When it comes to Ryan Pace and his saga of quarterback blunders, everybody talks about 2017. This isn’t a shock nor should it be. He had a golden ticket. The Chicago Bears GM traded up to #2 overall. He had his choice of every QB on the board including eventual league and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Instead, he set the downfall of his career in motion when he took Mitch Trubisky instead.
Even at the time, people couldn’t understand the choice. While the North Carolina product had a great junior year at North Carolina, it was only his first as a starter. He’d only started 13 games in college. Prior coaches and executives had always warned against players with limited experience. Especially at quarterback. However, Trubisky made a phenomenal impression in interviews. Enough to where Pace didn’t even bother to meet with Deshaun Watson, the reigning national champion.
Yet there is one other QB opportunity the Bears GM blew.
One that could’ve prevented the entire Trubisky debacle from ever taking place. Just one year prior in 2016, Pace had set the team up pretty well with several extra draft picks courtesy of multiple trades in the 2nd round. Three of those selections came in the 4th round. A prime opportunity to score some talented players who might’ve slipped out of the top 100.
Chief among those available when Day 3 started was Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott. General belief at the time was he’d go somewhere on Day 2. He’d played exceedingly well his final two years with 56 touchdowns and just 16 interceptions. He had a good enough arm, size, and plenty of mobility. So why did he fall?
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He believes it was because of an untimely DUI arrest the month prior to the draft. So there were character concerns raised. Enough to make him drop into the 4th round.
Even so, Ryan Pace had enough ammunition to take a flier
Think about this. The Bears had three picks in the 4th round and Prescott ended up being available for all three. Pace, a man who proclaimed a desire to draft a quarterback every year, passed every single time. He took Nick Kwiakoski at #113 overall, Deon Bush at #124, and Deiondre Hall at #127. Three backup defenders rather than a worthwhile risk on a quarterback like Prescott who’d never really been in trouble prior to that arrest.
The Dallas Cowboys ended up grabbing him at #135 overall. He ended up starting that first year in place of an injured Tony Romo and the rest is history. Prescott won Rookie of the Year and ended up reaching two Pro Bowls. Prior to a devastating ankle injury this season, he was on pace to throw for 5,939 yards in 2020. This after throwing for over 4,900 the year before.
How different it could’ve been for the Bears.
Ryan Pace wouldn’t have had to surrender three extra picks to ensure he got Trubisky the next year. Picks he could’ve used to further bolster the rest of the roster. All he had to do was use one of three 4th rounders he had at the time. Yet he couldn’t be bothered taking such a risk, and that is why it’s difficult to feel sympathy for the man.
He had not one but two golden opportunities to solve the quarterback position. Both times he didn’t recognize them. Why should the Bears trust him with picking the next QB at this point? There is no evidence to suggest he can or will ever be able to do it.