Even as rumors persist about the Chicago Bears trading up in the 1st round, there are other possibilities in play as well. One that is gaining a ton of steam is the idea Chicago falls back on a quarterback in 2nd round. Multiple experts believe their preferred target in such a scenario is Davis Mills of Stanford. The word is the Bears brass “really like” him. Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was spotted working him out personally at Stanford’s pro day a couple of weeks ago.
So it isn’t difficult to connect the dots. The Bears want somebody talented that they can mold for a year behind Andy Dalton. Mills fits that profile. He’s big, has a strong arm, and is more athletic than he gets credit for. His pro day results were a major positive for him. Yet not everybody is buying into his growing hype. Tom Pelissero got in touch with an NFC scout on the subject. What he had to say certainly had that buyer beware feel to it.
“His hype’s a little bit out of control,” an NFC scout said. “He’s not mobile. He’s not durable. His arm’s OK. Kevin Hogan almost had more than he has in terms of just mobility and making plays. He came in beat up. He already doesn’t run well. His escape ability under pressure, clutch playmaking — all that stuff is really, really suspect.”
It isn’t hard to see why some people fear Mills.
His background is littered with red flags. He suffered two major knee injuries, one coming out of high school and then another in 2018. This combined with the pandemic resulted in him throwing just 438 passes in his college career. Even fewer than Mitch Trubisky. His production doesn’t really stand out either with just 18 touchdown passes to eight interceptions. So why is his draft stock rising anyway? An AFC position coach provided an answer.
“He is off the charts in terms of intelligence,” an AFC quarterbacks coach said. “He’s only played 11 games. Where does he fit? I don’t know. But if the physical catches up, he’s got a chance.”
Stanford coach David Shaw has championed Mills to anybody who will listen. While he’s obviously biased, this is the same man who helped recruit and develop Andrew Luck. So he knows what teams are looking for at the quarterback position. He understands it’s a mix of wanting a guy with athleticism but also somebody who can read a defense, make adjustments, and deliver the ball in the face of pressure. Mills can do that.
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Davis Mills was playing some of his best football late
People don’t account for the fact that Mills went 4-1 this past season for the Cardinal. Not only that? All four of those wins came in four-straight road games. He’s 5-2 in his college career on the road. That is typically a sign of a quarterback who thrives well under pressure. There is more proof in his final game of college where he overcame throwing three interceptions and a 14-point deficit in the second half against UCLA to force and then win in overtime.
Playing flawless is great. Yet the mark of really good quarterbacks is how they respond to adversity. Do they let the mistakes pile up or can they settle down and deliver when the chips are down? Davis Mills showed such capability? That does not automatically mean he’s destined for greatness. It means he has the traits needed to play in the NFL. Maybe that will be enough for the Bears to take a chance on him.
Whether they’re comfortable with that is another story.
Remember this team just got done exploring four years with a talented but inexperienced quarterback in Trubisky. Are they really willing to bark up that tree again? It would be quite the risk. One heavily dependent on Matt Nagy and his coaching staff being able to mold Mills into the player he’s capable of being. Plenty of people doubt they have what it takes to do so.