The energy during the 2021 NFL Draft was basically electric. You had a class of quarterbacks that everyone swore would change the league forever. Trevor Lawrence was the "generational" lock, and Zach Wilson was the riser from BYU. But then there was Justin Fields. Everyone knew he was a star, but as the clock ticked, things got weird.
People always ask: when did Justin Fields get drafted? Honestly, the answer is more than just a date and a pick number. It was a whole saga involving a shocking trade and a slide that still has analysts arguing on Twitter today.
The Short Answer: When and Where
Justin Fields was drafted on April 29, 2021. He was the 11th overall pick in the first round.
While that sounds like a high pick (it is!), most experts had him ranked as the second-best player in the entire draft for months. He didn't go second. He didn't even go in the top ten. Instead, the Chicago Bears had to get aggressive to stop his slide. They traded up from the 20th spot to the 11th, striking a deal with the New York Giants to secure the Ohio State standout.
The Cost of Moving Up
Ryan Pace, who was the Bears' GM at the time, was basically coaching for his job. He knew he needed a franchise quarterback after the Mitchell Trubisky era didn't pan out. So, he backed up the truck.
To get that 11th pick from the Giants, the Bears gave up:
- Their 2021 first-round pick (No. 20)
- A 2021 fifth-round pick
- A 2022 first-round pick
- A 2022 fourth-round pick
It was a massive haul. For the Giants, it was a rare move. Dave Gettleman, their GM, almost never traded back. But the value was too good to pass up, especially with Fields still sitting there at 11. The Giants eventually used that 20th pick on Kadarius Toney, which is a whole other story for another day.
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Why Did He Slide?
It’s kinda wild to look back at the narrative leading up to that night. Fields had just finished a college career at Ohio State where he went 20-2. He’d just torched Clemson in the College Football Playoff while playing through what looked like a brutal rib injury.
So why did three other quarterbacks go before him?
- Trevor Lawrence (No. 1): Nobody was touching him. He was the consensus top pick for years.
- Zach Wilson (No. 2): He had a "Pro Day" for the ages and a lot of buzz about his off-platform throwing.
- Trey Lance (No. 3): The 49ers liked his raw ceiling, even though he had very little starting experience.
Then there was the "processing" talk. Some scouts started whispering that Fields took too long to get through his reads. There were also weird, unsubstantiated rumors about his "work ethic" that his college coach, Ryan Day, absolutely hated. Looking back, a lot of those criticisms felt like over-analysis. Teams like the Panthers (No. 8) and Broncos (No. 9) decided to pass on a QB entirely, which allowed the Bears to pounce.
Life After the Draft
Fields' time in Chicago was a rollercoaster. He showed flashes of being the most dangerous runner in the league—seriously, his 2022 season where he rushed for over 1,100 yards was video-game stuff. But the wins didn't follow, and the coaching changes didn't help.
By 2024, the Bears found themselves with the No. 1 overall pick again (thanks to a trade with the Panthers). They decided to reset and draft Caleb Williams. That meant Fields was on the move. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March 2024 for a conditional sixth-round pick.
Wait, it doesn't end there. After a stint in Pittsburgh, Fields moved again. As of early 2026, he’s actually playing for the New York Jets, trying to find that consistency that made him a top prospect back in 2021. It’s been a journeyman's path for a guy who many thought was a "can't-miss" prospect.
What to Remember
If you're tracking the history of the 2021 draft, Justin Fields is the ultimate "what if" player. The Bears went all-in to get him, and while the fit wasn't perfect, his talent was never the question.
If you want to dive deeper into how those trades eventually shook out for the Giants or the Steelers, you should look into the specific players drafted with the picks Chicago gave up. It's a web of trades that basically rearranged the rosters of four different teams.
Keep an eye on his current performance with the Jets—at 26 years old, he’s still got plenty of time to prove the teams that passed on him in 2021 made a mistake.
Next Steps: You might want to compare Fields' rookie stats to the other QBs from that 2021 class (Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, and Mac Jones) to see how the "Big Five" have actually fared. I can pull those numbers for you if you're curious.