It is pretty much common knowledge at this point that the Chicago Bears are calling teams higher up the board about moving up. Everybody believes they’re targeting a quarterback. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy want to make a splash and finally get that position right for the long-term. What isn’t known is the quarterback options that might be in play for them.
While some think the Bears may try to jump all the way up to #4 overall in order to get one of the two remaining QBs who don’t go in the first three picks, that doesn’t appear likely. The sweet spot appears to be somewhere between the 8th and 12th picks for them. What isn’t certain is whether either of those remaining quarterbacks will get that far. Several experts aren’t unanimous on this.
This is where it gets interesting.
Former Washington and Houston general manager Charley Casserly caused a considerable stir this past week with his latest mock draft. In it he had two quarterbacks falling out of the top 10. Trey Lance of North Dakota State went 14th to a trading up Washington Football Team. The big shock though was Justin Fields of Ohio State who he had falling all the way to Pittsburgh at the 24th pick.
That can’t be accurate, right? There is no way those two talented kids actually fall that far. Well, one person didn’t seem to flinch at the idea. Fellow former GM Michael Lombardi mentioned on his podcast The Lombardi Line that the Casserly revelation isn’t crazy. From the people around the league he’s talked to, there is a feeling that both Lance and Fields could end up going somewhere in the 10-20 range.
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Chicago Bears made their presence known with both QBs
Pace and Nagy were together up in Fargo a couple of weeks ago to watch Lance at his North Dakota State pro day. Then this past week Nagy was spotted watching Fields work at his second pro day for Ohio State. So they are well aware of both prospects. Could one of them end up being the guy Chicago tries to move up for? They certainly have the natural talent that teams can get excited about.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Lance to Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen while he sees more of the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott in Justin Fields. Both have plenty of physical ability. They have size, arm strength, and can run with legitimate speed. Accuracy is also solid. The concerns with them seem fairly established. Lance threw just 318 passes in college. He’s still quite inexperienced. Fields seemed to struggle processing defenses at times and is also dogged by rumors of work ethic issues.
Is that true or just a smokescreen by a team who wants him to drop?
There is no way to know. What matters is whether this is true. A lot of people persist that Mac Jones of Alabama is going #3 overall to San Francisco. Others aren’t buying it. If that does end up happening and it’s Lance or Fields? It will be fascinating to see which one, if any, the Chicago Bears decide to take their leap for. Both have the ability to be great but are dogged by valid questions. Pace and Nagy better be sure this time.