Players the Chicago Bears could draft if they hadn’t traded for Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears could possibly pick from all of the rookie quarterbacks

If the Chicago Bears didn’t trade for Justin Fields last season and played Nick Foles and Andy Dalton in 2021, the team would still be on the hook for finding a new, young quarterback. If the Bears were to be truly picking from the seven hole, it’s possible they could have the pick of the litter at quarterback.

The top three prospects are Matt Corral out of Ole Miss, Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh and Malik Willis out of LIberty. A few other names to mention are Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati, Sam Howell out of North Carolina and Carson Strong out of Nevada.

I would not touch one of the last three unless the team traded back for additional draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Out of Corral, Pickett and Willis, I think I am leaning Pickett. I don’t believe either are ready to step into an NFL offense and succeed on Day 1, but I’d lean Kenny Pickett if I were in charge of who to pick. None of these quarterbacks seem like slam dunks. They all have their holes, but Pickett really turned it on this season by throwing for over 4,000 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Pickett has shown great decision making, the ability to make plays with his legs and accuracy at all levels of the field. He showcased just how good he could be this year while not seeing any major changes outside of his own developments both mentally and physically. Pittsburgh did not see any playmakers on offense emerge to help thrust Pickett into greatness. The offensive scheme did not change either. This was all the doing of Pickett as he worked on his fundamentals.

I would be amiss to not at least mention that both Malik Willis and Matt Corral could also be the pick. Willis is the most athletic of the three, but he is very raw and seems more of a developmental quarterback with great upside. Think a slightly less talented version of Trey Lance — Lance has better deep ball accuaracy coming out of North Dakota State in my opinion. Matt Corral has been consistent in Ole Miss. He is another dual-threat quarterback, but I find his mechanics to be less refined than Pickett’s.

When I look at this group of guys, and I throw in Justin Fields into the mix, Fields would be the top choice easily and I don’t think he would even fall to seventh-overall. Therefore, I am still glad that Ryan Pace traded up for Fields last Spring.