Chicago Bears: 4 hot takes on Justin Fields, Nick Foles, and more

Chicago Bears Hot Take No. 2: They should’ve drafted Mac Jones instead

Should the Bears have drafted Mac Jones with the 11th pick instead of Justin Fields?

I feel like this take is pretty short-sighted. Yes, Mac Jones has been the best rookie quarterback through the first half of the season, but that doesn’t mean he is bound to have the best career. Let’s not forget the Baker Mayfield was far and away the best quarterback in the 2018 class as a rookie and was significantly better than both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. This is the danger of looking too much into a rookie season when judging a player’s career trajectory.

Justin Fields still has a much higher ceiling 

The fact Mac Jones is having success as a rookie shouldn’t be too much of a surprise; pro readiness was considered his biggest strength coming out of college. The reason why he was the fifth quarterback taken was because of the questions with his ceiling. Jones is a very smart and savvy player, but his lack of athleticism and arm strength may stop him from reaching the heights of the other rookie quarterbacks.

I don’t want to be overly critical of Jones because he’s just a rookie, and I think he will have a solid career, but he has some limitations. He does a great job of making the routine plays. When a player is open, he will hit him more times than not, but when the play is not there, he doesn’t have the same ability to improvise and create that some of the other quarterbacks in the class do. It’s hard to name an elite quarterback in today’s NFL that doesn’t have high-end arm strength or mobility.

Bottom line

Mac Jones might be having a better rookie season than Justin Fields, but I don’t know if that means anything long-term. Justin Fields has significantly better athleticism and arm strength, which gives him a better chance of being a top-tier quarterback.