Justin Fields is the most important player on the Chicago Bears. And it's not just because he's the quarterback. We actually don't know if he is the quarterback, which is why he holds the keys to the most important offseason the team has had ... since last year.
The best-case scenario for the Bears is for Fields to cement his status as not only Chicago's franchise quarterback but also its best player, regardless of position. When an NFL team's best player is their quarterback, a lot of wins and playoff appearances follow. That's who Fields has to be, and he has seven games to prove he either is or can be, that guy.
The Bears need to know the answer to that critical question ... soon. If the 2024 NFL draft were held today, Chicago would hold the first overall pick (thanks, Carolina!) in a draft class with two quarterbacks worthy of being the first player selected: USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye. GM Ryan Poles passed on Bryce Young and ... gulp ... CJ Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft because of his confidence in Fields; he won't make that same decision this April if Fields doesn't dominate consistently over the final two months of the season.
It's in the Chicago Bears' best interest for Justin Fields to dominate. The 2024 draft class has a few special prospects at premium positions who can flip a roster (that already has a quarterback) from being a playoff outsider to a Super Bowl contender.
I recently tested this outcome in a 2024 NFL mock draft, and it's hard not to get excited about what a post-NFL Draft Bears' team could look like ... if Fields is the guy.
Please be the guy!
Remember: The Bears have the Panthers' pick (No. 1 overall) and their own (No. 5 overall). Here's who I selected in this first-round mock draft.
1.01: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Few players enter the NFL with the 'can't-miss' tag. Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of those guys. Barring injury, Harrison is a lock to become one of the NFL's premier wide receivers, which has become a critical position for teams that are legitimately chasing a Super Bowl.
The Bears took a huge step forward at wide receiver when they traded for DJ Moore last offseason, and they're tracking to be in a position to land Harrison in the 2024 NFL Draft. Pairing the Ohio State star with Moore would give Chicago its best pass-catching tandem since Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. They'd also be the best duo in the NFC North.
Harrison has been unstoppable this season. He has 59 catches for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns, putting him on pace to top all of the career-best marks he set in 2022.
Justin Fields throwing to DJ Moore and Marvin Harrison Jr. is a formula that should win a lot of games. But, again, it all comes down to Fields playing well enough to put the Chicago Bears in position to make a decision like this.
Updated No. 1 overall pick probabilities from ESPN Analytics. pic.twitter.com/Zkgqqzn3MN
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) November 13, 2023
1.05: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
There is no better way to support your franchise quarterback than with a generational wide receiver and blue-chip offensive tackle, which can be acquired with two picks in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft if Justin Fields can silence his critics.
With their second first-rounder, No. 5 overall, the Chicago Bears land Olu Fashanu, the uber-athletic Penn State left tackle.
Fashanu would be a luxury pick for a Bears team with a very good left tackle in Braxton Jones. There is a chance the Bears believe so much in Jones that neither Fashanu nor Notre Dame's Joe Alt will be considered with this pick. I'd be surprised if they went that route, especially with how inconsistent Chicago's offensive line has been in recent seasons. Adding Fashanu will stabilize a starting five, regardless of where he (or Jones) lines up.
Having too many good offensive linemen is a good thing, and the Bears could find their way into that problem by selecting Fashanu in Round 1.
Think about it: they'd begin the 2024 season with Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, and Fashanu ... that's an impressive collection of young and talented linemen.
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