The Chicago Bears always keeping their lips sealed shut this time of year. When it comes to the draft, few organizations are better at preventing leaks. Or least sewing disinformation. They have everybody guessing as to what will happen in the next 24 hours. Ryan Pace is back in the 1st round. Coincidentally, he’s also back on the quarterback market. Matt Nagy is a quarterback guy. It isn’t difficult for people to connect the dots.
Almost everybody believes the Bears are looking to snatch a QB early in this draft. Perhaps with a trade up from #20 into the top 10 if possible. Barring that, they’ve reportedly been looking hard at 2nd round options as well. One way or another, it would be a genuine shock if Chicago doesn’t end up with a quarterback in one of the first two rounds. What nobody can figure out is who that guy might be.
Five options could be in play.
All of the 2nd round guys and whichever two that don’t go to San Francisco at #3. One Bears insider thinks he has a decent idea of which names they have circled. Adam Jahns of The Athletic is well-connected with this team. After examining the situation and the preferences of both Nagy and Pace, he thinks the Bears’ ultimate choice will be one of three names.
“In my opinion, there are three quarterbacks who likely appeal to Nagy based on the Chiefs’ previous evaluation of Patrick Mahomes (with Nagy, formerly the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, involved), the on-the-field demands of the position in today’s NFL and the “cogs” that Pace wants identified in players: Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond.”
All of those names have the same things in common. They’re mobile, intelligent, and boast big arms. Just like Mahomes. They also seem to fit Nagy’s three primary desires for a quarterback. Leadership, good decision-making, and athletic. Fields took Ohio State to a national title game with just nine interceptions in two years. Lance won the FCS national championship and threw one career interception. Mond was 5-1 against the SEC last season and had just three interceptions.
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Matt Nagy will determine how the Bears approach this
Sitting at #20 overall, a lot of their plans hinge on what happens further up the board. They know three QBs are going in the first three picks. After that, it gets interesting. Will the Atlanta Falcons surprise everybody and take one at #4? If not, then it becomes a matter of how far the remaining two falls before teams grab them. New England and Washington are both rumored to have an interest in moving up. It is possible the guy the Bears want is gone before they can make the jump up.
One would guess Fields or Lance are the targets in that scenario. If that falls through, then Jahns suggests Mond will be their fallback option in the 2nd round. This proves one thing about Matt Nagy. He and Pace think alike in many ways. If you’re going to swing, then you might as well swing big. Fields, Lance, and Mond all have question marks but also have Pro Bowl-caliber ability. If the light goes on for them, they can carry a team.
That is what the Bears are looking for.
Not a quarterback that needs a great roster to babysit him. A quarterback who makes everybody around him better. People have their opinions on whether Fields, Lance, Mond, or anybody else is capable of that. The reality is they haven’t a clue what will happen. As any experienced expert continues to say, picking quarterbacks is the single hardest thing to do in this sport. Chicago knows this better than any organization.
