Chicago Bears 2021 NFL Draft Picks – Grades and Analysis
By Ha Kung Wong
The 2021 NFL draft is done, but the Chicago Bears aren’t and neither are we! We grade every pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft below. Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments!
Round 1
Pick 11
QB – Ohio State
Listen, I’m a Bears fan, so I’m clearly really biased when it comes to quarterbacks. If the Bears are most known for their defense being the “Monsters of the Midway”, they’re next most known for having a miserable history at quarterback. The Chicago Bears have never had a 4,000 Yard Passer in their entire existence. In fact, they’re the only NFL team not to have a 4,000 Yard Passer since the NFL went to a 16-game regular season, and with the move to 17-games, will obviously never have one. The Bears’ last first-team All-Pro quarterback was Johnny Lujack in 1950. Since 1963, three seasons before the first Super Bowl, the Bears’ only Pro Bowl quarterbacks have been Jim McMahon in 1985 and Mitchell Trubisky in 2018, which is dubious company at best. So you can understand how the impact on the Bears organization from drafting a top-tier quarterback is hard to underestimate. And you can understand Bears fans have been going insane over the Bears trading up to take Justin Fields at 11th overall.
For most of the off season, Justin Fields was considered the second best quarterback in the draft after Trevor Lawrence. Clearly, that’s debatable as Fields and all the other quarterbacks are far from the generational talent, and each have their shortcomings. In terms of Fields, there are plenty of questions, but he certainly proved himself at the college level.
He appeared in 12 games as a true freshman (27 of 39, 69.2% completion, 328 passing yards, four passing TDs; 42-266-6.3 rushing, four rushing TDs) and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team prior to moving to Ohio State in 2019, where he really started to turn heads. He became a Heisman Trophy finalist, earned second-team Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, ranking third in the country in passing touchdowns (41, against only 3 interceptions) and fourth in passing efficiency rating (181.4) in 14 starts. He was then beat Wisconsin the Big Ten Championship, earning MVP honors with a 299 yard and three TD performance prior to losing to Clemson in the CFP semifinals. Not to be discouraged, Fields won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season in 2020 and finished the year ranked sixth in the country in completion percentage (158 of 225, 70.2% completion, 2,100 passing yards, 22 passing TDs, six INTs) tacking on five rushing touchdowns (81-383-4.7 rushing) in eight starts. He had some trouble with Northwestern in a Big Ten Championship Game win (12 of 27, 44.4% completion, 114 passing yards, 2 INTs), bounced back huge in the CFP semifinal win over Clemson (22 of 28, 78.6% completion, 385 passing yards, six passing TDs, one INT), and ended the season a little short against Alabama in the CFP title game (17 of 33, 51.5% completion, 194 passing yards, one passing TD).
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| *2018 | Georgia | 12 | 27 | 39 | 69.2 | 328 | 8.4 | 10.5 | 4 | 0 | 173.7 |
| *2019 | Ohio State | 14 | 238 | 354 | 67.2 | 3273 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 41 | 3 | 181.4 |
| *2020 | Ohio State | 8 | 158 | 225 | 70.2 | 2100 | 9.3 | 10.1 | 22 | 6 | 175.6 |
| Career | Overall | 423 | 618 | 68.4 | 5701 | 9.2 | 10.7 | 67 | 9 | 178.8 | |
| Georgia | 27 | 39 | 69.2 | 328 | 8.4 | 10.5 | 4 | 0 | 173.7 | ||
| Ohio State | 396 | 579 | 68.4 | 5373 | 9.3 | 10.8 | 63 | 9 | 179.1 |
Fields is a dual-threat but is more akin to Russell Wilson who is most comfortable as a pocket passer that can extend plays or pick up yards on the ground when necessary. He demonstrated significant toughness and leadership playing hurt in the CFP semifinal game against Clemson, which is exactly what the Bears need. Although he saw the field fairly well and had solid accuracy and velocity with open throws, there are questions regarding his ability to read a full field in the NFL and avoiding locking on to his first read. There’s also some concern regarding his ability to anticipate throws under pressure and avoid taking sacks due to indecisiveness.
Could Fields be the franchise quarterback that the Bears have been looking for? Perhaps, but for now, the potential is enough to give this pick a high grade.
GRADE: A
Round 2
Pick 7 (39 Overall)
OL – Oklahoma State
The Bears offensive line wasn’t as bad as every team in the NFC East, but allowing 36 sacks is nothing to write home about, particularly now with the investment in Justin Fields under center. So upgrading the o-line makes a lot of sense.
Teven Jenkins was a three-year starter at Oklahoma State, starting 26 games at right tackle, seven games at left tackle and two at right guard and had an impressive Pro Day, where he recorded 36 reps on the bench press and ran a 5.01 in the 40-yard dash. The experience and versatility is a plus, making Jenkins an excellent day one fit with the Bears. Just check out his highlights and you’ll see that he throws defenders around at will and shows excellent lateral mobility, which made him a terrific pass protector. Jenkins is tenacious and tough and will slot in immediately at right or left tackle.
UPDATE (May 3, 2021) – With left tackle Charles Leno released, it looks like Jenkins is likely to start at left tackle this upcoming season.
Grade: B+
Round 5
Pick 7 (151 Overall)
OL – Missouri
Unsurprisingly, the Bears continued to build their o-line in the 5th round by drafting Larry Borom. Borom began as a starter as a sophomore at Missouri and slotted in at three different positions — left tackle, left guard, right tackle — playing in all 12 games that season. Borom started eight games at right tackle in 2020, unfortunately missing time with a lower leg injury.
With the Jenkins pick, it’s not necessary to push Borom to play tackle, as there’s been some concern regarding his lateral movement. He’s a perfect fit at guard and should have some time to develop in Chicago and allow the team to evaluate whether he’ll slot in as a rotational lineman or perhaps take over at left guard in the future. He has tons of power and creates movement as a down blocker so there’s lots of potential here for the Bears, but perhaps not immediately.
Grade: B
Round 6
Pick 33 (217 Overall)
RB – Virginia Tech
The Bears signed Damien Williams in the off season to add to Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, so it’s unclear where a fourth running back would fit in. But Khalil Herbert was certainly a value in the late 6th round, and he does have potential to contribute immediately on special teams.
Herbert rushed for 1,735 yards on 320 carries (5.4 YPC) and 14 touchdowns while rarely being used as a pass-catcher for the Jayhawks. He started contributing immediately as a freshman but really broke out as a sophomore prior to be placed behind Pooka Williams Jr. in his junior year, leading to his transfer to Virginia Tech. At Virginia Tech, Herbert rushed 154 times for 1,182 yards and eight rushing touchdowns with an whopping 7.7 YPC. He had the fourth best YPC and fifth most total rushing yards in the FBS while starting 9 of 11 games and ultimately landing a 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl invite. His performance at Virginia Tech won him third-team All-ACC honors at running back and second-team All-ACC honors as an all-purpose player.
Just take a look at his highlights and you’ll see that he knows how find gaps behind blocks and quickly get downfield. There’s some question regarding his ability to catch passes and to be effective in pass protection, particularly against the blitz, but there’s certainly potential.
Grade – C+
Round 6
Pick 37 (221 Overall)
WR – North Carolina
Now that we have our theoretical quarterback of the future and shored up the offensive line, there certainly remain big questions in the Windy City regarding who’s going t0 catch the ball. The Bears had only 245.3 receiving yards per game and averaging just 9.8 yards per reception in 2020, good for 2nd worst in the NFL. Allen Robinson alone can’t catch every pass. So taking a swing at Dazz Newsome in the 6th round makes sense.
In 2020 at North Carolina, Newsome caught 54 passes for 684 yards and six touchdowns, down from his career year in 2019, when he led the team catching 72 passes for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns, which, interestingly enough, was right after he realized he needed contact lenses. In addition to wide receiver, Newsome also had plenty of experience as a punt returner (averaging over 12 yards per return).
There’s some concern with drops, perhaps resulting from not being a natural hands catcher, but he has no fear playing over the middle out the slot and demonstrated good vision and yards after catch in college, which is certainly an open need for the Bears. Add in the punt returns where he can probably contribute right away on special teams and this appears to be a decent pick.
Grade – B
Round 6
Pick 44 (228 Overall)
CB – Oregon
The Bears took a huge hit at cornerback this offseason with the release of two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine, leaving a vacant starting spot up for grabs opposite second-year corner Jaylon Johnson. Chicago did sign veteran Desmond Trufant in free agency, but he’s certainly not the future for the Bears. Obviously, the 6th round of the draft isn’t where you typically look to solve some of your biggest needs, but if you have to take a shot, Thomas Graham is as good as any in terms of upside.
Graham started at Oregon immediately as a freshman in 2017 in 12 of 13 games (62 tackles, three interceptions, four pass breakups). He followed that up by tying for third in the FBS with 18 pass breakups in 2018, starting all 13 games and posting 56 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. And in 2019, prior to opting out in 2020, Graham started all 14-games for the Ducks (64 tackles, five for loss, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups), earning him an honorable mention all-conference and an invitation to the Senior Bowl in 2020.
There’s some questions regarding his reaction to route breaks and his recovery speed, which may ultimately make him a liability against NFL receivers, but his strength, technique, top-end timing and ability to track and contest catches provide for significant potential.
Grade – B-
Round 7
Pick 23 (250 Overall)
DT – BYU
Defensive tackle wasn’t among one of the Bears big needs going into the draft, but based on potential and value, Khyiris Tonga makes sense.
Tonga started all four years at BYU, but really picked up in 2019 starting 11 of 13 games and piling up 45 tackles, four for loss, with one sack and returned to start 11 games in 2020 adding another 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and five pass breakups.
He’s been praised by scouts for hand quickness, technique and solid positioning, but hasn’t been profiled for every down work. Plus he’s already 25 and has an injury history. That being said, he’s a safe pick that should at least be a strong backup or rotational player for early downs, or clear running downs. He has a ton of power and should learn quickly, so the upside is there. I’ll give him a slight bump for character being voted a team captain in 2020.
Grade – B