The Chicago Bears have made it pretty clear they aren’t going to leave any stone unturned in their pursuit of a quarterback. They’ve already scoured the veteran market for options. Now their attention is shifting to the draft. Not just there though. It appears they’re also looking into the undrafted and even the opposing league markets as well. Case and point? Say hello to Jackson Erdmann.
The native of Rosemount, Minnesota first made a name for himself in Division III college football at Saint John’s. In his final season there, he threw 51 touchdowns in 14 games and topped 5,000 yards passing. He carried the program all the way to the semifinals of the national championship tournament. Sadly they fell in a 35-32 heartbreaker to longtime powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Things became difficult in 2020 though.
COVID-19 forced the Division III league to shut down for the year, putting a lot of young careers on hold or killing them entirely. Erdmann wasn’t going to go down like that. He signed on with the upstart Fan Controlled Football league. It appears to be a new take on the old Arena Football League and has included some notable former NFL players including Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon.
Erdmann joined their Wild Aces team, appearing in six games. Over that span, he threw for 284 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception on 37 attempts. His team went 4-2 over that stretch. Now it appears he is ready to take his shot at reaching the NFL. According to Daniel Greenberg of Fansided, Erdmann was allowed to throw at the Minnesota Gophers pro day. The Bears had representatives in attendance and seemed to like what they saw.
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Jackson Erdmann is a fascinating story of resilience
He was a star in high school. In 2013 he led Rosemount to the state finals where they sadly lost. During that offseason, he was hit with a terrifying neurological disorder that interrupted muscle control. Erdmann managed to recover and led his 2014 team to an undefeated season. Sadly they were upset in the opening round 14-13 because he broke his leg during the game.
This created a cloud of health concerns around him. Enough to where he went without any scholarship offers. So he battled his way onto the roster at Penn State. However, it didn’t take long for him to realize he didn’t belong there. So he transferred back closer to home at Saint John’s where he became a star. Now he is chasing the next part of his dream. To play in the NFL.
So what kind of talent is he?
Jackson Erdmann stands out more than a typical Division III quarterback. He’s 6’4, which is good NFL size. He has some mobility to him and seems to have a natural ability to throw accurately both from in the pocket and on the move. He shows timing and rhythm with a lot of his passes. As for arm strength? One can’t call it great but it is good enough to believe he can make most of the necessary throws in a playbook.
If the Bears are looking for a practice squad quarterback they might be able to mold into something more? Erdmann feels like exactly the type of guy who would fit. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he received an invitation to training camp this summer.