In the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Bears and the Eagles gave fans and their teams want they wanted and needed.
The right picks.
The first two selections were well known, so the drama started when the San Francisco 49ers selected quarterback Trey Lance with the third pick.
This was somewhat stunning as most speculated that the 49ers would take Mac Jones or Justin Fields. Instead, they gave fans the night’s first surprise. No disrespect to Lance, but the 6’4, 228-pound North Dakota State product is raw. He basically played one season in college, throwing for 2,786 yards with 28 TDs and 0 INTs.
Of the three, most thought that Fields was the best
Justin Fields
Fields transferred to Ohio State after a single frustrating season for the Georgia Bulldogs. He flourished for the Buckeyes, taking out his frustrations on Big 10 opponents. In 22 games at Ohio State (they only had 8 games in 2020 due to a Covid-shortened season), Fields threw for 5,373 yards with 63 TDs and 9 INTs. He also added 867 yards rushing and 15 TDs. This past January, Fields led the Buckeyes to a come from behind victory over Trevor Lawrence and Clemson in the CFP semi-final game before ultimately losing to Alabama in the Championship.
Fields was the two-time Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. He had the stats, experience, toughness (if you saw the shot he took against Clemson, you’ll understand his toughness), and leadership qualities needed for the NFL.
Yet the 49ers went with Lance.
As the Draft progressed, the chatter around Fields turned up. Where would he go? Would he fall due to ridiculous, unsubstantiated critiques? Would he be the 2021 Lamar Jackson?
But after the Eagles selected DeVonta Smith with the tenth pick, one team decided to make their move.
The Chicago Bears traded the 20th pick, a 2021 fifth-round pick, their 2022 first-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Giants in exchange for the 11th overall pick. And with that pick came the Buckeyes’ star QB.
Make no mistake. This is no where near the disastrous 2017 trade the Bears made to get Mitch Trubisky.
Back then, the Bears traded the No. 3 pick, a third-rounder, a fourth-rounder, and a 2018 third-round pick to the 49ers for the No. 2 pick. They passed on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in order to get a player who should be considered a bust based upon the collateral they had to give up to select him. This just added to the Bears’ historical QB woes. According to CBSSports.com, “the Bears didn’t have a single quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns during the era of the 16-game schedule (1978-2020), making them the only team in the NFL that didn’t hit those mark.”
That was then.
Today, Trubisky is no longer with the team and Justin Fields is headed to the Windy City. Bears fans, expect that streak to be broken. No disrespect to veteran and current starter Andy Dalton, but Fields is the future in Chicago.
DeVonta Smith
Prior to the Bears’ selection of Justin Fields, the Eagles gave us the other pick that fans wanted and the team needed.
DeVonta Smith.
The Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver from Alabama electrified college football fans in 2020. But his heralded legacy with the Tide actually began against the Georgia Bulldogs at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 8th, 2018. That game, which also ushered in the Tua Tagolviloa era, went into overtime tied at 20-20. After the Bulldogs went ahead on a field goal, Tua got the ball back and launched a bomb to freshman receiver DeVonta Smith who scored the title-clinching TD for Alabama.
Over the next three years, Smith improved each season.
2018- 42 receptions, 693 yards and 6 TDs.
2019- 68 receptions, 1,256 yards and 14 TDs
2020- 117 receptions, 1,856 yards and 23 TDs
In 2020, DeVonta dominated.
He single-handedly destroyed LSU with 8 receptions for 231 yards and 3 TDs. In the CFP National Championship game, he almost beat the Buckeyes by himself. In the first half before leaving the game due to injury, he had 12 receptions for 215 yards and 3 TDs and the Tide ended up winning 52-24
Despite these numbers and the consensus All-American Smith winning pretty much every award this past season (Heisman, AP Player of the Year, Fred Biletnikoff, Maxwell, Walter Camp Player of the Year), the doubters surfaced. He’s too skinny. He’s too light. His frame is too slender. Blah, blah, blah.
Bottom line- ballers ball, and DeVonta Smith is a baller.
You don’t lead the nation in receiving yards, receiving TDs and receptions without talent. You can’t play, and put up better numbers each season, in the SEC if you can’t hang and take punishment.
The “Slim Reaper” did that for four years and was worthy of being a top 5 pick.
Fortunately for the Eagles and their fans, he fell to them at 10. Now Philadelphia gets not only one of the most talented players in the draft, but a player that’s representative of the city itself.
He’s gritty and fearless.
“All the bulls**t they saying about his weight? It does not matter, bruh,” said teammate back Najee Harris to GQ. “He’s lined up against everybody, all the top dudes, and is exposing them. The best defensive backs out there. He’s one of the hardest players I’ve ever played with.”
He’s hard working and tough.
“Smitty has a unique ability to silence the noise, compete and outwork the competition,” said performance and training coach Ben Newman in that interview. “At his level of mental toughness, being [his weight] doesn’t matter. He will beat you with his mind and preparation before you experience his speed.”
He’s what the Eagles, and former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts, needs.
This fall, Justin Fields and DeVonta Smith will play for teams with demanding fan bases. The former will be throwing passes and the latter will be catching them.
But at the end of the day, their teams deserve props for seeing through the doubt and critiques to select players that will help them build bright futures.
So thank you Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. You did right.
