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The Chicago Bears are a team ripe with needs at several positions on the roster, which is what makes next month’s NFL draft incredibly important for a team that we’re told is in “win-now” mode.
Quarterback remains the biggest concern for the Bears after a couple weeks of flirting with the possibility of trading for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. After offering three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two players, Seattle told Chicago they’re not trading Wilson at this time.
Even after the Bears lost out on the Wilson sweepstakes, they still manage to find their (potential) franchise quarterback without having to trade to move up in the draft in a new mock draft.
In Touchdown Wire’s new mock draft, Doug Farrar has Chicago drafting Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the 20th overall pick.
If you’re wondering how Jones could possibly drop to 20th in a draft where there are teams desperate at the quarterback position, Farrar has you covered.
Why would be drop to 20? Because the modern NFL requires quarterbacks to display mobility and second-reaction ability, and Jones has not shown much of that at all. But he’s a great pocket mover (the combination of liability and asset is why so many mock him to the Patriots), and perhaps he can be developed into a league-average mover on boots and scramble drills. From Day 1, though, he’s an improvement over what the Bears are hauling out there at the position.
But the Bears aren’t banking on Jones falling to them at No. 20, and it doesn’t sound like they’re going to trade up to grab one of those top five quarterbacks.
Which is why they’re reportedly doing plenty of homework on Day 2 quarterbacks, including Florida’s Kyle Trask, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, Georgia’s Jamie Newman and Notre Dame’s Ian Book.
Then again, the belief is that Jones — or the other top four quarterback prospects — will be long gone before Chicago’s turn comes at No. 20. But if Jones were to fall to the Bears in the first round, it would be hard to imagine GM Ryan Pace passing on him.
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