This week, the Chicago Bears kicked off training camp in what is one of the more highly-anticipated seasons in recent memory.
The Bears had a phenomenal offseason, putting a good chunk of talent around third-year quarterback Justin Fields, whom many are believing will see a true breakout this coming season.
Speaking of Fields, his name has been all over the place lately as the NFL Top 100 list saw him check in at no. 86 overall. The big storyline is the fact that Fields is ranked 10 spots higher than Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, with many questioning why and how this could happen.
Just looking at raw, simple stats might raise questions. But, if you dig in a little further, there are several reasons why Fields deserves to be higher than Lawrence, starting with an obvious one.
1. The players said so
This is pretty easy, and the obvious thing to say, first and foremost. This is a list voted on by players only. Therefore, the majority of players ranked Fields higher than Lawrence. It is not a difficult concept to understand.
"He's got all the tools to be a really dominant player," 49ers All Pro linebacker Fred Warner said during the segment.
When your peers see you as more of a threat, they will speak up and say so. That's exactly what this list is all about. It is all about the players; not the fans, nor coaches or writers. This list is completely, 100 percent based on what the players see.
And, if the players believe Fields is a better player and bigger threat, it's difficult to argue with them. After all, we're not the professionals.