All of the focus is on Deshaun Watson for the Chicago Bears at the moment. Will the Houston Texans end up trading him? They’ve made it pretty clear as of right now that isn’t in their plans. The two sides are in a staredown and some believe the team is prepared to call his bluff and force him to sit out games if necessary. If that comes to pass, then the Bears must have alternatives ready.
The most likely in their case is the NFL draft. They’ll finally be back in the 1st round this year, which at least puts them in the conversation for taking a QB or trading up for one. Everybody knows GM Ryan Pace is never afraid of moving up early. He’s done it three times in the past six drafts. The question is whether a guy they like slips to a certain area higher up the board they’d be willing to jump to.
If not, what can they do at that point?
Albert Breer of the MMQB may have an answer. The insider came away with a ton of buzz following the conclusion of the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama. None more interesting than the quarterback results. Specifically regarding Mac Jones out of Alabama. A lot of people believe the Heisman finalist could go early in the 1st round this April. Based on what Breer is hearing? It might be best to pump the brakes on that.
“The quarterback group didn’t generate very much excitement, and that includes Alabama star Mac Jones. That’s not to say Jones didn’t practice well. He did. It just wasn’t enough to change many people’s minds on him, good or bad. One scout I talked to said, “I think he’s just a guy,” while another called him “O.K.” I’m not positive Jones will go in the first round. We’ll see. He might. I just don’t have conviction on it after this week.”
Jones was outstanding in 2020 with 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions, guiding Alabama to the national championship. Yet many seem reluctant to give him the credit for that. They believe his star-studded supporting cast and elite coaching did most of the work. He was just along for the ride. When looking at Jones as a talent? Most things about him come across as okay but not special. In the draft, teams always prioritize physical ability.
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Chicago Bears could work this to their advantage
Let’s say they’re dead set on taking a quarterback early. This update suggests that not only could Jones be available at 20th overall, but he may end up falling even further. So what if the Bears decided to, say, trade down to later in the 1st round. This way they can acquire extra picks for their draft coffers and still secure their young quarterback. It’s not a terrible scenario to think about.
The likelihood of Jones becoming a franchise QB are lower than others in his class. So the later a team is able to take him, the lesser the pain would be if he ends up a flop. At the same time, the guy does have merits worth considering. He has decent enough size and is more mobile than he gets credit for. His best traits though are his accuracy and his field vision. He routinely showed the ability to process defenses and find the open man.
Something Mitch Trubisky routinely struggled with.
It feels like he’d be more at home in the pass-first offense head coach Matt Nagy likes to run. He operates well from the pocket and doesn’t get easily rattled by pressure. Is he the first choice the Chicago Bears would make in this draft class? Probably not. That said, being able to secure him and possibly extra picks in the process wouldn’t be a horrible consolation prize.
