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CLEVELAND, April 30 (UPI) -- The New England Patriots picked quarterback Mac Jones and the Chicago Bears chose quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but both top prospects are expected to start the season on the bench. The Bears selected Fields with the No. 11 overall pick Thursday in Cleveland.
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Bears general manager Ryan Pace confirmed that Andy Dalton was the team's starting quarterback earlier this off-season. The Bears signed Dalton as a free agent in March.
Pace reaffirmed his position on the quarterback depth chart when he spoke to reporters Thursday during a Zoom conference call.
"Matt [Bears coach Matt Nagy] spoke to Andy Dalton," Pace said. "That communication and clarity for us is really important.
"Andy is our starter, and we're going to have a really good plan in place to develop Justin and do what's best for our organization and win games."
The Bears gave up pick No. 20, No. 164 and two future picks to move up to No. 11 and select Fields.
Dalton, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, completed 64.9% of his throws for 2,170 yards, 14 scores and eight interceptions in 11 games last season. Nick Foles, a former Super Bowl MVP, is the other quarterback on the Bears' roster.
The Patriots took Jones with the No. 15 overall pick. The Alabama star was projected as high as the No. 2 overall pick in many mock drafts, but slipped to the middle of the round.
Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham entered the night as the top quarterbacks on the Patriots depth chart. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Newton remains ahead of Jones on the depth chart.
"Cam is our quarterback," Belichick told reporters on a Zoom video conference. "Whatever time Jarrett or Mac are ready to challenge and compete, we'll see how that goes.
"But right now for Mac, he's just got a lot of learning in front of him. I know he's very anxious to get going and get started on it."
Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, is expected to start for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. No. 2 pick Zach Wilson, a BYU product, is expected to start for the New York Jets.
The San Francisco 49ers took North Dakota State's Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. Jimmy Garoppolo sits atop the team's depth chart at the position.
49ers general manager John Lynch said Thursday that Garoppolo's presence allows the team to let Lance develop.
The 49ers did not say if Garoppolo will be the Week 1 starter, but coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that he would be "disappointed" if Garoppolo wasn't on the team in 2021.
"We made this move," Shanahan told reporters during a Zoom conference. "It's obvious what I hope and believe in [with Lance].
"It would be a very tough situation if Jimmy wasn't on our team. I want this kid [Lance] to be brought along. If it turns into a competition, it turns into a competition."
Garoppolo, 29, completed 67.1% of his throws for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in six starts last season. He has missed 23 games over the last three seasons due to injuries. He is scheduled to make $25.5 million in 2021.
Lance said he looks forward to learning from the veteran quarterback.
"I'm super excited to get there and learn as much as I possibly can and to be a part of the quarterback room and to learn from Jimmy and get to know him," Lance said at a news conference Thursday inside the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland.
Stanford's Davis Mills, Florida's Kyle Trask, Wake Forest's Jamie Newman, Arkansas' Feleipe Franks and Texas A&M's Kellen Mond are among the top quarterbacks available entering the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
