Todd McShay: Bryce Young an 'upgrade' over Justin Fields for Chicago Bears

The moment Chicago landed the No. 1 overall spot in the 2023 NFL Draft, the thought was Ryan Poles would trade the pick. Too many teams behind the Bears are considered quarterback hungry, while Justin Fields is considered a franchise guy. Chicago can grab another elite prospect somewhere in the top 10 and continue to build the roster.

Not everybody buys into that plan though. ESPN’s Todd McShay said if he was running the Bears, he would get rid of Fields instead of the first pick. McShay would then go out and “upgrade” at quarterback with Alabama‘s Bryce Young in late April.

“Personally, I would take Bryce Young if I was Chicago,” McShay said. “I don’t think that’s the decision they make. I think they’re going to move back… I would do it because I would want Bryce Young because I think he’s an upgrade over Justin Fields and I want his rookie contract so I have five years. But I don’t think they’re going to wind up making that decision.”

Fields will be entering Year Three in the NFL himself, heading into the latter stages of his rookie contract. Chicago moved up to select him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Even with a head coach and front office change, Fields has survived the storm thus far.

Young is coming off two great seasons with Alabama, winning the Heisman Trophy during the 2021 season. While not everyone has him as the top quarterback in the draft, McShay certainly does.

Making a pseudo-switch of Fields for Young would certainly shake up the entire NFL. Poles would need a lot of guts to move off someone who many Bears fans consider the guy. However, never say never in the NFL.

Todd McShay compares Bryce Young to Patrick Mahomes

McShay thinks that Young is incredibly special and the best quarterback in the NFL Draft.

During an appearance on Get Up, McShay explained why he has Young as QB1, even though he’s a small player.

“I think he’s special, and listen, he’s undersized,” Todd McShay said. “That’s gonna be the whole conversation leading up to the draft… But, I think he’s a smaller version of Patrick Mahomes. The presence he has in the pocket, the ability to feel pressure coming, the ability to see the whole field and make all the throws with really good touch and timing. He’s different than all these other guys.”