Justin Fields' Guys Forever

Former Ohio State teammates view Justin Fields' leadership qualities as the key reason he won't fail as Bears quarterback.

It was the polite answer from Garrett Wilson, the Ohio State receiver. What would it mean to be back on a team with former teammate Justin Fields?

"If that would happen, that would be awesome," Wilson told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I haven't really thought about where I'm going to be playing, anywhere would be a blessing, but definitely linking back up with Justin at the NFL level would be a dream come true, for sure."

It would likely mean falling into the second round of the draft and neither Wilson nor Buckeyes receiver teammate Chris Olave want that, since either can end a 15-year Ohio State first-round receiver drought. But their feelings about Fields are apparent.

None of the former Buckeye teammates of Fields in this draft expect the Bears quarterback to fail. If they spoke about his athletic abiilties, it might sound a bit like they were playing to the crowd. Instead, they all saw too much in terms of his leadership qualities, referring back to his efforts to help revive a football season for the Big Ten during the height of the 2020 pandemic as much or more than what he did on the field. And they don't discount what he contributed there, either.

The way Fields stepped into their lineup after transferring from Georgia struck them, as well.

"How he approached coming into Ohio State and took on the role, his new role that he had," Wilson said. "That's something that we all noticed and that's why you saw him be a captain after that year there. So he's a really special dude, special on the field as well, but what he did off the field, all of that was real.

"Yeah, he was a great teammate. I already answered this question. But it'd be awesome to play with him again. I haven't been in too much contact with the Bears, but that would be awesome to link back up with him."

Olave ran a bit slower in the 40 than Wilson and has been projected as a later first-rounder pick, but probably not someone who would fall to the second round where the Bears pick for the first time at No. 41.

"Having him in college as my quarterback, I know what he can do on and off the field and I know how hard he works," Olave said. "I feel like we're very similar in ways and I feel like we can complement each other if we do end up on the same team.

"Justin is a great player, great dude and I can't wait see his career take off."

A possible reunion with two Ohio State linemen in the draft appears more possible, considering the Bears have only five draft picks because they wanted Fields and traded up. They're not likely to be trading away draft picks to move into Round 1 after the two Buckeyes receivers.

Guard/tackle Thayer Munford also pointed to Fields' leadership but appreciated what Fields did when linemen could no longer hold back the pass rush.

"He's more like a team player," Munford said. "He wants to win. I love him. He's always done what's best for the team and for him.

"So if he got into a horrible situation on the field, if the pocket collapses, he could roll out and use his athleticism and throw to Chris or Garrett or whoever's down there. You've seen in the NFL glimpses of it."

Like Munford and the receivers, tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere appreciated Fields' ability to lead, but he's been in contact with Fields and knows a little more about the situation with the Bears.

"I know that he loves the Chicago coaching staff," Petit-Frere said. "I know that they have a new coaching staff now and I know that he's been in long talks with them and working with them and trying to figure out what they're gonna do differently or what they aren't going to do differently, what they're keeping the same and things like that.

"All I know is that Justin this entire offseason has been working his butt off this entire time to get himself to where he needed to get to. And he did that before he got drafted by Chicago when he was just training for the combine and things like that, and he did that once he got drafted and he was doing that during the season."

All the work didn't pay off in wins for Fields as a rookie, as the Bears lost eight of his 10 starts. Petit-Frere saw a base established, however.

"So my thoughts on his season is that he played as hard as he could, he played on an amazing team with the Chicago Bears, one of the most storied franchises in the NFL ever, and I think that he created himself as a new staple on that team," Petit-Frere said. "I think that his leadership and his affection and how affectionate he is as a person is about to rub off on a lot of people and is going to change that team."

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