Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace isn’t exactly known for standing still during the NFL Draft. Pace has a reputation for seeing his guy and doing whatever it takes to land him — for better or worse.
Pace has traded up each of the last four drafts. In 2016, he traded up two spots to land outside linebacker Leonard Floyd in the first round, and he also traded up to draft linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.
We all know the story how Pace traded up one spot in 2017 to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky No. 2 overall. But Pace also traded up in the fourth round to land safety Eddie Jackson.
In 2018, Pace traded up to select receiver Anthony Miller in the second round. And just last year, Pace moved up 13 spots in the third round to pick running back David Montgomery.
But something he’s not known for as GM in Chicago is trading back, although he has done so sparingly. And according to a new mock draft, that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
In For The Win‘s newest mock draft, Henry McKenna believes the Bears will go to extremes to lock up their — hopefully — quarterback of the future in Utah State’s Jordan Love.
He projects the Bears to not only trade up, but trade up into the first round to nab Love with the 27th overall pick, which is currently owned by the Seattle Seahawks.
Few thought the signal-caller would fall this far. And the Bears probably think they have enough talent at quarterback to hold them over for a year while Love develops. Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky will battle it out while Love spends the year learning, and it will all be comically dysfunctional and expensive.
The Bears don’t know who will line up under center for them when the 2020 season begins, as Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles will battle for the starting spot in what Pace and Matt Nagy called an open competition.
Pace hasn’t had luck at a few positions since his arrival in Chicago, notably on the offense. Quarterback has been his biggest failure thus far, and you wonder if Pace will get another chance to draft a potential franchise quarterback.
Without a first-round pick for the second straight year, after the Khalil Mack trade, it seems the only way to get a chance this year is to trade up to take one. You could argue Love would warrant that reaction.
Love would certainly fit the bill for the Bears — an athletic, dual-threat quarterback with a big arm. But his decision-making has been questioned, something that Trubisky has been criticized for. Still, the upside with Love makes him worth the risk for whatever team takes a chance on him. Maybe that team is the Bears.
The Bears already traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Nick Foles, but you figure Pace will target quarterback in the draft. The only question is whether Pace is willing to settle with a Day 3 developmental prospect or take another swing and trade up to draft one.
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