THE FIRST PACE TARGET
Pace takes a lot of flak for his unwillingness to draft a quarterback over the past two years. It’s easy to criticize but the reality is there are so many moving parts when drafting the potential future of the franchise. Do it too early when the team is rebuilding and it could ruin the player. There was also the Jay Cutler presence that Pace had to navigate. It was a difficult climate to walk into from a political standpoint.
However, people tend to forget that Pace truly did consider making his QB move right away. In 2015, there were rumblings that the Bears were exploring a trade up from the #7 pick in the draft. Their target? Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, whom most felt would be available at the #2 spot held by the Tennessee Titans. Adam Hoge of WGN Radio explains how things played out.
“We’ll never know what the Tennessee Titans wanted for the No. 2 overall pick in 2015, but we do know the Bears were interested.
General manager Ryan Pace correctly identified Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota as a prospect he could build an offense around, but the price was evidently too high. Jay Cutler potentially could have landed in Nashville, where he owns a home, but multiple high draft picks would have also headed south. Pace knew he had a major rebuilding project ahead of him and mortgaging the future in his first blockbuster move as a rookie general manager would have been risky.”
Odds are the Titans were already locked in on Mariota and no offer was going to budge them. Smart on their part and a good sign that Pace understands what good quarterbacks look like. Mariota perfectly fit his description of the best draftable type. Highly experienced and proof that he elevated the program when he played there. With him at the helm Oregon went 36-5 with three bowl victories and a national championship appearance.
Why is this so important? Mainly because there is a player in this 2017 draft that has begun to mirror the same background and traits as Mariota.
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