Everybody knows that this time of year is the height of the misdirection season. Teams don’t want anybody to know what they have planned for the NFL draft. The better their secrets are kept, the better their odds of securing the player they want. GM Ryan Pace has proven a master at this since he took over in 2015. People never know what the Chicago Bears are going to do come draft time.
That is why their picks so often come as a surprise. Even if those picks aren’t always good. As the draft approaches this year, one question continues to dominate social media and other forums. Are the Bears going to draft a quarterback? Andy Dalton is penciled in as their starter but he is on a one-year deal. Nick Foles is the backup and likely in his last season with the team. Right now Chicago has no future prospects at the position.
This is why all eyes are on the draft.
Head coach Matt Nagy said in his recent press conference there are a lot of good quarterbacks in this class. Evidenced by five being projected to go in the first 10-15 picks alone. Is it possible Chicago may try to get in on that action? They’ve certainly been making it seem like they’re thinking about it. Already several of their top brass including Pace and Nagy has been spotted at multiple pro days around the country evaluating these young men in person.
Yet only one has gotten the full attention of everybody. According to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears had everybody of any rank in attendance to watch Alabama quarterback Mac Jones during his two pro day appearances. Not just Pace and Nagy. Nagy’s right-hand man Josh Lucas and Nagy’s two top lieutenants in quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.
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“On Tuesday, Bears general manager Ryan Pace, coach Matt Nagy and director of player personnel Josh Lucas were all in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for an in-person look at the Crimson Tide quarterback. The week prior, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo attended Jones’ first pro day.”
Is the Chicago Bears interest in Mac Jones fabricated?
Normally fans would be jumping all over this news as a sign that the team has considerable interest in a player. Yet past history has taught Bears fans to be cautious. Back in 2017, Pace had the same kind of entourage present at Clemson’s pro day to watch Deshaun Watson. Then during the draft, the Bears traded up for Mitch Trubisky. A couple of years later it was revealed they hadn’t even spoken to Watson personally.
Knowing this, it is difficult to know for sure if this projected interest in Jones is real. From a pure evaluation perspective? The Crimson Tide star fits what they look for in a quarterback. While he isn’t the biggest or most athletic QB in the class, he’s lauded for his accuracy, decision-making, and leadership. The bigger the stakes, the better he seems to play. Jones comes across as a fierce competitor.
He seems like the sort of quarterback Nagy would love.
Not that it matters much. A lot of momentum is building that Jones could be the third quarterback off the board. Trevor Lawrence is expected to go #1 to Jacksonville and Zach Wilson #2 to New York. Several experts are hearing Jones is quite possible for the 49ers who recently traded up to #3. This would make the Chicago Bears being interested in him or not completely irrelevant. However, if he somehow falls this could become a serious topic of discussion on draft night.