NFL Mock Draft 2023: Bears take QB with top pick after trading Justin Fields; Bijan Robinson lands in NFC East

Since the Chicago Bears received the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the franchise has made one of two moves in most dummy drafts:

• Get stuck in first place and draft your best defensive player (presumably Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr.).
• Trade with a team in need of QB to get more draft capital.

Today we’re going to look at a third option – one that many Bears fans will probably not like: trading Justin Fields and taking QB with the first selection.

The notion is understandably scoffed at after Fields’ electric last 10 games in the 2022 campaign. He established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL, excelling in passing despite a lackluster lineup of pass catchers. With another year of Chicago shaping their offense around Fields’ strengths, in addition to surrounding him with capable playmakers, who knows how good he could be in Year 3!

All this makes sense. And now the other side of this equation:

• The current Bears management (general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflux, among others) were not around when Chicago traded nine picks to select Fields 11th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is no their boy.
• Bryce Young of Alabama and CJ Stroud of Ohio State have more post-college prospects than Fields. If they were in the same draft, chances are they would both have been selected ahead of him.
• While Fields’ dazzlingly long touchdowns are a hit with fans, he’s started 5-20, including 3-12 last season. And in the fourth quarter, when victories turn into defeats and defeats into victories, Fields felt bad. Here are his stats for the fourth quarter in 2022: 59.5 percent completion, 5.6 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, six interceptions, a league-record 15 sacks, and a passer rating of 61.3 — the latter of which is second only to Mike White. . for QB with at least 50 attempts. In one-scoring games, Chicago was 1-7.

Finally, consider this from SportsLine NFL insider Jason La Canfora:

So there you have it: there are reasons to both build around Fields and trade him for spades by taking the #1 available QB. In this layout, the Bears opt for the latter option. Now let’s move on to the selection!

Remember, there are only 31 picks in this trial draft because the Dolphins lost their first-round pick due to fraud.

For more information on drafts, check out our latest potential customer rating And fictitious sketches, as well as our new weekly podcast, “With First Choice” featuring former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. (Watch the last episode bbelow.)