Reading what the Chicago Bears are going to do at quarterback is almost always impossible Especially in the draft. Nobody saw the Mitch Trubisky pick coming. Every year since then when it felt like it might be a good time to add somebody else, GM Ryan Pace has politely declined. Is this the year the streak is finally broken? Who knows. If it is, then one person to ask about who they might want to draft is Greg Cosell.
The man has lived NFL football most of his life. He’s the nephew of iconic sports broadcaster Howard Cosell and has been a producer for NFL Films going back many years. So his opinion on the game carries a lot of weight. One thing he’s become particularly respected for? His evaluation of quarterbacks. They are fair, thorough, and more often than not right on the money.
Just look at what he wrote about Tua Tagovailoa from last year
With draft week upon us, let's take a detailed look at Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. This is all based on extensive film study. Tua's injuries did not factor at all in my evaluation. pic.twitter.com/Y61M0jsa2c
— Greg Cosell (@gregcosell) April 20, 2020
All of the concerns he voiced ended up coming true. Tagovailoa was by far the least impressive of the quarterbacks taken in the top 10. That is why it was interesting to hear his thoughts on the upcoming 2021 class. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Cosell was asked about the state of the Bears’ quarterback situation. Since they have almost no shot at any of the top five names, is there anybody they could grab later who might transform into something more?
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Cosell had an answer ready. If it were his choice, he’d be taking a hard look at Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. The concerns with him are well-defined. He’s only started 11 games in his college career. Even less than Mitch Trubisky. That is why his tape doesn’t jump out often enough. However, Cosell says there are enough traits there to where a coach could easily think he could turn Mills into something more with enough time.
Greg Cosell isn’t alone in this assessment of Mills
A number of other evaluators are intrigued by the young quarterback. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com spoke to a West Coast scout who watched him a lot. The scout said Mills is going “to be a starter” at some point in the NFL. He was a big-time player coming out of high school and would’ve been a bigger name now if not for some things out of his control. Namely some knee injuries and then the arrival of COVID-19.
Where it gets interesting is the Bears seem aware of Mills too. They sent John DeFilippo down for the Stanford pro day and the quarterbacks coach was seen working with him personally. DeFilippo has a long track record of strong evaluations when it comes to college quarterbacks. So him being sent there specifically was noteworthy. Perhaps Chicago is already on the same wavelength Greg Cosell is.
Mills does make sense from a timing sense as well.
Andy Dalton is the starter for 2021. That doesn’t seem likely to change. So the smart thing for the Bears would be to put somebody behind him they feel can develop into a possible long-term starter. Mills has more overall talent than Dalton but he’s not ready. Getting a chance to learn behind the former three-time Pro Bowler would be a priceless opportunity. If anybody can help him transition to the NFL level, it’s him.