was God's Plan' for Me to Be Drafted by Bears After Trade Up
April 30, 2021
Justin Fields is ready to step in as the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
"I'm the kind of guy that thinks everything happens for a reason," the Ohio State product told reporters when discussing Chicago's decision to trade up and take him with the No. 11 overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft. "It was God's plan for me to be a Bear."
Fields also believes he will fit in well with head coach Matt Nagy's offense.
"I think I fit perfectly," he told reporters. "If he didn't think I fit well, he wouldn't have traded up."
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk noted Chicago traded the No. 20 pick in this year's draft, its first-round pick in next year's draft, a fifth-rounder in this year's draft and a fourth-rounder in next year's draft to move up to No. 11 and take Fields.
If he lives up to expectations, it will be well worth it.
That is because the Bears have been searching for a franchise quarterback for years. They made the ill-fated decision to trade up and select Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft even though Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were still available, which set the franchise back during a win-now window with an elite defense.
Fortunately for Chicago, there is little Fields can't do.
He can make plays with his legs, fit throws through tight windows, unleash perfectly placed deep balls downfield and go through his progressions. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade of all quarterbacks in the draft on throws past his first read since 2019.
If Fields uses that skill set to finally give the Bears the franchise quarterback they have been searching for, this will be one of the most important trades in the team's history.