Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace trade up twice in the 2021 NFL Draft
Bears trade: 20th pick, 164th pick, 2022 first round, and 2022 fourth-round pick to take Justin Fields with the 11th-overall pick.
Verdict: Too early to know
As mentioned earlier, trading up to get a quarterback makes sense. If Justin Fields can be an elite quarterback, this will go down as an excellent trade. Unlike the Trubisky trade, the Bears 100% needed to trade up to get Fields. Also, Fields had multiple years of high-level play, whereas Trubisky was a one-year starter in college. It is early, but Bears fans should be excited about this move.
Bears trade: 52nd pick, 83rd pick, and 204th pick to take Teven Jenkins with the 39th pick and the 151st pick.
Verdict: Too early to know
This leads us to the reason I’m writing this article. After already forfeiting a future first-rounder to get Fields, Pace was not finished making his aggressive moves. He traded up into the early second round to get stud Oklahoma State tackle Teven Jenkins. This move gained praise from many analysts for drafting someone who was projected as a first-round pick on day two.
Jenkins’ injury troubles
Fans started speculating in late July when Nagy said that Jenkins “had some back tightness.” Nagy continued to downplay the injury concerns, but it was announced on August 18th that Jenkins underwent back surgery, and the team was hopeful he would be back before the end of the season. An offensive lineman dealing with back injuries early in his career is worrisome, especially for someone who plays as violently as Jenkins does.
Final thoughts:
Trading up in the draft is fine, but it should always be done with caution. The more you trade up, the fewer picks you have, thus putting more pressure on the player you trade up for to pan out. The Bears have wasted a lot in their trade-ups for mediocre players like Trubisky and Miller. If Jenkins and Fields are franchise players like I think they will be, there won’t be any harm, but it’s important to note that putting the fate of your entire draft up to one or two players can be very risky.