The Chicago Bears are going to select a quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft. They have no choice, really. Nick Foles isn’t the long-term answer at the position, and without a viable (younger) option on the roster, there’s really no other place to go to find one.
The only question remaining is how high will GM Ryan Pace (or whoever’s in charge of the Bears’ draft room in April) take one?
The Bears’ scouting department was busy over the weekend evaluating two quarterback prospects for the 2021 draft. Chicago was spotted at the Florida-Arkansas game on Saturday night, which was a showcase for Gators quarterback Kyle Trask. He threw for 356 yards and six touchdowns.
Six teams in attendance at tonight’s Florida-Arkansas matchup (lottery assigned): Dolphins, Bears, Giants, Vikings, Panthers, and Seahawks.
— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) November 14, 2020
The Bears were in attendance at the Iowa-Minnesota game, too, where Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan is considered a draftable quarterback.
15 teams in attendance at tonight’s Iowa/Minnesota matchup: Seahawks, Colts, 49ers, Bears, Raiders, Vikings, Texans, Jaguars, Ravens, Bills, Lions, Chiefs, Packers, Bucs, and Browns.
— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) November 13, 2020
Trask is trending the way draft hopefuls want to at this time of year. He began the 2020 season as one of the five or six top quarterback prospects in the country and his play may have elevated that ranking a bit. He’s thrown 28 touchdowns to just three interceptions and is completing over 70% of his passes.
Morgan, on the other hand, is having a down season compared to 2019 and went from a player who could potentially be picked on Day 2 to a prospect now hoping to hold onto a draftable grade. He should still hear his name called this year, but there are more questions than answers about his game right now.
The top quarterback prospects and likely first-rounders in the 2021 NFL draft are Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, BYU Zach Wilson, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
Alabama’s Mac Jones is making a strong push for top-32 consideration and is jockeying with Trask to be the next quarterback ranked behind the big four.
As it currently stands, the Bears, who hold the 16th overall pick entering Week 10, will be outside the range that quality first-round quarterbacks usually get picked.
Trask certainly had a statement game on Saturday and may have impressed the Bears enough to put him in the mix in Round 2 for Chicago.