Here are 11 factoids about the Bears selecting Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th pick in the first round of the draft:
(1) Fields is the ninth player the Bears have selected with the 11th pick in the draft, and the first since defensive end John Thierry in 1994. The others are halfback Don Kindt (1947), halfback Ron Drzewiecki (1955), center Dave Behrman (1963), running back Joe Moore (1971), right tackle Keith Van Horne (1981), linebacker Wilber Marshall (1984) and cornerback Donnell Woolford (1989).
(2) A quarterback still has never been chosen with the No. 20 pick in the history of the draft. With the selection they obtained from the Bears, the New York Giants took Florida receiver Kadarius Toney at No. 20.
(3) Thursday night's trade marked the first time that the Giants have moved down in any round in four drafts led by general manager Dave Gettleman.
(4) Fields is the first quarterback to be selected with the No. 11 pick in the draft since the Broncos chose Jay Cutler in 2006.
(5) Thursday night marked the fifth time in the Super Bowl era that the Bears have traded up in the first round. They moved up two spots to take tackle Dennis Lick at No. 8 in 1976, five places to pick cornerback Walt Harris at No. 13 in 1996, two slots to draft outside linebacker Leonard Floyd at No. 9 in 2016 and one place to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2 in 2017.
(6) Fields is the eighth player the Bears have traded up for since Ryan Pace became general manager in 2015. In addition to Floyd and Trubisky, the others are linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (2016 fourth round), safety Eddie Jackson (2017 fourth round), receiver Anthony Miller (2018 second round), running back David Montgomery (2019 third round) and receiver Darnell Mooney (2020 fifth round).
(7) None of the 36 analysts we featured in our mock draft compilation predicted that the Bears would chose Fields. Three projected a trade up for a quarterback, but not for the Ohio State star—two for North Dakota State's Trey Lance and one for Alabama's Mac Jones.
(8) Fields is the sixth Ohio State player the Bears have drafted in the first round, and the first since defensive end Alonzo Spellman in 1992. The others are halfback Don Scott (ninth in 1941), fullback Fred Morrison (10th in 1950), halfback Don Clark (seventh in 1959) and tackle Rufus Mayes (14th in 1969).
(9) Fields is the 31st Ohio State player the Bears have drafted, and the first since linebacker Marcus Freeman was chosen in the fifth round in 2009. The only school that has produced more Bears draft picks is Notre Dame with 42. Coincidentally, Freeman is in his first season as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator.
(10) Fields is the third Ohio State quarterback to be chosen in the first round of the draft in the Super Bowl era. He joins Art Schlichter (No. 4 by the Colts in 1982) and Dwayne Haskins (No. 15 by Washington in 2019).
(11) Prior to Fields, the last 10 players drafted with the No. 11 pick were Jets tackle Mekhi Becton (2020), Bengals tackle Jonah Williams (2019), Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (2018), Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (2017), Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves (2016), Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes (2015), Titans tackle Taylor Lewan (2014), Chargers tackle D.J. Fluker (2013), Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (2012) and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (2011).
With the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bears select Ohio State QB Justin Fields.