‘We knew there was going to be a sweet spot for us’: How the Chicago Bears found the perfect opening to snag quarterback Justin Fields in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL draft

But in the context of Thursday night, the first-round chess board provided the Bears an opening they knew wasn’t guaranteed. Not since 1999 had quarterbacks gone 1-2-3 in the NFL draft. Then Thursday night arrived and Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance came off the board quickly — to the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Over the next 48 minutes, however, no other quarterback was taken. Seven picks passed.